One Last Chance | Book 3 | Sal Vulcano

Ch. 9

I set the plate of breakfast down in front of Brian. He thanked me as I gave him a fork. I stood across from him with my plate in my hand. Brian groaned as he took his first bite.

"Oh my god. This is soo much better than what that Melody girl served." Brian said.

I laughed. "It's always a different name with her, isn't it?"

"I don't remember her fucking name. Why should I care?" Brian scoffed.

I chuckled. "That's true. And thanks for complimenting on my cooking. A lot of teaching came from my dad."

"Well I'm guessing your dad was a great cook." Brian said.

"He was! He actually worked with famous chefs when he was alive. My dad was a chef. A fantastic one too." I said pointing my fork at Brian.

"That's so cool!" Brian geeked. "Well, your dad taught you well."

"I hope so." I said as I put a forkful of eggs in my mouth.

"Did your father own a restaurant?" Brian asked, lifting his eyebrow in curiosity.

"He did, actually. It's on the other side of New York from here. Cameron and I get a little paycheck here and there, even though we don't own it. Only because my father was a big deal at that restaurant, and when they order my dad's old specialty, some of the money is sent to us." I explained.

"That's so cool!" Brian geeked again.

"It's really nothing. Cam and I don't think about it too much." I said with a shrug.

"Well, anyways, breakfast is great." Brian said with a smile.

I smiled to myself as I finished up my breakfast.

>><<

"It's couples night down at the bar tonight." Brian told me.

"Okay. Why did you tell me that?" I asked with a small chuckle.

"Well, we aren't doing anything. Maybe you could be my date for tonight." Brian suggested.

I froze up. Brian taking me out to couples night with him? What if I see Sal there? Would he think that I'm moving on from him with his best friend? Plus Brian and I are only friends, why would I want to go to couples night with him? What crossed his mind that I could fall for him?

"I-I don't know..." I replied lowly.

"Awe c'mon Addy. You need to get out, have some fun! Plus, we would go as friends, not as a couple." Brian reassured.

"I don't know. What if I see Sal-"

"So what if you see Sal?" Brian asked. "You are an independent woman. If Sal can move on, than you can too."

My heart broke a little inside. But Brian had a point. "That's true..."

"So, are you coming with me tonight?" Brian asked.

I thought about it. If I went out with Brian, I could pretend that he was my date. Maybe I could prove to Sal that I can move on, and with other men. Maybe not with Brian, that's not a good choice. But I can prove that I don't need him in my life to make me happy.

"You know what Brian? Yeah, I will go with you tonight." I said.

"Awesome." Brian said with a smile.

"But, you will be my date. We will be together tonight, the two of us." I said seriously.

Brian was taken back. "Oh, okay. Sudden much?"

"Sudden for what? Sal has been in a relationship with that Melanie girl, so why not?" I asked.

Brian thought about it for a moment. "Okay, okay. But, I will take you to dinner before we go. As a real date."

"Sounds good." I said with a smile.

"So, that's a plan?" Brian asked.

"It's a plan." I said with a bright smile.

>><<

Tonight, I wanted to prove to Sal that I am someone who doesn't need him to survive. Though, I didn't even know if he was going out with his date tonight. But either way, I wanted to be prepared if I did see Sal. I wanted to look sexy, but I also wanted to be nicely dressed for the weather and to dance. After I showered, I stood in front of my closet, just staring at it, trying to find something to wear. I finally came to a conclusion. I put on a high waisted black skirt that came down just above my knees. I tucked in a sexy, long sleeve red shirt that was loose and had a deep v-neck. For my hair, I let it down and loosely curled the ends. I did my makeup, then put my contacts in.

As I was finishing up, I got a text from Brian that stated that he was in the neighborhood, close to my house. I sent a quick reply back before going downstairs. I put the dogs away, grabbed a little black purse, then went to brush my teeth. As soon as I got out of the bathroom, Brian knocked on my door.

"Hold up!" I yelled as I ran to put on my shoes.

I slipped on my knee high black heeled boots that I wore once with Sal. I made sure I had my silver watch on before opening to door for Brian. As soon as Brian saw me, his eyes went wide.

"Wow." Brian breathed. "You look amazing."

I smiled. "Thank you. You do too!"

Brian was wearing a plain black shirt topped with a black blazer. With that he wore off black slacks with worn out converse. His hair was gelled to the side, making him look great.

"Thanks. I tried to look nice, but you obviously beat me on that one." Brian said with a smile.

"I tried." I said with a shrug.

"Oh! I got you something!" Brian said.

I cocked my head to the side. From behind his back, Brian gave me a bouquet of flowers. I awed as I took the flowers from his hands.

"Oh my-" I smelled the flowers, "these are amazing. Thank you!"

"Eh, it's nothing. I wanted to get you something, you know, to show off for the night." Brian said with a cheeky smile.

I chuckled. "Well, you did a good job."

I walked back into the house and set them down on the kitchen counter. I walked back out, grabbing my house keys at the same time. I walked out the door then locked it. When I turned around, Brian had his arm out.

"Ready Freddy?" Brian asked with a smile.

I let out a small laugh as I hooked my arm with his. "Ready."

As we walked to his car, from across the road I saw Sal. He was closing the passenger side door, watching us. His face was shocked, but also saddened. I wanted to feel bad, but tonight was my night to feel independent. To distract myself, I looked at Brian who looked down at me with a smile.