Elise let herself into her flat. Her head was spinning was she attracted to David? It had felt so good to be with him. They had played chess until the early hours of the morning, laughing and giggling as the game twisted and turned between them. She was sure he had let her win and loved him for it. He had been such a good, reliable friend yet he had changed. He had grown up to be quiet a dish, so why had she woken thinking of Joel.
She had hardly closed the door when the bell rang. With a smile she opened it to find a ginormous bunch of flowers in front of her. It was full of roses of all shades of pink, from a blushed white to a deep almost cerise. The smell was intoxicating and she found herself laughing. David had done this to cheer her up. “Drop them and come in you big loon,” she said grabbing hold of the hand beneath the flowers.
To her surprise it was jerked back and the bunch lowered. A very red-faced delivery man was backing away from her. The flowers held out as a barrier in one hand and his signature machine in the other. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry,” she blurted suppressing the laugh that threatened to drop her to her knees. “I thought you were a friend. Here let me sign.”
With the flowers in her arms, she pushed the door closed and sunk her nose into the blossoms. It was wonderful but also terribly romantic. David must be thinking of her in a different way. A syrupy warmth flowed into her stomach as she moved to find a vase. Arranging the flowers she took the card from them and opened it with bated breath. Did she want to start something with David? Did she have feelings for him and did she want him to have feelings for her? With her eyes closed she went over the previous night. He had never made any show that he had feelings for her, but the bouquet said different. Opening her eyes she pulled the card from the delicate envelop and nearly dropped it. Joel’s expressive script leapt out at her eyes. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone and just go home. She read the note slowly. “Elise. I hope that the individual beauty of these flowers expresses how I feel about you. You are more beautiful than all of them and I hope you will give me another chance.” His phone number was on the back along with the name of the hotel, the Moat House, and the room number. Typical. He thought that this would have her running to him for another session in his bed. Her traitorous body felt warm and liquid down between her legs at the very thought of their encounter. She threw the card down and walked away from the flowers, somehow they had lost their shine.
Later she arrived home from work to find the flowers. They looked amazing and had filled her flat with a rich heady fragrance. She was supposed to be having dinner with David, but had let him know earlier she couldn’t face it. She needed to think about him, about what she felt for him before she spent any more alone time. Tomorrow was the race. She was looking forward to it and started to prepare her clothes. Skimming through her wardrobe she found the red dress she had worn to meet Joel. She pulled it to her face and could still smell his musk on the dress. It sent a shiver down her spine. Oh what am I doing?
Walking back to the kitchen she grabbed her phone and started to dial his number. She did not need the card it was carved into her brain. She wanted to speak to him, wanted to see him but it was crazy she would just make a fool of herself again. She could hear Anna in her head. “Maybe you should give him a chance.” Why had her friend stood up for this creep and why couldn’t she get him out of her head? She grabbed a glass of wine and ran a hot bath, wondering how many women he had slept with since her. She should have asked him, everyone at work had known he was like that, even though some said he had been different since he met her. It was just her stupid ego hearing what she wanted to hear. She would forget him and see what developed between her and David. He was solid, reliable and good looking. He would never cheat on her.
