Chapter 309

As she had expected it was stand up comedy. The guy who was performing was not very funny but was good enough and got some laughs. The chairs around the tables were arranged in a way that everyone who is seated can see the center stage where the performances were going on. The waitress removed the couple of extra chairs from their table just leaving only two chairs in which they were both seated. Akshar was sitting on her right and was looking at some colorful paper that he was holding in his hand. He looked at her and said,” Every weekend, they have some featured events going on here. They are very entertaining and interesting. The food is good too and you don't have to pay extra for parking. Today they are having a show after this, which by looking at the name, I believe is about a Chinese princess. It is a very good story and I don't completely remember the details but let us see how they bring out the essence of the story." She was very relaxed and was having fun. As soon as they had come in they had ordered some wine to drink. They waitress brought what they had ordered along with some toasted nuts. The next event was announced. The announcer said, “This story is about a Chinese princess called Turandot. She was so beautiful that anyone who laid eyes on her falls in love with her. But she didn’t want to get married but couldn’t do much against her father’s wishes so she agreed to marry the one who solves her three riddles. In order to make it more difficult she made it a law that if anyone fails to answer those correctly, they will die.” He paused for a moment. “Now let us see what happens. Did the princess ever get married? Was there anyone brave enough to come forth and answer the riddles?”

The curtains pulled off, and the lights dimmed. It looked like a nice theater. The princess was sitting behind a lace curtain, with her pet tiger which looked almost real. She was dressed in pure white and the audience could see only her side profile. Then the whole story unfolded with her father asking her to marry and her refusing and finally as abiding to the law agreeing to marry the one who answers the three riddles. As per her wish the king agreed and to her surprise many suitors come forth to answer her riddles. They all failed and lost their lives. The actress who played the role as the princess was excellent. When she appeared in front of the town’s people, when they requested her to let go of one of the suitors, a prince who was very young, much younger than the princess herself, her gesture, indicating no mercy to be granted, her cold facial expressions and her cruel eyes were excellent. The role of Timur king without a kingdom, struggling with his son Prince Calàf who was smitten with the princess' beauty, and was determined to win her as his bride was spotless expressing the pride of a king at his brave son and at the same time worried as a father. For the princess herself, it was not so much the size of her voice, which was considerable; it was the beautifully focused clarity and brilliance. Her performance could knock over everyone, but with the most elegantly struck blows imaginable. The overall set was skillfully designed that were colorful, ambitious and delightfully Eastern. The set had plenty of bamboo detail, Chinese motifs. The Emperor was quiet hilarious when he came out wearing a white silk, shorter pajamas and a red headdress which looked like a tomato on a tea pot to speak with his daughter with great concerns as she refuses to marry. And for the seductively pretty princess whose eyes showed no expression, but her eyes cold heart, every time someone shows up and fails to answer and is ready to loose their head. The major characters all wore a long silken ears and everyone from the palace were kitted out in glorious brocades. The hilarious and sensible Emperor was a delight to watch. The cast had worked very hard to create many characters from mandarins to peasants and the director kept the action moving apace. Akshar turned towards her and said, "I am glad you are enjoying this play. The director Anthony used to say "A theater that cannot be laughed in is a theater to laugh at." I am really happy to see you enjoy this event."

Chapter 308

He picked it up after a couple of rings. She was delighted to hear his voice. "Hey! You sound happy. Looks like everything worked out fine I suppose" he said. "Yes. Everything went great. As I promised I gave you a call" she said. "Are you still at work or..." he said. "No. I am near Danbury. Just dropped of some documents at a client" she said. "That's wonderful. Absolutely great. I am pretty close to you. Can you meet me at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mill Plain Road? I can get there in about ten minutes" he said. She keyed in the search for Hilton in her GPS. In a minute the screen refreshed indicating that it was about 7 miles from there. Excited she said, "Sure. I will see you there." It took her about twenty minutes to get there due to traffic as there was some event going on at the Ives Concert Park nearby. She learnt that from all the signs and advertisement. She wanted to get there a little early and freshen up before Akshar got there. But it looked like that was not going to happen. When she was just about to park the car her phone rang. It was Akshar. She picked it up immediately and said, "Got stuck in traffic and I am at the parking lot." He said, "That's fine I will come out. I actually want to take you some where else." She was a bit puzzled but it didn't really matter anyway so she said, "I need to freshen up a bit" and walked towards the entrance. He was there waiting for her. He pointed her towards the bathroom and indicated that he shall wait in the lounge. She breezed past him and in there put on some make up. Something heavier than before but not too much. She looked like she was going to work so she took her coat off and adjusted her top so that it looked more casual and not professional. She had dressed up for a professional meeting, not too much as she came directly from the printing arena. Satisfied she stepped out and walked towards him.

