Back to Square One

She looked at me straight in the eyes, the hazel orbs clearly telling me what she was about to say before she even said the words. “Because you keep making me fall in love with you over and over again,” she smiled slightly at me. The smile I haven’t seen in three years.

“Ow! Fuck!” I woke up, my face hitting the carpet. “What the hell?” I mumbled, looking around. Hazelyn was on the bed. Her eyes were glaring at me and the sun was up. Did she just push me off?

“What’s wrong with you, you pervert?!” she hissed.

“What?”

“What are you doing in here?”

“Wh-?” I looked around and remembered last night. The movie marathon, the charm bracelet, her snuggling herself into me. “You wouldn’t let me leave last night!” I defended.

“Yeah right,” she snorted. Did she just snort?

“I swear!”

“Why would I?” she questioned.

I rolled my eyes at her. “I was about to ask you that because I wouldn’t know. I just dropped you off in here because you fell asleep during the movie and when I was about to leave, you were gripping on my hand for dear life telling me not to go,” I told her. Okay, maybe she wasn’t gripping on me for her dear life, but her voice sounded pretty desperate.

“Really?” she squeaked.

“Really,” I nodded.

“Oh. Okay then,” she frowned. “Well get out, because I’m gonna take a shower,” she said pulling me off the floor and pushing me out her room.

I shook my head at the girl’s bipolar attitude and went to clean myself up while I thought back on my dream. It was a flashback of out past. I shook it away from my thoughts of the past and concentrated on the present. The present situation involved food, contemplating if I should cook. I finally decided to just take her out for lunch, since I was too lazy to cook something.

I sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV, only to be greeted by E! News.

“Megan Fox going foxy again?” the host had said. “We’ve all been aware of her wild attitude. The one that she can’t stay with one man faithfully,” the host scoffed. “We’ve been counting the days that we haven’t heard any scandals from her, and just when we think that she’s changing for the one man of her dreams, she strikes again. Three nights ago, Ms. Fox was seen walk into a hotel with a mystery man in Paris, where it was rumored that Jerome Dolciani’s sister, Stephanie Dolciani got married to Jerome’s former fiancé’s brother, Tristan Macintosh. We haven’t gotten a confirmation of Dolciani’s and Fox’s break up, but really now? You don’t hook up with a guy in a fancy hotel room that’s a few blocks away from your ex-boyfriends! What is she doing in the city anyways? We’ve gotten no news about any projects that require her to be in France.

This isn’t the first time that Megan has cheated on our lovely Mr. Dolciani, if they’re still together of course. But that’s beside the point. This is not the first, second, or third! Even I have lost count!” she acted shocked. “Last night, sources report that she again walked into a hotel with the same mystery guy in Tampa, Florida, where there too, Jay was rumored to be on vacation with a mystery girl. Girlfriend? We’re not sure, but this blonde mystery beauty seems to be bumping Megan Fox off our ‘hottest women on Earth’ list. Even if we don’t really know who she is or if she looks like a rhinoceros,” she joked. If she was here, I don’t care that she’s a chick, I’d slap her if she said something about Hazelyn. “What is this? Are they just dying to get caught by Jay? They seem to be stalking him!”

“More about our beloved Jay Dolciani, and less about his cheater girlfriend. Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris was where he was first seen with this mystery girl. They might’ve been good friends, but they looked awfully comfortable around each other, don’t you think?” she asked, pulling up a picture of Hazelyn and I, as I was leaning over to hear what she was saying.

“Well, some of our guys said that she looked like Jay’s ex-fiancé, Hazelyn DeLuca Macintosh! But sources aren’t so sure. Is he still not over her, that he was set out to find a blonde version of her? We’ve always wondered what happened to Ms. Hazelyn, she was a sweetheart,” the host said quite mournfully, but she probably remembered she was on TV, so she hyped up again.

“That’s it for this morning, what do you guys think? Don’t you think that Dolciani should leave this tramp, and go look for a better girl?” she asked.

“Was that about you?” Hazelyn grumbled walking through the living room and into the kitchen.

