The Dark Stranger

In public

"The Dark Stranger"
© VeGirl 2014

We take my car down to the centre of our little town. The icecream place draws us in and I can't help remembering his chocolate-covered strawberry and whipped cream and that first mindblowing kiss of ours. I look up at Vincent and I know he's thinking about that as well. Our eyes meet and we both start a wicked smile. Is this what life could be like with him? In that case; bring it on!

"Is sex all you think about?" he whispers and my body reacts instantly. I can't answer, my mouth has gone dry. "Isn't that my thing? I'm the guy, with the topmodel of a girl."

Topmodel, yeah right! I think, focusing on my icecream. I don't have any of the curves Eddie has and I feel insecure all of a sudden. As the salesperson fixes a couple of ice-creams for us, I stand there digging a hole for myself to jump into.

'Stop that!' Vincent orders in my mind. 'You are beautiful in every single way. You are perfect!'

I look up at him with wide vulnerable eyes and I see the sincerity in his eyes, I know he means every word. "Thank you," I mumble as he pay for our treat before we walk out of there hand in hand.

"I'm going to have to show you to a mirror, to make you see what I see when I look at you." He smiles. "My angel..."

He keeps showering me with compliments and gradually I feel better. Why does my confidence always have to be in the bottom? My parents have always been supportive but despite that, I have always had a need to prove myself.

Vincent is good for my self-esteem.

When I am in his company I never have to prove that I am good enough. The feeling of meeting Mary and Amelia on the sidewalk in town is indescribable. I see them notice me and their eyes widen as they catch a glimpse of Vincent. A smug grin forms on my face and when we are a few meters apart, their eyes flicker to me and they see my grin. "He'ya girls."

"Sam?" They say as if they haven't seen me in years, when we actually met just two days ago. Their eyes flicker towards Vincent who is still holding my hand.

"Oh, this is Vincent, my..."

"Husband." He leans closer for a stagewhisper, before he pulls his hand out to shake theirs. "Nice to meet you." He flashes off one of his hundred watt smiles, and I roll my eyes.

Please!

'Please? Are you begging me again already?' Vincent's teasing voice in my head makes my stomach clench at the same time other info is being yelled through both my ears.

"Husband?" My friends gawking faces need no further descriptions, but their minds demands it. "You got married?"

I gulp.

Vincent is feeling my stress and takes charge. "It was actually a long time ago and there were apparently some problems with an annulment, which suits me pretty fine right now."

I am so glad to have Vincent there, with his made up explanations. I have never been good at lying, and in this particular subject, I wouldn't even know where to start.

"You've been married all this time?" Amelia sounds like she can't believe her own ears. "But you were engaged to Peter for... what... two years?"

"Yeah, who knew the annulment didn't go through?" I laugh. "That would have been a surprise if we actually were about to get married."

"And you just ran into each other and all this came up?" Mary asks with her brows in a tight line.

Both Vincent and I laugh; he confident and me nervously. "Even worse, I moved in next door, and I accidentally got her mail, and then one day Sam walks out the door," Vincent explains and turns towards me. "And you're even hotter now than when I asked you to marry me."