He looked at her and got up and asked her, "Have you been to any fun place lately?" She thought for a minute and said, "Not really!" He said, "I thought so. If you would like to follow me, I shall take you somewhere, where you definitely will have some fun. It is just a couple of blocks from here." She nodded and followed him in her car. He was not joking when he said couple of blocks, but he didn't say how big those blocks were! With traffic, it took some time to get there even though it was pretty close. It looked like a warehouse. They parked the car and he took her by her hand they both walked at least a mile and it was a club house and a diner. It had some jazzy neon sign with one letter that was hanging. Only after getting closer that it was not hanging but was designed on purpose. They both walked in and he spoke to someone in the front and gave his credit card and in a couple of minutes they walked towards the rear end of the building. There was a hefty man in his uniform. Akshar showed him some paper and he stamped something on both their hands and opened the door. She was expecting it to be something like a dungeon and was a bit concerned about the place. When the door opened it looked like a whole new world down there. The steps had red carpet on them with a huge chandelier and it was apparent that it was a underground club. It was huge and there was a stage at the other end where someone was talking something on the stage. It looked like a stand up comedy. A waitress dressed in black pants and a white full armed shirt and a sleeveless black jacket with a red bow welcomed them and looked at the stamp on their hand and took them to the front and seated them somewhat in the middle of the room.

Chapter 307

He was surprised when Diya had called him, but as she had proved to be very sincere, somehow he could not refuse an appointment with her, for some reason he felt compelled to oblige to her request. He was alone in his house, unusually on a Sunday evening as his wife and kids were vacationing in Florida. He was definitely not interested in hanging out with his in-laws and his wife's family. He found them to be quiet loud and competitive and some what rude. Often he gave work as an excuse to avoid them. He tried to remember how Diya looked as he knew that he had met her before but his memory failed him. He imagined her to be in her early forties but was not sure. He was actually feeling bored at home all by him and when Diya had called requesting if she could come by to discuss and show him a proof of a set they had printed, he couldn't refuse. His house was quiet clean as the maids had come that Friday and cleaned everything up. He had a huge single family home with a nice back yard. He had a couple of chairs in the front of the house and was relaxing in his loungewear when she had called. He decided to put some pants on as it was a professional visit and didn't want to look shabby. He took a quick shower and a shave and put on a t-shirt and a corduroy pant. Grooming his hair was not a problem as he had none. He liked his bald head, he felt it gave a sophistication to his age, especially when you are fifty plus. Unlike his wife who was slim and hardly ate anything he was very carefree. He didn't care about his weight since he had only gained about ten pounds from his early twenties. He was relatively lean and healthy compared to most men his age but the common factor he had with them was that he has hair free. When he was just ready he heard a car pull in at the front.

He peeked through the window and then opened the door. He was a bit surprised to see someone in her late twenties or maybe early thirties at the max. He had some how expected her to be much older, maybe it was because the way she had sounded over the phone or he expected someone so young not to be so sincere. He got that idea from his older son and also from his past experiences. He welcomed her in and she took a seat on the chair in front of him. She picked up a small pile of documents and handed it over to him and said, "Sorry to bother you but I just want to make sure if everything is correct." He looked at the document and surveyed it with a keen eye adjusting his glasses. He held it against the light and examined it again without his glasses. Everything looked fine. He was satisfied. He then said, "This looks good and I guess you should be able to get in done by the end this week?" She got up and said, "Excuse me for a minute" and stepped out and went to her car. She opened the trunk while he watched her with a question mark on his fore head. When she returned back she had a few piles of paper sealed bags in her hand. The expression on his face changed into a surprise turning into an exclamation. "You mean this is all done? I can't believe this" he said. She smiled and explained it to him that only one pile was done incorrectly and that was on the top. So all she had to do was reprint them. "I also wanted to make sure that the rest were all done correctly that is why I wanted to meet with you today." He was impressed. Very impressed. He shook her hands and said, "I have to say, you surprised me. This is a job well done" and he shook her hands. After thanking him Diya got into the car and started driving. She was very happy and thought about the previous day’s events and she remembered Akshar. She pulled over in the nearest paring lot and picked up the phone and called him.