“Yeah,” I mumbled back, following her, and saw her grab an apple.

“What was it about?” she huffed.

I shrugged. “You and me,” I said, telling a half lie. Not exactly a lie, I was just leaving out some details.

“Did they find out who I was already?” she asked boredly.

“No. Apparently you’re competing with Megan for hottest woman on Earth,” I smirked.

“Hmmm,” she nodded thoughtfully. I shook my head at her conceitedness. “Well, I’ll see you later,” she chirped and grabbed her purse (I know! She’s using a purse! I’m surprised!) and was about to walk out of the room, but I stopped her.

“Whoa, where you going?”

“Derek,” she grumbled before walking out.

Great. I guess I’m eating alone. I waited for awhile before I decided to walk out, but before I was able to close the door, my phone began ringing furiously.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Jerome,” oh mom.

“Hey mom,” I sighed and closed the door, walking into the elevator.

“You don’t seem to be happy to talk to me,” I could just hear the disappointment in her voice, but she quickly recovered. ”So, how are you?”

“Uhm.. Pretty good, what’s up?” She never asks how I’m doing, so I knew something was up. She needed something.

“Where are you?”

“Florida.”

“With?”

“Just me,” I lied.

“What are you doing today?”

“Nothing, just going out for lunch.”

“Good, because I set you up for a blind date,” she told me.

“What are you talking about?!” I yelled, just as the door of the elevator door opened.

“Son, you need to move on. And we need to introduce girls to you that aren’t sluts,” she sighed as if it was just a normal thing.

“Mom, come on. Don’t you think I’m capable enough?” I sighed.

“You’ll thank me for this, and I’ll text you the details,” she said before hanging up.

Did she just say she was gonna text me the details? I shook my head at my phone, not quite believing what I just heard. My mother is setting me up on a blind date. Really? I sighed and started driving, looking for a Starbucks nearby.

I got my 4- scoop Grande Green Tea Frappe with Whipped mixed in, and walked out of the place with a smile on my face. Starbucks makes my day, even if your ex-fiancé had gone out on a date with her current boyfriend, and after your mom had told you, a twenty four year old grown man, that she had set up a blind date for you.

My phone had vibrated, signaling a text message from my mom.

Norman’s – Lunch. Her name’s Abigail Mendez. Reservation’s under your name. Please dress nicely.

I sighed and made my way back to the hotel, looking for the location of this so called place. I swapped my t-shirt for a green and blue plaid shirt. I then drove over to the restaurant, seeing that it was indeed a fancy one. It was no surprise to me though, since my mom was the one that set it up.

“Reservations?” the woman asked at the front.

“Dolciani,” I told her.

She checked her computer and nodded, flashing a smile at me. “Right this way sir,” she said and began leading the way. I sat down as she set a menu for me, and I continued to wait. Not even twenty minutes later, the same woman that lead me to my table lead a girl to me. She was around 5’7, she had pixie-like short brown hair. She dressed like our Abercrombie models, and she had a bright smile on her face. Her eyes landed on me, widening and she smiled.

“Hi, I’m Abigail, you’re Ryan right?” she asked in her soft voice.

I stood up, and extended a hand. “Yes, but I prefer to be called Jay. It’s nice to meet you,” I nodded and sat back down. She frowned at me, probably expecting me to pull the chair out for her. She looked like a nice girl, but there’s really no reason for me to impress her. All I have to do is piss her off and she’ll tell her parents, who’d tell my mom, and this whole blind date scene would be over.

“Abigail!” I heard that devilish voice again.

“Oh my gosh! Hey!” she squealed, jumping off her seat and hugging him.

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been great! Yourself?”

“Great,” he chuckled nervously. I looked towards the direction that I was hearing their voices, but my eyes landed on another person. Hazelyn. She just stood awkwardly halfway behind Derek, looking down on the ground. “Would you like to join us for lunch?” Derek asked. Well, good thing that he remembered he was with Hazelyn. He didn’t even introduce her. What the fuck? That’s the first thing I would’ve done.

