Destiny Keeps Getting in the Way

"Have a good day, Melinda." Lucy said as I walked out of the office.

"Uh huh." Was all I said before walking away without even looking at her.

I was so... pissed because I knew Lucy would make her move as soon as I would drop my guard. How could he just hire her?!

I mean... ugh! I need to be calm and understanding. But if she think she's going to steal my man, she is so dead wrong.

At the parking lot my cellphone rang.

"Hello?" I answered without bothering to look at the number.

"It's Peter." Peter said.

"Oh, hey, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you would like to have lunch with us?"

"Us?" I questioned.

"Yeah, Charles and his girlfriend Jessica are going and I don't want to be the third wheel." He laughed and so did I.

I smiled. "Yes, where's lunch?"

"It's in downtown LA."

"Oh, good, I'm here."

He told me the address of some place and I said I would wait for them outside since I was going to get there before them.

{Peter's Point of View}

I saw Melinda outside the restaurant by herself. She waved at me and had a confused look.

"Where's Chuck and Jessica?"

"Jessica's brother had a little... legal problem and they went to bail him out and I didn't want to cancel on you so... I figured it was okay if I came alone."

She pondered for a second and my expression remained the same: innocent.

"Yeah, it's all right. Let's eat, I'm hungry." She did a face.

I glanced at her as she was reading the menu she made some more faces.

"You don't speak French?" I asked, she looked at me and her cheeks were a little red.

"Not for a long time, no. Is it that obvious?" She leaned in and whispered, I shook my head and smiled.

"You fake it good."

She broke into a wide smile.

"Thanks, now order something good for me."

"A steak?"

"Please, and smashed potatoes, please and thank you."

I ordered for her and I. She played with her fingers and then she tapped the table with the tip of her fingers.

"What were you doing downtown?"

"I went to visit Nathan at his office... to ask him for lunch." She whispered the second part and looked away at the same time. Inside I was smiling but I gave a sympathetic look.

"Oh," Was all I said and I could tell she was grateful I didn't push the subject but then she was pouring it out there.

"He hired Lucy as his secretary!" She bursted out. "I still can't believe it, that slut, who deep down hates me and-- sorry... I didn't mean to--"

I cut her off.

"It's okay, you need someone tell this, and as a friend I'm all ears." I smiled sweetly at her. She looked at me with her burning cheeks and I remembered why I loved her, she was so modest with things and hated putting her problems on other people.

"I do trust Nathan... I just don't trust that whore. I know she'll find a way to seduce him." She half pouted.

"But you just said you trusted him."

"He's a man, Pete, and men have needs and he and I..." She trailed off and her cheeks turned redder, if possible.

"You two still haven't done it?"

"We just never get around to it, y'know. I know he just started working and we have to sacrifice some time together so he can... be somebody."

"While you stay home and take care of the kids?" I said sacastically, "Melinda, that is so not you and you know it."

"I don't stay home." She defended like a little kid. "I work in the hospital and once I get my results from my test I'll know if I can get into medical school."

"And if you don't?" I could see fear flash through her brown eyes and she bit her bottom lip.

"Then... I go back to what I originally wanted to do... a midwife."

"We both know you're more capable than that."

"It's my fallback plan, and it's fine." The food came and saw happiness in her eyes. Somehow, doubts were coming in and I metally shook them away because she was going to pay for not loving me.

Her, her friends, and her family. Her world will shatter all around her, leaving her helpless and alone and she'll have no one to turn to but me and then I'll reject her and watch as her heart breaks into tiny pieces as mine did.

Darkness, betrayal and tradegy lays up ahead for her; I almost feel sorry for her.

"What are you doing, Pete?" She asked and it brought me back from my own little sadist world.

"Not sure. I might just go back to college... culinary arts."

"Ah, I forgot you liked to cook."

I smiled as she remembered. Once, before Nathan had to wake up, I made special dinner for her on top of a balcony. She never looked so beautiful that night. We had gotten close to doing it that night but she stopped me and I respected that. Huge mistake, I should've put a little more pressure on her, I just didn't count on that bastard Nathan waking up so damn soon.

"Yes, I think I'll go back and learn some new recipies and such."

"I wish you the best of luck, Pete." She smiled that contagious smile that had once made me very weak.

|| 45 Minutes Later ||

She laughed so hard she was losing her breath and then she controlled herself.

"Oh, gosh, I remember. We got banned from that place." Melinda said laughing.

I laughed along with her. Then it slowed down and it came to a halt.

"It seems like ages ago." She said.

"Yeah... it does. Hey! Wanna go to the fair?!"

"Fair?" She drank some water.

"Yeah, I passed by one while driving here. You don't have anything else to do right?"

"No, I'm all free today and the fair sounds awesome."

|| Later at Night ||

"Thanks, Pete, I had a lot of fun." She told me with a big smile on her face, she had a little painting on her right cheek of a butterfly and it fit her so perfectly.

"You're welcome." I smiled back.

She hesitated a little and then she leaned forward and pecked my cheek like she used to. An electrical feeling went through my body as her skin touched mine, I supressed it down.

{Melinda's Point of View}

"Ciao," I waved as I entered my building and he waited until I was inside to leave.

When I went inside the apartment there was Linda and Jeff and I had urge to hide the teddy bear I was holding that Peter had won for me. Linda's face brighten when she saw me trying to hide the bear.

"Aw, you and Nathan went to the fair?"

I shook my head and pursed my lips and she tilted her head.

"Then... how--"

"Did you know Nathan hired Lucy as his secretary?" I changed the subject and her mouth opened a little and Jeff looked a little mysterious because he was avoiding my eyes. "Jeff... did you know about this?"

He opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "Nathan... might've mentioned it... once... ahem... or twice." He whispered.

"And you didn't tell me because...?"

"Because he asked me not to." He put his head down in shame and played with his finger.

I was taken back by this, why would he ask my friends to keep this from me? It did hurt a little.

"Did you make a big deal about it like you should have?" Linda asked, her hands on her hips.

"A little, not much... I trust Nathan--"

"With Lucy? They have a past, Melinda."

"But, I know Nathan loves and he wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"I still think you should have made a big scene. If it was me I would've told him to fire her."

"I don't want to be that girl." I shrugged slumping down on the armchair near me.

"What that girl?"

"You know, the obessive type. The ones who don't want a single women looking at her man... I don't want to drive Nathan away."

"So, who did you went to the fair with?" My face flushed and I got up and started walking towards my room getting a headstart.

"With... Peter!" I ran straight towards my room as I heard a huge gasp from Linda and I ran for dear life and just as I was reaching the door knob I was tackled to the floor.

"WHAT?"