Chapter 306

She knew exactly what she was going to say. She had already rehearsed it in her head and dealing with work crisis gave her an extra edge in her job. She had everything, every little detail about the person on the other end in front of her. That was the first thing Lisa had sent her before setting up the conference. She was not sure how he looked, even though she had met him before but that didn’t really matter right now. She knew that he was one of the high profile comments and his words have value. Things have been going on pretty good so far, but how after this she was determined no to let anything bad happen and not to loose his goodwill. She was ready waiting for him to be available on the other end with everything going on in her head. She was not tense but clear and precise and confident. Lisa said, “He is on the other end. “ Diya greeted, “Hello Mr. Launigan. It is very nice of you to find some time to speak with me. I am not going to ask you how you are doing as I apparently know that you are not quiet happy and I am here to discuss a solution got this. To begin with I would like to apologize for the mistake.” He said, “I am listening. Let’s see what you have got” in a very affirmative tone. She was happy to sense that his tone was not upset. She continued, “I do not wish to waste your precious time by trying to explain how this happened, but I believe that you would rather prefer a solution to the problem. First, I can reprint the stock and make it a priority and hand it over to you by the end of next week. Secondly, as the mistake was on our part I would like to absorb the cost of the stock." There was silence on the other end for a whole minute. Mr. Launigan said, "That is very generous of you. I am very impressed by your professionalism and sincerity. I hope this doesn't happen in the future. When I heard that you wanted to speak with me I was expecting an apology and probably a huge justification wasting my time and nothing productive at all. But I am very impressed and surprisingly I am not angry anymore. I hope you keep your word and deliver it on time. I would prefer if you could deliver it by then end of working day on Wednesday which would give me enough time in hand." She was very happy. She said, "Thank you very much and I promise you everything will be delivered as per your request. Just one thing, if it is possible someone can come and pick up the stock and we can get started right away so that I stay by my word."

She was on the phone with Lisa, making all arrangements and by the time she got to bed it was half past one. She was tired but relieved that everything was going to work out fine. She was not sure when she fell asleep but woke up instantly when the alarm went off. She was ready in less than twenty minutes and with a sandwich in her hand and some coffee in the coffee mug and was already on her way to work. As it was Sunday, bright and early at six thirty in the morning, there was no one on the road. She was there in less than twenty minutes and it was such a perfect timing, that when she opened the door and deactivated the security alarm Lisa was there and followed here were couple of workers, Jake and Joseph. She knew there were there to get things done. She had promised that she would pay them double for the day, as it was a Sunday and it was a priority. She had already verified the documents and had everything set in place to be printed. Jake had the stock and he immediately went to work. Diya was not sure how much stock had to be reprinted so she had estimated it to be at least a couple of days. Working with Jake and Lisa and verifying everything both the order and the available stock, it turned out to be a wonderful surprise. All the stock that was sent to them had been returned, well Jack had picked it up as per Lisa's request. Only the upper pile of the stock was printed incorrectly and the stock on the bottom was done correctly. She sat with Joseph and Lisa and verified every single one of the set and even randomly checking some stocks in each within them. It was quiet clear that someone had changed the print chart in-between the prints and had forgotten to change the stock. So the next batch was printed wrong. Lisa had taken precaution in ordering the food. She had ulcer so she always had to eat on time. So when she is around she made sure that everyone got something to eat. Until the food arrived, some sandwiches and a couple of slices of pizza, Diya didn't notice the time. She didn't care much for the food as she was already starting to feel full as the work was getting done. By the time it was five in the evening, the complete stock was printed, organized and was ready to be delivered. Something struck her; she picked up the phone and called Mr. Launigan. To her amazement he came on the other end immediately. After a brief conversation she was on her way to meet him at his house with the printed documents in her trunk.