“I’m actually with somebody,” she said looking at me, which Derek’s eyes had followed hers. His smile immediately got wiped off his face. “Is that okay with you?” she asked me. If it would ruin Derek’s day, I get to sit on the same table with Hazelyn and I can keep them from being all lovey dovey, hell yeah.

“Of course,” I smiled. Derek then got a waiter to arrange a bigger table for us, and within minutes, it was all set.

Derek and Abigail started talking, and catching up while Hazelyn and I just stared at each other awkwardly.

“So…,” I started, looking at Hazelyn. She just stared at me for a while and began laughing for no apparent reason. Not just laughed. She was in hysterics. I shook my head and began laughing myself.

“Be quiet!” Derek hissed. Our laughter had died down to soft chuckles. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I,” Hazelyn started laughing again. “I,” she laughed more. “Don’t even know,” she chuckled.

“Grow up, will you?” he hissed at her, making me frown.

“Are you guys ready to order?” the waitress had come by.

“Yeah, we’re ready,” Derek took charge. I hate this guy. “We’ll have a Shrimp Ceviche and Yuca Stuffed Crispy Shrimp for our first course and Grill roasted aged black angus rib eye steak for her and I,” he had said pointing towards Hazelyn.

“I’ll have a Roasted Breast of chicken mofongo and a down island French toast,” I said, and the woman started jotting it down. Abigail had ordered as well, and we waited for our food to come.

Hazelyn and I talked aimlessly, ignoring the other two that had ignored us as well. How did they know each other anyways?

First came the appetizers. Derek had pilled the food on her small plate, and she squirmed looking at it.

“Here,” I said giving her my plate- which was empty- and took hers.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Derek hissed.

I darted my eyes over to him calmly. “Hazelyn doesn’t eat shrimp,” I stated. “Can’t believe you don’t know that about your own girlfriend,” I smirked.

“Girlfriend?” Abigail coughed up her water.

Derek seemed to squirm and didn’t bother us any longer, going back into his conversation with Abigail. “Thanks,” Hazelyn smiled at me. I just nodded at her, and we stayed quiet. I kept stealing glances at her and saw her pushing her food around.

“Why aren’t you eating?” I whispered.

She looked up at me and smiled. “Why are you whispering?” she whispered back. I rolled my eyes at her. “Who’s she?” she asked nonchalantly, tipping her head over to Abigail as she continued to push her food around.

“Just a friend,” I sighed.

“Uhuh, friend,” she smugly stated.

I just rolled my eyes and was about to say something but our food came. The guy had set down the steak in front of Hazelyn, and I wanted to punch the guy. I took her plate again and set my plate in front of hers.

“What the fuck man?!” Derek shouted, getting several people’s attention. “Who gives you the right to switch dishes with my girlfriend?” he asked.

“Maybe before you order for your girlfriend, you should know what she does and doesn’t eat, bastard. Did you forget that she’s fucking semi-vegetarian? She doesn’t eat meat!” I boomed back at him.

His face was priceless. “That’s what I thought,” I hissed. “What do you actually know about Hazelyn, Derek,” I spat his name out venomously. He just looked at me and kept quiet. “Well, if you’re not gonna talk, then I’m leaving and I’m taking her with me. You’re not gonna treat her like a damn dog,” I declared before grabbing Hazelyn’s arm and dragging her out from there. “Oh, and Mr. Manager, I hope you don’t mind paying for this.”

Hazelyn didn’t even try to stop me from dragging her out of there, because we both know that the awkward atmosphere that was in there was so thick we could almost taste it. I didn’t even say anything to Abigail. She was the least of my worries.

I put Hazelyn into my car’s passenger’s seat and began driving to the nearest Starbucks, hoping to calm my nerves. “Why?” I asked her.

“Huh?”

“Why do you let him push you around like that?” I practically growled.

“I… Don’t know,” she sighed.

“Well, I hope you start getting to know the reason. Because without a valid one, I’m never ever letting that bastard near you.”