It's their love story

Chapter 22 - Night Out with Sam

Monotonous meetings with Sam in his house drove Tara to nuts. She pestered him to take her out to break the routine. Her efforts didn't go in vain, and she planned for a night out with him. She eagerly waited for the D-day so she can pour her heart out.

The most awaited Sunday night wasn't far away. It was Saturday night, and with just a few more hours to go, she would spend her memorable moments with Sam. The thought of sorting out things that hinder her love life made her nervous, but she felt excited. Emotionally bombarded, Tara rolled on her bed without getting a good night's sleep.

An urge to take their relationship to the next level panicked her. Tara felt she was being used for sex by Sam deep down somewhere in her soul. She didn't want to spoil the ultra-rare opportunity that he has offered to her by agreeing for a date night. So Tara rehearsed and mentally prepared herself. Overthinking about what will happen the next day, she became sleep-deprived. It made her zonk out till late noon.

When she rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at the clock, it was quarter to two. Because she overslept, she had only less time left to get ready. So she got up from the bed and toppled backward bottom first into the laundry bin. The pile of dirty clothes made a crown on her head, and she looked pale. Trying to regain her senses, she cleared the mess, got up, and walked to the washroom, tiptoed.

Why am I like this?

Am I feeling nervous or excited or confused?

First, I was over-thinking and lost my sleep last night, and now I had overslept ruining my time.

I should stop thinking and get ready else I will chicken out tonight, Tara cursed herself. She was unusually edgy on that day.

An hour of fleet-footed grooming made Tara attractive in her blue sleeveless gown. She looked gorgeous in her matte skin. Even in her time shortage and nervousness, she pulled herself and got ready on time and was flawless.

For one last time, she checked herself in the mirror to ensure if she was looking good. She dreamed about how the evening will change a lot of things in her life. The message tone from her mobile interrupted her dream. She checked her watch, and it was around 4:30 p.m.

It must be Sam. He might have reached here and messaged me to come out to pick me up. The show starts at 6:00 p.m., and it is a perfect time to start from home now. He is on time today. How sweet. He loves me, and it is me who is always doubting him, Tara spoke to herself, and excitedly went to grab her phone and check it. But her excitement died soon when she saw the message on her phone.

"Things never happen the way we wanted it to happen," Tara said it aloud and re-read the message again.

Sam- "Sorry, sweetheart. Something important came up. I won't be able to make it to your home. See you in the theater at 6. Kisses."

Tara- "OK, baby. I hope you will be on time. Hugs."

She replied to his text, locked her mobile, and kept it in her sling bag with a sigh.

With total exhaustion and a partial muddled mind, she took the car keys and stepped out of her home. She prayed things shouldn't go wrong. Once she pressed the gas pedal, the gushing air from the windows of the car cleared her mind. She felt serene by forgetting all the bits and pieces of the puzzle that was running through her mind.

The clock ticked 5:30 p.m., and Tara realized that she had reached the theater thirty minutes early. While waiting for Sam, Tara tried to keep her occupied by watching YouTube videos. But unfortunately, time seemed to move like a turtle, so she switched to play games on her mobile. Even though she had technology at her fingertip, it didn't keep her occupied. Her mind wandered like the black clouds which storm out before heavy rain.

After a lengthy fight with the time, at 6 o'clock, she entered the screen in solitude. Sam didn't respond to any of her messages or calls. She got worried that if Sam would come to the movie or ditch her alone.

Half an hour passed since the movie started and Tara decided that Sam wouldn't show up. She got too irritated and sad that she froze in her seat, holding her tears. Finally, when she was about to break down, Sam showed up.

"Sorry, baby. I got held up in last-minute work. Please forgive me," Sam said convincingly.

"That's OK," just the two words she uttered because she didn't want to make a drama and ruin the movie.

"Let me sort out things after the movie," she said to herself.

After the showtime, they both went to a sports bar nearby. Once she felt that they both settled in, Tara slowly opened up the long-awaited topic that made her mind sick.

"Sam, Can we take our relationship to the next level?"

There was an awkward silence after she shot out the question right into his face. Sam seemed lost, and he casually took his mobile and ignored Tara. He didn't know what to answer her as he didn't expect it from her too soon.

"I'm talking to you, and you are pretending as though you are not at all involved in this talk. Don't you have a reply for me?" Tara fumed.

Sam took his head away from the mobile and gave a sharp glance at her.

He then replied in an irritated tone, "What reply do you expect from me?"

"I'm planning to move in with you. When can I?" Tara pressed Sam.

"No. Not this time, Tara," he bluntly rejected her call.

"But why? Can you tell me the reason?" she bugged him.

"Can we please not talk about this today," Sam replied, glancing into his mobile again.

"Then, when can we talk? There is no room for conversation between us, isn't it?" she hissed back.

Sam's mobile rang and interrupted their talk. He spoke seriously to someone on the mobile. Once the call was over, he said to her that something much more urgent in his work came up.

Within a short while, Tara sat all alone in that bar following Sam's shadow disappear from there.

How much ever she tried to pursue him, it was super hard for her to catch up with him. She couldn't make him speak out what he had in his mind.

Eventually, she wished to be the queen on the board but now felt herself like a broken pawn. In distress, she gulped down some glasses of wine and drove back to her home. She never drinks and drives, but her bizarre relationship with Sam made her break the rules. She mends herself into a distinct person whom she never imagined being.

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