Chapter 305

She couldn't take her eyes off of him. She knew the kiss was accidental but still it meant something. He starred into her eyes. He could see his face in her eyes. There was just a thin layer of air separating them. Even though his kiss that landed on her cheek was accidental he didn't regret it. For a minute he even thought that it shouldn't have just ended as a peck but something more. Her eyes were beautiful, lively and energetic. There was something about her that attracted him to her from the very first time. The chemistry was strong but circumstances were not. But today, was a different day. He was there, right in her apartment and there were no ties stopping them. The pizza was good, probably more because she was eating with him. He ran his fingers through her cheek gently pulling her closer to him. He could feel her breathing, gently. The closer he got the faster her breathing was. Her eyes were a bit misty with anticipation. He wanted to say "Of all the girls I've ever met, you’re the one I just can't forget". He knew that should sound quiet artificial so decided against it. Her grip on the phone tightened. Her lips quivered while her shimmering lipstick glimmered in the night light. The bright red rosy lips whispered her longing passion in his ears and the delicate skin of hers that had now turned pale whispered her love. It was a moment to cherish and relish. He wanted to pull her close and hold her in his arms and tell her,

O, the red daisies is as powerful as an eagle,
And the white rose is as delicate as a dove.
But let me give you a cream-white rosebud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.

He heard a loud honk and realized he had crossed the lane and got back to his lane. He had been dreaming while driving. The song that was playing on the radio repeated "For the love that is purest and sweetest, has a kiss of desire on the lips." He remembered the look in her eyes even though it had lasted only a few seconds. He had starred at her after that accidental kiss on her lips. She didn't say anything but had starred back at him. They had exchanged glances for just a few seconds but there was so much more meaning hidden in it. If it had lasted for a few more seconds he would have probably kissed her. He knew she would have liked that but her phone rang. The expression on her face said, "Oh not now". That was good enough for him, knowing how she really felt about him. That was a good start; it was something enough for him to thing about and look forward to. He said, "I think I should leave now. You have client waiting on the other end." She closed the door after he had disappeared in the elevator. He felt happy, very happy. He was talking to himself, "There is something about her, I just can't figure it out. Damn! I really like her. I really really like her." He thought about everything that had happened that evening. In spite of them not going out and not spending much time with each other, it had turned out to be a nice evening. He would have loved to take her out on a date and maybe danced with her. He said to himself, "Next time. Definitely next time." He increased the volume on the radio and the music started playing. He started singing along...

A stranger once you were to me,
With a gentle smile you turned towards me,
I remember when your eyes meet mine,
What I felt within I can't really define.
I have poured my entire soul into you,
Our first kiss is still overdue.
Your memories are a banquet song,
That what keeps me going strong.

He shook his head and banged his hand on the wheel and cried aloud, "What is wrong with me? I should have just kissed her. Sometimes I just hate myself for being a nice guy".

Chapter 304

She was back on the phone with Lisa, but this time it was a short call. She asked her to setup a conference call with the client so that she can talk and explain things out handle it. She had a plan and she knew it would work and was quiet confident that she can fix everything. He face was changing, now from a tense look to a clear concise vision accompanied by a confidence smile. She walked over and sat with him on the couch. "Looks like things are under control" he said looking at her expression on her face. Just then she noticed the flowers he had given her and picked it up and said, "Very nice. Let me arrange them in a vase." She walked up with the flowers in her hand and she picked up a vase she had in her kitchen cabinet and filled it with water. Arranging it she said,” I feel very bad wasting your evening, driving all the way here, I know it is more than an hours drive and... I am very sorry." She was busy arranging the flowers and didn't notice him standing next to her. He said holding a rose in his hand removing the leaves at the bottom handing it over to her, "Don't apologize. Things happen. I waited this long to ask you out and I guess a couple of hours is not much." She looked at him and smiled. He added "You are definitely worth the wait" starring straight into her eyes and she stood there unable to say anything, but her eyes expressed what was on her mind - she was more than happy, she was flattered. He starred at her for a couple of seconds and picked up the vase and asked, "Where do you want me to put it?" She looked around and before she could decide on a spot the pizza was there. They both waked over to the door and he took the pizza while she paid for the pizza. She walked into the kitchen and got a couple of plates. She asked, "Would you like something to drink?" She opened the fridge and said, "I have Orange juice, Sprite and pineapple juice. I do have some red wine if you would prefer that." He said, "Sprite would be good." She came in with a couple of glasses of sprite along with the bottle and they both sat on couch and started with their first slice of pizza.

