The Man She Betrayed

56. The First Of Dates

Clara

The next morning when I woke up, I found Aaron propped up with the support of his elbow and staring at me with a calculative gaze.

I smiled shyly as I remembered the kiss that happened last night and the cozy sleep that followed it. His other hand was still wrapped around my waist, holding me closer. To say that this was the best sleep I ever had won't be a lie.

"Good morning." I said, stretching my arms over my hand.

"Good morning." he answered, brushing my hair back from my forehead. "There is something I want to ask."

"What?" I asked in a serious voice, feeling paranoid all of sudden.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" he asked, making small circles on the skin of my stomach from the place where the shirt had ridden up.

"Date?" I repeated behind him. It wasn't what I had expected but I was grateful for it.

"Yes, date. It takes place between a man and a woman when they-"

"I know what a date is." I rolled my eyes. "And yes, I will." His smile widened as he heard my answer and he leaned down to kiss my forehead. It made me feel giddy again and I sat up before his lips could move anywhere else.

...

"Shit." I cursed as I called Ava and it went straight into voicemail. I just remembered that she was supposed to go to a business trip this weekend and right now, she must be in a meeting.

God, what am I supposed to do now? I haven't been on a date in years and I don't know what people now-a-day wear on a date. I don't want to end up wearing a gown when he is dressed in a casual T-shirt and jeans.

In panic, I hurried to and fro in my apartment, checking each outfit I had thrice. There were two business suits, four jeans, five shirts, three casual dresses and two formal ones. Nothing here looked nice enough to wear on your first date with your husband of six years.

At the end, I picked up my handbag and called a cab to the mall. There were hundreds of dress there, in hundreds of size, shapes and color. How was I supposed to pick a perfect dress for tonight?

"Clara!" I was walking out of an outlet when somebody called my name. Turning towards the source of the voice, I found a familiar woman walking towards me.

"Hi, it's Crystal. Remember? Aaron's friend." she said when she reached me and leaned forwards. I thought she was going for a handshake so I pulled my hand out but instead, she enveloped me in a hug.

"Yeah.. Yeah, I know." I said awkwardly in between the hug.

"Great. What are you doing here?" she asked and I contemplated what to tell her. I remember seeing her kiss Aaron in the office once so maybe she was an ex-girlfriend. Would it be okay to discuss about the date with her? I think not.

"Um.. I.. Actually..."

"Are you searching for the dress for your date?" she asked and I awkwardly nodded.

"You know about the date?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"Of course. Do you really think that idiot can arrange a date without me?" she snorted and the sound of her laugh made me smile too.

"But didn't you both use to go out?" I asked to clear the confusion.

"We did for like a week then we broke up. He is my best friend but honestly, he is the worst boyfriend ever." she grinned.

"Thanks for the heads up." I said, letting out a weird chuckle.

Her face paled at hearing me and she added immediately, "No, you don't need to worry. It's just that we had no chemistry whatsoever but with you, the tension could be cut with a knife I swear."

I liked people like her because with them, the burden of conversation doesn't lie on me. I am not a talkative person anymore so I just turn the conversation to an awkward end. Thankfully, Crystal did the talking for both of us and I just responded in few words.

"Come on. I know a perfect place to find a cheap but beautiful dress." she said, pulling me along with her.

She was right. The store where she took me had a huge variety of beautiful dresses in very decent prices. She bought few for herself and then helped me in choosing a dress for me.

"What about this one?" she showed me a blue color dress. It was a simple blue off-shoulder lace dress. The material of the dress was so soft and its length was adequate to cover my thighs.

"It's perfect." I said, running my fingers through it's neckline.

"Yep. Do you know his favorite color is blue?" she asked and I nodded. "Good. Just don't forget to wear a nice blue set of lingerie." she added and I turned into a stuttering mess right there.

Then we had our lunch in the food court of the mall after which she gave me a lift back to my apartment. I really liked her nature. She was so free-living and bubbly, not to mention kind and understanding. There was not a single moment throughout the time we spent together when she made me feel anxious or uncomfortable and I was thankful for that. Before parting, we exchanged our numbers and she told me to ring her if I ever need anything or just a friend.

...

For the first time in years, I actually spent time to pamper myself. I took a long bath, waxed my body, applied some products on my hair and once I was smelling like flowers, only then I came out of the washroom.

After drying my hair, I styled them in waves and changed into the dress. It's color complimented my skin tone and my hair and after some makeup, I was good to go.

Once I was dressed up, I sat down on the couch and waited for him to come. I was really nervous at the moment, if the volcano inside my stomach was any give away. I was afraid of messing up, or making him believe that I was not worth wasting any time.

Lost in these thought, I heard a knock and I hopped towards the door as elegantly as possible in these heels. Once I opened it, my eyes met with Aaron's honey colored one. His gaze raked over me from head to toe and his jaw hung open in what looked like admiration.

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Clara's dress