To Caress My Day

Seth almost had a heart attack when he was suddenly woken up by his cellphone going off. He let out an irritated groan when he realized someone was calling him, and then reached for the electronic device on his nightstand.

“Hello?” Seth answered groggily as he rubbed his eye.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” An angelic voice with a British accent spoke on the other end. It didn’t take Seth long to figure out who it was.

Seth was instantly awake as he rose up in his bed, trying to calm his pounding heartbeat so he could hear her properly. “Tahliah, is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. I didn’t mean to wake you, I’m sorry.” She apologized, sitting up in her bed at her apartment. She held her phone to her ear with one hand while the other was squeezing the life out of her pillow because of her anxiety. It took several frustrating arguments with herself to give her the balls to call him, and she was uneasy about it.

“No no it’s fine! Uh hello, are you having a good morning?” Seth asked, still caught off guard by her phone call, despite the ecstatic grin on his face. He rubbed the side of his face, feeling the tiny stubbles on his cheek.

“Yes, my morning has been good. I was wondering if…is this a good time to talk?” Twigs asked, the butterflies in her stomach making her feel a little nervous. She didn’t want to have to bring up the negative events of last night into their happy positive morning, but she needed to.

“Yeah, absolutely. Of course! What would you like to talk about?” Seth asked, shifting so he was now sitting on his side of the bed, still reeling over the fact that she called him. He was beginning to think she had thrown out his number and turned her back on him for good.

“About last night.” Twigs responded softly, frowning as she remembered the looks on those diner’s faces when they saw her. Twigs didn’t care what those people were doing right on this particularly sunny morning; she still thinks they’re all fucking assholes.

“Oh.” Seth managed to say as his grin dropped. He knew that last night would eventually be brought up in their conversation, but he didn’t anticipate that it would be this early in their call. He woke up to the miracle of her reaching out to him via mobile, and he wanted to stay in that euphoric feeling. To go over last night’s events could ruin that for them, and Seth didn’t want that to happen...but he also didn’t have much a choice. At some point, they’d have to talk it through, and it might as well be now.

There was silence on the other end, prompting Seth to speak first. “Did you at least have a good time?”

Twigs smiled as she genuinely spoke. “Yeah, it was wonderful. You were amazing, the food was divine, and the performance was magical.”

“Is there a ‘but’ coming along there?” Seth dared to ask, frowning a little.

Twigs sighed and bit her bottom lip for a second. “But…the paparazzi and those rude people didn’t make a good ending to that fascinating evening with you.”

Seth nodded to no one in particular, expecting to hear the part where she would tell him she’s through with him and that she would prefers to stay ‘friends’. He could feel the muscles in his body clench up in preparation of her rejection as if an atomic bomb was about ready to go off right outside his house.

“Look I really had a great time and it wasn’t because of the expensive car ride, the rich food and the outstanding performance. I had a marvelous time because…I was with YOU. Those other things didn’t matter to me at all. I’m sorry I didn’t call you last night. I wanted to get some things straightened out before I reached out to you, and this morning I finally made sense of it all.” Twigs struggled to explain, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger, no longer holding on to her pillow. Her confidence was beginning to build up the more she talked to him. Seth seemed to loosen up all her nerves and helped to relax her somehow.

“What’s the verdict?” Seth joked softly, hoping she didn’t hear him say that. If she was about to tell him she’s through with him, he’d rather not hear about it. The billionaire closed his eyes, and began to run his fingers through his hair constantly, as his fear began to weaken his already distraught thirty five year old body.

“Look, I don’t like fame. I know you know that I want to become a singer in the future, and that it’s something I hope to build for myself. The only downfall to reaching my dreams is the whole fame thing which is something I don’t want to be. It’s just not me at all, you know? I’m not out to take over the world with my music, I just want to MAKE music. In the few producers that I’ve worked with before, I’ve found that I feel more comfortable in the studio making music, than posing in the few magazines spread I’ve done.” Twigs ranted away, exposing her personal feelings to him.

Seth nodded his head, understanding what she meant. “Yeah, I get that. Personally, I don’t really pay too much attention to my own fame. I’m just focused on getting my work done, and getting my episode on the air. I’m sorry if taking you to that restaurant and exposing you to those kinds of people made you feel uncomfortable. That isn’t the kind of crowd I surround myself with usually. I guess I just wanted you to have a great time eating expensive food in a fancy restaurant. I wanted our date to be special and memorable for you.”

Twigs smiled softly, feeling flattered that he would care that much about making every little thing perfect for her on their first date. “It’s ok, I admit I got uncomfortable for a minute there, but I’m over it now. I don’t blame you at all for what happened last night.”

“I know but I still feel sorry that it happened.” Seth apologized before they were once again met with comfortable silence. The billionaire didn’t want to wait anymore for her rejection, it was making his stomach hurt with worry. Instead, he decided to ask for another chance before she could get the chance to end things between them.

“Go out with me again. I promise you this time it’ll be different. It’s just going to be us two. One more chance is all I’m asking for, please.” Seth pleaded, not realizing how desperate he sound.

Twigs couldn’t say no to him with how determined he sound. It didn’t matter how bad the evening ended, she knew she would have automatically said yes to him if he had asked her out again. Of course, she didn’t expect that he would, nor did she think he would still be interested in her with how she left the restaurant the other night like a coward. Her mind could try and tell her to let Seth go and move on from him, but her heart would never allow that to happen without giving him a second chance. Besides, he didn’t intentionally plan for her to get scared away, she was just eating at an amazing place with filthy rich idiots is all.

“I’d loved to go on another date with you.” Twigs answered back, hearing him sigh in relief.

“Really? That’s great! I promise you won’t regret it!” Seth swore, punching his fist in the air as he silently cheered by bouncing on his bed like a little kid.

“What fancy restaurant will we be dining at this time?” Twigs asked, shoving away a curious Simone who tried to get a listening on their conversation after she had almost passed by Twig’s door.

The comedian stopped bouncing, and froze. There was no way they were going to another five star restaurant again after what happened last time! He had to think of somewhere else like...his place?

“No, not this time! I was thinking we can try a different setting, like maybe my house?” Seth suggested, as he walked around his bedroom.

“Your house? Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on your private abode.” Twigs asked uncertainly, biting her lower lip as Simone left to go and make them breakfast.

Seth chuckled adoringly. “I don’t think you’re capable of intruding, Pixie.”

Twigs blushed, feeling flattered again.

“And I insist that you wear whatever makes you comfortable. Me Casa su casa, ok?” Seth reassured her.

Twigs couldn’t help but feel grateful and laugh at his attempts to make her comfortable. “Thank you, Seth. I think I’ll feel much better wearing something that isn’t an evening gown.”

“It better. You’re not ditching me again, woman.” Seth joked.

Twigs whined in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry about that!”

“Well, you can make it up to me when you come over…the day after tomorrow?” Seth suggested uncertainly.

Twigs nodded. “Of course. I’ll be there.