His Second Chance

Chapter Twelve

I ran down the stairs, looking down at my watch. I was so late! I had seen Julian waiting outside in his car just as I getting out of the shower. I had hurried to put on my makeup, do my hair and get changed. By the time I picked up my bag and my phone, I already had three missed calls from him. As I ran through the kitchen, Chloe came in and said," What time will you be back?"

"I don't know, I'll text you, but I have to go," I said quickly, rushing out the door.

I walked quickly over to Julian's car, opening the passenger door before he could get out and open it for me.

"I'm so sorry, but if you knew what I've been going through today you'd forgive me," I said as I jumped in.

"Oh? Enlighten me," he said with a chuckle as be started the engine and reversed out of the driveway.

I inhaled sharply and began my woeful tale of how my alarm clock stopped working in the middle of the night, and so I woke up an hour late, putting me behind a whole hour; the day just went downhill from there. By the time I'd finished, we were almost at the restaurant.

"Well, it sounds like you've had a bad day," he laughed.

"Sorry, I've just been ranting," I said, going red.

"No, it's nice hearing what you have to say," he said," I've never met anyone like you."

"Like what?" I asked hesitantly, wondering whether I'd want to hear the answer.

"You're not afraid to speak up for what you believe in," he answered," You love what you do, you're so passionate about it, you just want me to listen to what you have to say about it. Not to mention you're very beautiful."

"Gosh, I thought you were going to say I was boring and annoying," I said, blushing bright red.

"Never," he laughed," Have you never been told that by a man before?"

"I've never been told that by anyone," I replied quietly.

"That's a shame, because it's true," he smiled.

I almost felt overwhelmed. No one had ever spoken to me like this. He was certainly charming, and of course, I liked him a lot. He pulled into a parking space by the side of the road, and this time, I let him open the door for me. He held out a hand and helped me out of the car. I took it gratefully, but I couldn't even get out of a car like a normal human. I tripped on the curb and nearly fell flat on my face if Julian hadn't have caught me. I lifted me back onto my feet as I went bright red.

"Sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me," I said, brushing myself off in embarrassment.

"Don't be sorry," he said, smiling," Its cute."

He locked the car and offered his arm as we walked up the street. It was quite a windy night as he urged me into a faster walk towards the restaurant that was at the top of the high street. It was like a small sophisticated bar. He opened the door for me and I walked in out of the wind. It was quite small, but there was a very friendly atmosphere as you walked in the door.

"I didn't even know this was here," I said.

"It hasn't been here for long, it was only renovated a year and a half ago," he said," One of the best places in town, I think."

"Who owns it?" I asked.

"Me," came the reply.

I looked up at him as he walked over to the bar with a cheeky smile. I followed him as the barman approached, and we sat at the bar.