Seven

The handle of her bedroom door was rattling, she remembered to have locked it before she went to sleep. It was rattling rather noisily, followed by a bang, then stopped. Her heart was pulsing, she curled up on her bed and waited in silence. The door smashed open and a dark figure stormed into her room. She jolted out of bed, gasping for air. It was just a dream. She was trembling, overcome with fear. She had to calm herself down before cautiously walking out to the kitchen for some water.

She walked down the hallway, clang to the walls. She looked around in the dark, terrified of her own shadows. Her hands were still shaking when she filled her glass with water. She engulfed it to quench her thirst. It was a hot night, the clock said 12 A.M. She had only been asleep for an hour. She peeked through the kitchen window, her client had just returned. He was parking his motorbike on the driveway.

His movement stimulated the motion sensor. John looked up and all around, acknowledging the lights, then he went inside.

Sandy put down her glass, rubbed her arms to comfort herself, and went back to her room. Her eyes were wide open for some time, she couldn't help but think, there was a stranger living in her compound. It might have triggered her anxiety. But she managed to brush off her awful thoughts, she told herself to toughen up. She should be glad that someone was staying at her compound. She was not alone, and nothing bad would happen to her.

**********

The next morning, she went out to see Kevin at her mom's place. She saw John was training with his coach on the front lawn. His staff mentioned that John preferred to do all his training at the cottage as much as possible before the shooting starts in a week. He was focused and serious, she didn't want to bother him with small talk. So she went on her way.

Lucas : Good morning (smile emoji) how are you today?

Sandy: Good morning (smile emoji) I'm fine, thanks for asking, why so formal?

Lucas : What's your plan for today?

Sandy: It's my day out with Kevin.

Lucas : Perfect! Stop by at Gino's for lunch?

Sandy: (Hesitating) I can't stay long though, I promise Kevin we'll go to the beach.

Lucas : Great! (happy emojis) I'll see you at Gino's at twelve?

Sandy: See you Lucas.

Sometimes it's hard for her to reject a nice invitation. Although she knew Lucas' intentions were not casual, it wasn't a date either. She didn't want to be a bitch about it. She didn't want to lead him on and gave him the impression she was interested. It's not easy to be single at her age when men always assume that she was looking for companionship. Although, the problem with girls, no matter what age, they will always have that dream of a fairy tale romance. As they grew older, they learned that to expect it to happen with every guy they meet would end up disappointing them every time.

There's something about Lucas that doesn't 'click' with her. He was smart, friendly, quite good looking, single, and available. He was 39 years old, successful, but he was just not for her. He tried really hard to have the kind of connection that would make Sandy feel comfortable around him, and eventually let down her guard. But she never did.

They've been good friends for over three years, but she never let him come to her house. She never accepted his invitation to a date. She would only agree to go out on a casual lunch out or happy hours with friends, or with Kevin. Lucas didn't mind, it was a date nonetheless, just without a prospect of sex or relationship. He tried to hold her hand every time they met, she always pulled away.

"You know my birthday is coming up?" Lucas said as they strolled down the beach.

Kevin was playing by the water, picking seashells from the shore.

"Oh, when is it?" Sandy asked.

Lucas sighed in disappointment, "You don't remember my birthday?"

She laughed, "I'm just playing with you .... yeah, I remember how drunk everyone was last year, July 17th, right?"

He smiled in relief, "Right ... would you have dinner with me on my birthday?" He stopped his steps and studied her face.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, "Lucas, you're a nice guy," she said.

"Thanks," he smirked.

Sandy looked him in the eyes, he was looking at her so hopeful. "I'm serious, I really mean that you're a very nice guy ... I don't want you to waste your time with me."

He looked away, trying hard to disguise his disappointment. "Too late for that, don't you think? It's been three years ... not that I'm counting," he let out a sarcastic laugh.

"You're kind and smart, and ..."

"Everything you'd look for in a relationship, right?"

"Yes, and any woman would be so lucky and happy to have you as a partner."

Lucas put his hand on his chest, "Ouch ... that hurts."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what to say to you, I don't want you to think that we can be more than friends ... I mean, I love having you as a friend."

He watched her closely with his stare, "So ... would you have dinner with me on my birthday ... as a friend?"

Sandy couldn't believe his persistence.

"Please? It would mean a lot to me ... as a friendly gift to a friend ... have dinner with me?" he begged her.

She shook her head in disbelief, he always managed to make her say 'yes'. "How can I say no to that?"

"Yess!" he gestured in a winning pose. "She said yes, everybody!" he announced to the people passing by.

"Lucas! It's not a date, though, please don't make it hard on me."

"No ... no ... of course not, I'm just glad you're accepting my invitation, so I'll pick you up at seven?" he pushed on.

"I'll meet you there at eight, La Lune, okay?"

Lucas nodded, and shut his mouth after that, he didn't want to push his luck. He was already planning a nice intimate dinner with her in his mind.