Song of the Firebird

Eighteen

Five days had passed in the blink of an eye. For her, however, it seemed like an eternity. She had been dreaming about the date that Friday since he came to her rescue. He sounded genuine and she was ready to put a blind trust on his words. She could see the changes he undertook for her. She wished she could see more of his new side that tagged along with the formal outfits. Her cheeks blushed profusely at the very thought of him rescuing her from Ryder. She would bet that her dreams had been possessed by man in ocean green eyes.

Kiara made constant changes to her plants, furniture and decor in her living room and the balcony. Ever since her horrible divorce with Danny, she rented out a new place far away from her dad. If she were to stay with her dad, he would unite them, again, because he and Danny went along so well than the rest of her boyfriends. They enjoyed each other's company and at times, they were inseparable - in both thoughts and actions. She was scared that she would end up with him and it hurt her more when he always convinced her to invite to all his matches somehow. She never stopped praying that he would come out of that hell, unscathed. They drifted apart when Kiara proposed about him quitting racing and focusing on his day job alone, often. Danny was stubborn and didn't turn up to their place most of the nights and spent his nights in his old flat in the company of beers and whiskeys.

Kiara and Danny were both hurting and eventually, they decided to separate. They would not deny that little love for their counterpart always lingered in the corner of their hearts.

When Danny showed up in her store, she refused to believe that he had listened to her for the first time. As the reality sunk in, carrying his sincerest apologies, she wanted to get back together. She decided to learn about the new him more before she poured the desires of her mind.

Twirling her pen, she was lost in thoughts about her upcoming date night. The moment when she realised that the store was empty except for her staff, she called out one of them. ''Nesto, I will be back in a few minutes.' The guy in dreadlocks nodded at her command.

Kiara set out of her store, marched towards the food court in the mall and bought herself an apple juice. Sipping the cold sugary drink, she set out to a stroll, to check out how other shops were faring without enough customers. Her eyes danced around the display outfits of the local boutiques. She came to a halt and thought that they could still do better than show off some off-trend outfits. She wondered if she had a good dress for the date. Among her casual pants, shorts and tees, she recalled a few dresses but it had been years since she had worn them. Without a second thought, she walked into the very same store that displayed that off-trendy outfit.

Known to possess a soul that shows off her shopping skills, her hands rummaged the hangers in a sleek and swift way. She moved further into the store and checked out some more that fluttered in her line of vision. Her eyes landed on a blue woven sheath dress with a boat neck and three quarter sleeves. She picked out her size and barged into the trial room. Pleased how her curves were apparent under the dress, she headed to the cashier. Her mind was raving about pairing the new outfit with her black gladiator pumps. Later that day, after closing her store, she carried an extra of five shopping bags—all ready to set to debut that Friday night.

On the third consecutive night at 6 30pm, right on dot, Danny showed up at her doorstep, with a pint of mango sorbet and red tulips after locking his stormy blue Mazda 6 behind.

Kiara, adorned in her new outfit and accessories, sat dolled up on her couch. Her fingers were shaking, and anticipated if Danny would show up or forget about their date. She was sweating in her living room and her toes were beginning to make prints on her carpet. She stood up and paced across the hall, her eyes set no beyond her cotton gauze handkerchief. She dabbed the sweat that was about to ruin her make-up, refusing to give in. She moved to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle and drank the whole of it. She heard the doorbell ring, when she screwed close the bottle.