"You have a nice house. Very beautiful" he said. "Thank you. I love it too. It is very special to me since I have worked very hard to build a home for myself. So I cherish it a lot" she said. Sensing the tone in her voice and the answer too he asked, "Is everything ok. I know you were on the phone earlier dealing with some problem..." She said, "Ya, wrong stuff got delivered and I thing we can fix it, its just that I need to talk to the client and make sure he is is not displeased. It is a lot easier when you talk to someone in person but over the phone it is difficult to know what they are thinking on the other end. Yes. I believe once I clear the air everything would be fine". Even though she seemed fine, it was still in the back of her mind and he could clearly see that. Trying to put her at ease he tried to change the subject and said, "You look very nice. Wish I could have taken you out. It is not a lot of fun sitting with a gorgeous woman inside a house and eating pizza, especially when she is all dressed up to go out. It kind of doesn't look on my dating resume." As he had expected she broke into laughter and he joined her. He noticed her eyes were very sparkly and bright when she laughed. When she crossed her legs, her legs look so slender and sleek and well toned especially in that black dress she was wearing. Looking at the book that was open at the end of the coffee table she asked, "I am glad you didn't get bored. Looks like you found something interesting to read." He nodded and said, "Indeed it was. But to tell you the truth I would have preferred your company." Her phone rang again and it was Lisa informing her that she has set up a call with the client at ten. Overhearing the conversation, Akshar looked at the clock on the wall, it showed 9.40. He finished his pizza and said, "I think I should get going. I know you have some business to attend to." She got up with him and both of them washed their hands and finished their drink. He walked over to the door and said, "Maybe I shall give you a call tomorrow. Hopefully we can go to the dinner some other time." She was holding her cell phone in her hand and looked at it for a moment while he continued "Hope everything works out for you". He moved closer to give a peck on her cheek when she looked up; instead it landed on her lips.

Chapter 303

Diya turned the TV off and checked her outfit and opened the door trying not to show any eagerness or excitement in her face. He stood there with a beautiful bouquet, a gentle smile along with his charming good looks and his Mickey Blue eyes. "Lovely flowers for a pretty lady" he said and presented her the bouquet. She smiled and took it in grace and said "Come on in". Her cell phone rang and she said, "Excuse me for just a minute". He walked in and looked around. It was a big, definitely bigger than his apartment as this was two apartments, customized and made into a single home. He slid his hands in his pockets and walked around looking at the TV, it was a flat screen 60 inch from Sharp. Compared to the distance from where one would sit and watch it seemed a little big for that room. He thought a very good one to watch the football matches, with some popcorn and a good crowd. She was still on the phone so he looked around wondering weather to sit on the Italian style contemporary tufted back elegant peach leather sofa or sit on the interesting roomy shell that could comfortable seat two people. It didn't look comfortable so he decided to sit on the couch. She was still on the phone and seemed a little tense. Her face was tight and she looked serious. The smiling gentle eyes had turned into an intense concentrated look and she was busy looking at some papers she was holding. He knew something was going on so he decided not to disturb her. He brushed through the magazines that were on the coffee table - The vogue, Business magazine and a couple more. He was more interested in the Technology at work and picked it up. He was quiet interested in reading the magazine and he lost track of time. It discussed from how a paper plate is made to how a crane works. It was very fascinating. He was more interested in the section that discussed about robots and how and where internal combustion is used in technology. He was comfortably seated on the couch and loved the book and had almost forgotten that he was on a date and was waiting for her to be done with her phone call. Adjusting his position on the couch, one end of the heavy book accidentally touched the remote and turned the TV on, making him realize where he really was.

Diya, on the other hand, completely busy with the crisis at hand, where one of the product of hers that she offers, the customization of letter heads where the wrong logo on the wrong draft paper and was shipped to the customer. She was not sure how it happened but now was not the time to find out where it went wrong but to pacify the customer and fix the problem. She was juggling her calls with Lisa and her client. She had her laptop on the dining table and was trying to figure out what had happened. It was a bad mistake as it was a government stock paper and now they have fixed it within a couple of days notice. She had been dealing only with Lisa so for but she wanted to talk to the client directly once she knew exactly when and how she will fix it. She knew what to do but was rehearsing how she was going to talk to the client and was thinking about a few options. She was disturbed by the sound on the TV and for a minute she was angry. When she saw Akshar, she realized that she had completely forgotten about her date. She immediately told Lisa she will call her back and walked over to him. Her face had changed; it was not tense anymore, but filled with regret and apology. She also realized it was already eight thirty and had had been so patient so far. She felt very bad. "I am so sorry. This was completely unexpected and it caught me off guard. It shouldn't take long but I am so sorry to do this to you". He tone was so apologetic, Akshar couldn't help but smile. He said, "It is absolutely fine. Things like this happen. I know it is tough to run a business and you need to pay immediate attention to it. Please, it is ok." She said, "Oh, my god, Do you like Pizza, Chinese? I am sorry but the least I could do is order some food for you" and she picked up the phone and started searching the yellow pages. He walked towards her and gently took the phone from her hand and said, "It is ok. Don't worry about me." She shook her and head and he knew she was not going to be satisfied if he doesn't agree to something. So he said, "Pizza would be fine, but on one condition, let me make the call and you go ahead and get things done." She felt much better. She smiled and said, "I would like a Margarita pizza with pineapples, jalapeños and olives please."

