Paired With Fate

Chapter Twenty Six

"Babe!"

The curvaceous woman with rich earthy skin and large chocolate eyes called to him, her smile so bright and inviting that it was almost impossible not to feel her joy and share it. Unfortunately, Zandre couldn't, not one bit. Her slightly ditzy and sanguine nature, coupled with the fact that she only ever seemed to hear and see what she wished to, had caused heavy damage to a relationship that he himself had also stupidly sabotaged. Now in order to win back his Omega, crawling over hot coals and broken glass might not be enough, but he was willing to try.

"Or should I say, fiancé!" She giggled as she wiggled her fingers, the sparkle of the diamond catching the light of the street lamp as she did so. Her eyes were once more captured by its splendour and she smiled once more. When she had received his call, she had suggested they meet at her favourite restaurant, an exquisite little place serving french cuisine. But she'd been too excited to wait for him inside and had hurried over in her kitten heels to greet him the moment he appeared from the dark street this moonless night and into the glow of the streetlight.

"'Lani..." he began wanting to end the relationship that only remained in her mind quickly.

"Oh, by the way, I booked us a table inside Chez Jean's," she interrupted him in the next breath reaching for his hand, "so we can celebrate! Have you told your parents yet?"

"'Lani..." he avoided her touch.

"I phoned mine, but the connection was awful," she continued, unheeded, believing what she would of his reactions, "I'm not sure that she heard the good news at all!"

"Elani, stop!" He growled out, angrily. Had he really considered her a great match for him back then? Or was it because everyone else would compliment them as a 'perfect' pairing as they attended parties or events together? He'd had his doubts, but it took meeting his fated pair to act upon them finally. He complained inwardly at the self that allowed the relationship between himself and 'Lani to drag on so long and in end allow her such false hopes.

She paused, finally. Her large brown eyes framed with thick sumptuous lashes blinked a few times in surprise, but she finally remained quiet long enough for Zandre to speak. "'Lani, when I said that I wanted to break up with you," he began firmly, trying to make sure that the words penetrated the happy bubble surrounding her enough for it to burst, "I did not mean that I wanted us to 'take a break'. I realised at that point that the relationship was going no where and it was time to stop dragging things along as they were."

Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out just what he was trying to say. In all honesty, it wasn't that she had no intelligence, just that it could be said she truly wore rose-coloured glasses when she liked someone, be that a friend, a family member or in this case, Zandre, her (former) lover. As far as she was concerned, everything was perfect between Zandre and herself. He had just needed a short time away from her to see that as well... that's what she'd thought. And he'd come back to her, hadn't he? He'd phoned, they'd arranged a date, he even bought her the ring...

"I don't understand," she admitted, glancing once more at the diamond on her ring finger. "Aren't we moving forward now, by getting engaged? How is that 'going no where?'"

"This ring, I did not intend on giving you," Zandre's tone was cold as he admitted this truth. The ring was for his fiancée, he'd had a plan after all, just after purchasing it he believed he instinctively must have realised that 'Lani was not the one. Otherwise, he would have given the ring to her sooner and their breakup would have been even more messy that it had already had become. "In fact if you hadn't entered my house without permission and found it on my bedside cabinet, you never would have seen the ring at all."