How it began

~PAMELA

~A FEW MONTHS EARLIER~

I was seated on a bench outside as I prepared to eat.

It was time for my lunch break after which I would go back in to start the next shift as a waitress.

I enjoyed having my lunch out the back of the restaurant so that I could watch the sky and dream as I pleased.

"There you are! Did you think you could have your lunch without me?" A familiar voice demanded.

I turned in her direction and saw Tiana, my co-worker coming to me. She was dressed in a short black dress, just like mine. It was our uniform for work.

I smiled at her. "I thought your break was until the next hour. That's why I came out here alone," I explained myself.

Tiana sank beside me. "It is. But I'm a rebel, so. . " She trailed and we both broke into laughter.

"I seriously think that you should take your job seriously. If the manager ever finds out about this, he's going to cut down your salary," I reminded her.

She made a face and rolled her eyes. "People like him don't scare me. I don't care, Pamela. No one is going to stop me from having fun or living a life," she announced.

I sighed at her and offered her my lunch. It was just two pieces of sandwich and a bottle of mango juice. She smiled as she accepted it, taking one piece and biting off it like she had been hungry for ages.

With Tiana, I had started believing that she was always hungry. She was never satisfied.

"So, are you going to tell me or not?" Tiana demanded through a mouth filled with the sandwich.

I furrowed my brows at her. "What do you mean?" I asked in confusion

She rolled her eyes at me as she sighed heavily. "You've been smiling all day. Your mood is topnotch and you came in all dressed up. So tell me more!" Tiana complained.

I chuckled at her sometimes childish behavior. "Okay, you caught me. I have a blind date tonight," I answered in excitement.

She corked her brows at me. "Blind date?" She demanded in disappointment.

I nodded my head. "It's not really a blind date per se since we've been chatting for two weeks now," I explained.

"And you're meeting him tonight?" She demanded.

I nodded at her. "I'm so excited to meet him. He just feels different from all the other guys. We were able to easily connect via text and we both like each other a lot," I blurted out.

Tiana gapped at me. "You've not even met this guy and you love him already?" She demanded. "I have a bad feeling about this," she voiced out.

I immediately wrapped her in a short hug. "Thank you for always looking out for me but I will be fine. You needn't worry," I assured her.

Tiana only sighed in response. Eventually, our break ended and we went back to work. When we closed for the day, I changed into the emerald green dress I wore in the morning. I felt a bit confident about it. It was able to hide my thick thighs.

"Good luck on your blind date," Tiana called as I got into a cab. "And be careful, Pamela. If you noticed anything strange, just call me," she concluded and waved at me.

I only smiled at her in response as I felt myself begin to grow nervous. I felt like chickening out and ditching the date but I talked myself into staying. I started this on my own for the first time and I had to finish it.

Worst case scenario, he would reject me and I'll find someone else.

The cab driver dropped me off at the cafe and I paid him. I exhaled sharply as I walked into the building. I found an empty table and sat on the chair.

From here, I could easily spot all who came in and they could spot me as well. I brought out my phone and texted a simple I'm here.

My phone buzzed and I checked to see that he had replied. "I'll be walking in soon," I read out loud.

As if on cue, a tall man walked into the Cafe. He wore a leather jacket under a dark T-shirt and jeans. He was a brunette with hazel-brown eyes. He was the most handsome man I had seen in months. He looked like he had jumped out of a fairytale movie.

All the women in the Cafe were dazed by his presence and I decided to stop myself from gawking at him. I knew he could not probably be Stephan.

I had put up a picture of myself. I was not blessed with beauty like the models and movie stars. I knew that whoever would be attracted to me would be an average man.

Then again, looks did not matter to me. What mattered was the fact that we got along and we cared about each other.

I looked down at my phone to see if another message had come in but there was none. My date was running late and I hated lateness. It made me cranky.

I looked toward the entrance just in time to see the dangerously handsome man lock gazes with me. I looked away immediately but from the corner of my eyes, I saw him begin to approach me.

I wanted to scream at him to stay away, that I already had a date, or that I was not trying to seduce him or anything. Maybe he misinterpreted my look. I was not trying to get his attention.

But before I could gather any courage, the handsome man sank unto a seat in front of me. I stared at him with wide eyes.

"Why are you here? That seat is taken," I began in a voice that I thought would be firm but came out squeaky.

He smiled at me with amusement. "Well, I'll be damned because I am your date."