Chapter 302

He looked simple, but very attractive. He was wearing a Dockers ionic denim pant in antique black. It was obvious that it was his favorite pair of jeans. He was very comfortable in the relaxed-fit jean with straight legs and 5-pocket styling with the zipper fly with red shank closure and contrasting inner waistband. It looked like it was either custom made or was imported. He had paired it against a solid short sleeve polo shirt in gray heather. It was a traditional polo-style look in an unusual color bordering the collar in red as it was a hard-collar style with 3-button placket left chest pocket in straight hem. The pairing was a success like the right wine with the right food and the color seemed quiet nice on him. His shoes were simple but elegant and appropriate for the occasion. It was cushioned and seemed lightweight in comfort, that is his slip-on loafer. It was made of black leather and had some line at the base and the top along the curves giving it a very manly look and feel without sacrificing the elegance of the black leather. Even though it was not a necessity his hip adorned the versatile men's bridle leather belt from Levis with his logo heat embossed with brushed satin gunmetal buckle.

Just as the advertisement on the TV said “Match the uniqueness of that special someone with our lush bouquet that lets them know it's all about them!” – so was the bouquet he was holding. It was a gorgeous arrangement of roses, godetia, stock, mini carnations, daisy poms, button poms. Instead of it being in a vase he had it wrapped up beautifully in his arms. He outfit acted as an excellent backdrop for any photographer to take a picture that they can cherish. The blossomed flowers seemed to say that they were proud to be in such an assortment. It was an unforgettable gift of fresh beauty that will stand out just as much as the person that receives it – He liked the slogan written on the card and that was also one of the reason for him to select this one. He had thought about getting a bouquet of roses and lilies but as this was their first date he had decided against it. He loved the irresistible bouquet of twelve classic long-stem red roses, paired with six exquisite white calla lilies. It was a breathtaking combination of blooms that were picked at the peak of perfection. It added that special touch when words are simply not enough. But for a first date, he decided that definitely was not the right choice, as it kind of conveyed something more than what he wanted her to feel; he didn’t want her to feel that he had been waiting for an opportunity to ask her out; so he decided against it even though he would have loved to give it to her.

He was prone to be late for almost anything and everything, but this time he wanted to be on time. He had waited for an opportunity like this for quiet some time so he had even set a remainder on his cell phone to make sure he is not late. He had customized his remainder to say, “Akshar – Remember you have to pick up Diya at 6 today”. He would have been late if not for the remainder which forced him to check the time often. Unable to find any ironed shirts or pants he had made the bold decision of going on a date in a pair of jeans. He knew this particular one had a special look so he could get away with it. He had know her to make a statement in her outfits so he had made a careful selection of what to wear in the mean time still keeping it simple. He had filled up his tank and vacuumed his car and taken it to the car wash early that morning. Since no one was going to come over to his house he decided to postpone cleaning up and finishing up his laundry for later. It had been a wise decision since he was on time and waiting in front of her door – seconds away from Diya opening her door; ready to go out on their first date.

