Page 49 of Safer Alone
“Well, you better let me go. I need to go get ready. I’ll need some extra time to pretty myself up and prepare to meet your parents.” I stand up and pull him up with me. Kissing his cheek and walking past him, down the stairs and out the front door. Making my way towards the guest house.
I shower quickly, as I want as much time as possible to apply my makeup and style my hair. Once I am satisfied with the person looking back at me in the mirror I slip into my dress. I pull it quite tight so it will show off my curves. I wasn’t thin, but I had lost weight recently and in turn it has given me more of an hourglass shape. I slip my feet into sandals, spray my perfume a couple more times than usual. Affix my watch on my wrist and grab my bag. It was now 5:00 pm.
I flick on the bedside lamp before leaving the bedroom. Entering the living room I also turn on the large floor lamp next to the couch. I will be able to see where I am going when we get back from dinner.
I sit down for a moment on the couch giving myself a pep talk. You just need to be yourself, Angela. Don’t divulge too much information about yourself. You don’t want to give anything away that might crack open your biggest secret. Therefore, don’t mention your parents. Don’t drink too much and don’t ask too many questions.
I stand up from the couch and open the front door, my intention to walk to the main house. Instead, Elliot is standing there with his arm outstretched, as if he was about to knock on the door. My mouth drops open, he looks so darn handsome. I feel as though my heart is about to burst.
My eyes travel over his body. He is wearing grey jeans and a collared baby blue dress shirt, with the top button open at the collar. I can see that some pale blond chest hair is playing peekaboo at the top. Damn it, I just want to kiss him, right there. When I raise my eyes back to his I can see he is looking over me the same way, except he isn’t thinking about chest hair, I hope not, anyway. “You look beautiful, Angela. Stunning really” He pauses. “Damn I really am a lucky man.” He offers me his hand, which I take immediately and we kiss. Not a gentle kiss either. It is as though we are hungry for each other. When we pull away, we look deeply into each other’s eyes.
“Okay, we better get going before you let me kiss you again. Because Angela, if I do, I think I might just push us back into that guest house, and not stop until it’s time to take you home.”
I let out a giggle at this statement from Elliot. “I agree.” I close the door behind me, as if somehow that will stop him. I then tug his hand in the direction of the waiting car. We wander toward the front house together, our fingers threaded together. Opening my door for me, Elliot helps me into the back seat of the black SUV we arrived in yesterday. I noticed Price is already positioned in the driver’s seat. Once Elliot gets comfortable in the seat beside me, Price turns over the engine, and starts to pull out of the driveway.
We don’t travel long at all. Maybe ten minutes before we are slowing and entering a residential estate. The homes here are just as large as the ones surrounding Elliot’s mansion. His parents must also have money, as I remember him mentioning they still live in the home he grew up in. I look over at Elliot and squeeze his hand in order to get his attention. “Promise me that you won’t leave me tonight,” I whisper.
He meets my eyes, raises my hand to his lips and kisses each of my knuckles. “I’ll never leave you, Angela,” he replies.
This statement holds a lot more weight than it should. I am simply asking him to not leave me alone with either of his parents and yet his words ring with another emotion. Like there is another promise behind it. One that tells me that he will never leave me, not just for tonight, but for always. I feel giddy, like all my Christmases have come at once. How could he possibly know that this is my biggest fear? The reason I am hesitant to enter a relationship with this man.
My past tells me something. The people who I love leave me. Whether it be my grandparents, who had no choice, I know, but still they are gone. My parents leave me every Christmas, taking off on a fantastic vacation, never even asking if I would like to go, too. Liam has left me for his fiancée, once again not his fault, friends do that. And he hasn’t technically left me, it’s just we don’t see each other anywhere near as much as we used to. Then there is Elliot, the one I know will leave me in the future.
We soon come to a stop and I see that we are parked out the front of a large house. In the evening light I can see that it has similar elements to Elliot’s, however this one appears to be a newer construction.
