LOVING THE DEVIL [02]

Chapter 07.

CHAPTER 07: dinner for two

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Seeing Liam downstairs in the main room with a bouquet of roses surprised me. What else does he have? A ring? I had walked in, already embarrassed when he hadn't even seen me yet, but that wasn't what worried me further or made me even more elated as the night progressed.

It was when his dark eyes slid up my outfit and to my face and hair that worried me. His eyes had lit up like a candle in the dark, flames of a hidden desire tucked away in those orbs. It was how he said breathlessly that I was beautiful and I could say this with all honesty, but I 'had taken his breath away'.

However, the feeling of worry and elation mixed together wasn't new. Men looked at me like that as if I wasn't a person and more like I was a trophy to be passed around. They were only proud to have me because I 'looked good' and they were never satisfied with what they had.

The roses he had given me reminded me of how I was given endless bouquets as if I was the only girl they've given them too. It was how I knew what we had was a trap and that I had to get out. Every flower was toxic to me like poison and that was due to their meaningless. I knew they didn't care, but as soon as they gave me flowers, they knew I'd shut up and accept them.

I thanked him and had given them to Elaine so I could stop the tightening in my throat due to the sudden panic restricting my airways. The same feelings sloshed in my body and that only made me more nervous.

At this point in my life, there's no such thing as 'first date nerves'. It was mostly fear of rejection or getting too deep that I can't back out without hurting myself. Now that I think about it, it was such a pathetic outlook on life, but I was and still am desperate to keep my heart safe from everyone who tried to break it.

The man in front of me was handsome, dark locks gelled back and a black suit on with a pure white shirt. He had definitely scrubbed up nicely, putting in the effort for tonight—just as I did. His usual smile was on his face which only made him look even more handsome as much as I didn't like to admit it.

Liam drove us to the restaurant. The ride there was peaceful and we engaged in various conversations about the humanitarian crisis in the world. The conversation flowed and we weren't tense which surprised me even more. It was so difficult to find people who accepted my lifestyle and who were as giving as I was.

The issues in the world didn't mean anything to the people that surrounded me because it didn't concern them. What people wanted with me was to take what I had—what I earned. They were incredibly selfish and shared nothing in relation with me and what I wanted with my life.

For the first time in a while, I actually smiled genuinely. When he made me laugh, it was obvious I was falling for the same trap all over again, but I didn't care. If someone's made you laugh more than anyone this year so far, you wouldn't care either. It felt natural and real.

We had both chuckled lightly in his car, one hand firmly only the wheel as he drove us to the restaurant. I leaned back against the plush leather seats, legs pressed together and enjoying the night so far. His left arm rested on the door, occasionally holding his head as he smiled.

"I don't think I've ever laughed that hard in my life," I spoke honestly, trying to calm myself down after the adrenaline rush of laughing for so long. My hand went up to clasp my chest as my breathing rushed out of me in quick heaves, "like ever in my life. You've certainly surprised me."