Chapter 301

Diya was almost ready; she had spent quiet some time in deciding what to wear. It had been a tough decision and she had never had this much trouble in deciding what to wear. She had always know what to wear may be it a ball or a wedding or an office event. She had always been able to narrow it to a couple of outfits and decide one but this time since it was neither one of those events she had struggled to decide on one. She didn't want to look too sexy but attractive enough, she wanted it be an eye turner but not be gazed upon. She also wanted to look quiet sophisticated yet natural. She felt like she was going for a job interview as a freshman, even then she didn't feel this tense or nervous. She finally picked one after major consideration decided to go with black as black has the quality to fit into anything. It was a Scoop-Neck Cap-Sleeve Dress woven in a blend of acetate, nylon and spandex. It was pleated at scoop neckline and had very pretty cap sleeves in empire seam. It had a back zip with hook-and-eye closure at top with a thin line above the waist giving a natural curve around the waistline. It hit just at her knee revealing her slender legs. The sexy little black dress she wore was very flattering when she looked herself in the mirror. Picking up a shoe was relatively easy. She looked at black, silver and red. Silver seemed more appealing so she decided to go with her Bandolino "Elycee" Peep Toe Slingback Pump. It had a ribbed trim and a decorative button updating the usual slingback by adding drama to it. It was made of leather with imitation patent leather trim; a peep toe with adjustable sling back and a good 2 inch covered heel. She picked up her Designer Legacy Boutique Exclusive Leather Lila to go with it with the multifunction pocket to hold all the things she needed. It had a turn lock closure and was made of metallic leather and matched perfectly with her silver-metallic shoes. What she loved about her purse was its stripe lining. She just had to do her hair. She wanted it to be very simple, so decided to use a metallic hairclip and clasp it in the back partially leaving the rest wavy. She liked herself; she felt she looked good, even though this was not their first meeting and they have spent quiet some time together in the past this was different.

It was their first date. It was both exciting and concerning. She didn't expect him to actually ask her out, but the circumstances had turned out be different. It came upon on a casual conversation when he said, "Maybe someday we can go out for dinner, in a nice restaurant or something, have a glass of wine and have a good time". She had laughed and said, "Ya that sounds good. Dinner would be good" and they had talked about many other things and a couple of days later there she was getting dressed, taking into account how she looked. With all these thoughts in her mind, she sat in front of her dressing mirror and applied her mascara and her eye liner. She used a brown one; she always did as it made her look good. She wore a small single pearl pendant stringed onto a very thin silver chain onto her neck. It was a special cultured pearl that shined in the light. She picked out the matching single drop pearl ear-rings and wore them and was almost ready. She looked at her watch that reminded her of her watch and the bracelet to go with it. She decided against a bracelet and picked out a watch on pearl-like string and wore it. She stood in front of the mirror and checked herself again and corrected her hair and pulled her dress that was curved in the corner. She knew he would be here in ten minutes and she was ready. She hoped that he would be on time and that she didn't look to obvious that she was too eager for him to her out. She sat on the couch and decided to watch some TV. She thought about how just after a simple conversation, a couple of days later he had called asking her if she was free that Saturday. "Are you free this Saturday? I was wondering if we could go out for a nice dinner that we talked about earlier. Maybe I can pick you up by 6.00?" He had sneaked that one in and it had caught her by surprise and she had said she was free and she heard the elevator open and in a few seconds she heard her door bell go .. Dong Dong!

Chapter 300

Time. Time doesn't stay still for anyone or anything. Time is also of significant social importance, having economic value often referred as "Time is money". It also has a personal value as well, due to an awareness of the limited time in each day. There is a proverb that has been quiet famous over the years - "A stitch in time saves nine". What this really means, that it is better to spend a little time to deal with problems or act right now than wait. If you wait until late, things will get worse, and it will take much longer to deal with them. That is very true since we use reasons to explain away why we don't want to do something different; reasons why we don't want to change. If we know that doing something different might help the situation, not doing something different is called "stupid." The best reason why has never solved the problem. Often reasons why are understandable, however what is not understandable is why we feel the need to have our lives dominated by reasons why we didn't do something different instead of results. When we make the decision to go for results in our love relationships. . . that's the real moment we make a decision to grow and prosper. 9 months. It didn't seem to be a long time but yet it was. The proverb stitch in time seemed to make more sense now. Certain things that should have been discussed right away had caused a rift now, making even simple conversations uncomfortable, feeling bad and sad due to procrastination. Time has a special effect on people, especially when it comes to relationships. No one can predict what will happen, especially when you are not sure and this time it was no exception. Time can also affect people in various ways. It can bring people together who are separated, it can heal wounds; it can change the way you look at things in life and bring a different perspective. Time can make things happen that you thought would never happen. As each person changes over time may be it years or months, which he or she inevitably will, so does a relationship. How much it changes depends on the outside variables of everyday life. But you can bet that your love won’t always be exactly the same as it was when it was fresh and new. Love, like the ocean, has a natural ebb and flow pattern. It’s important to learn to go with the flow, and that love changes with time. Time can bring out the secret desires in a person, destroy a relationship, take a relationship to a new level or even end a lifetime. Time can make things happen.

Nine months later............