I prepare myself, by taking several deep breaths. Elliot has slid out of the car already and is making his way around the back of the vehicle, on his way to open my door. He really is a gentleman. You can do this, Angela. It’s just dinner with Elliot’s parents. The door beside me opens, Elliot’s hand is outstretched, ready for me to take it. I make a rather graceful exit, thankful for my flat shoes, and stand beside him. With our hands intertwined we walk a couple of steps to the front door. Elliot lifts his free hand and knocks on the door, announcing our arrival. Here goes nothing, I think to myself.
~ Chapter Twenty-Six ~
We don’t have to wait long at the door. Exactly long enough for me to inhale, hold and exhale five deep breaths. It opens slowly and I see a kind gentleman standing in the door. I know instantly this is Elliot’s father as they look so similar. Arthur is shorter than Elliot by a good inch and his hair still shows some evidence of the sandy blond it once was. However it has now been mostly taken over by the more dominant grey in some areas. He smiles warmly at us both, before giving his full attention to his boy.
“Son. It’s so good to see you” He reaches out and pulls Elliot close in a hug. I notice that Elliot reciprocates completely. They clap each other on the back three times.
Upon releasing Elliot, Arthur looks at his son and clasps his shoulder. They then both turn their attention to me. “Angela. This is my father, Arthur Sands. Dad, this is Angela.”
I smile and offer my hand in a handshake which Arthur takes immediately. He has quite a firm grip. A handshake of someone who does this action quite often. “Hello Mr. Sands. It’s lovely to meet you.” Momentarily it feels strange to refer to him this way, as only a couple of weeks ago this was how I referred to the man standing next to me.
“Angela. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. Please come in. Oh, and call me Arthur.”
I nod. “Thank you, Arthur” He stands to the side of the door and allows us entrance into his home.
Elliot’s hand locates my own, intertwining our fingers. Once we are inside he pulls me along a hallway toward the back of the home. This hallway hasn’t got the same grand feel of Elliot’s. Although there are lifted ceilings, close to ten feet high, the architectural features are lacking. Two large glass pendants hang from the ceiling at equal intervals providing light. The walls, painted in a deep navy blue above a white wainscoting base, makes it feel as though it is coming in on me. I walk hurriedly beside Elliot towards the light at the end of the tunnel.
The end of the tunnel is a large living area flooded with artificial light from the many lamps scattered around the room, along with the large crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the room. While I am looking around, I notice a petite middle-aged woman with honey blonde hair sitting in a single armchair. She must have heard our footsteps as she looks up and upon seeing her son she smiles and stands up, walking over toward us all in one fluid movement.
I notice that she is still a very attractive woman. Her hair cut just so to frame her face. Her frame, although petite, is very womanly, keeping her looking youthful. The lack of wrinkles is disconcerting for a moment, until I pay a little more attention to see she is wearing a full face of makeup. Her eyes are the same hue as Elliot’s. This has to be his mother, Maggie.
“Elliot. Sweetheart. Come give your mother a hug” Her voice is soft, although I believe I could hear her from the other side of the room, it is that clear. I expect him to release my hand immediately. Instead he continues to keep our hands together until the last moment possible, when he reaches around and hugs her with both arms, kissing her on both cheeks. As soon as he releases her he takes hold of my hand once more. His movements are not lost on his mother, her deep blue eyes following like a hawk.
“And you must be Angela?” She reaches out to me offering an embrace. I hug her back with one arm as Elliot refuses to let go of my other. Her two arms are around me, rather loosely.
“Yes. I’m Angela. Thank you for having us over for dinner, Mrs. Sands,” I reply.
She smiles warmly at me. “Oh. There is no need to be formal. Please call me Maggie.”
“Ah. You found your mother, then.” Arthur comes around the corner at that moment and commences to walk toward us with two wine glasses in his hand. He offers them to Elliot and me when he reaches where we are standing. Once we both have our wine in hand, he says “Come. Let’s sit down,” and wanders over to a large wingback armchair, the matching one to Maggie’s just-vacated arm chair.
Elliot pulls me with him over toward the two-seater couch. Sitting opposite his father, we are seated. He lets go of my hand finally, only to then place it on my thigh. He is making a show of how comfortable we are together and even though I am nervous, I feel relaxed too. This is mainly due to the fact that my dress is cut well and falls below the knee, especially when I sit down. I look respectable. I’m covered up.
