Dinner I didn't want to

Gil’s eyes widened. “Sam, that’s... a lot. You’re sure you don’t remember anything?”

I shook my head, “Bits and pieces, but it’s all blurry. I don’t even know how I ended up in his apartment. I mean, I didn’t... plan this. And now, I have no idea what to do.”

Gillian leaned back; her expression thoughtful. “Okay, first things first—take a breath. Freaking out isn’t going to fix anything. We need to figure out what happened, but... are you sure you didn’t leave anything behind? Like your phone, purse, anything that might give him a reason to reach out?”

I frowned, trying to think. “I grabbed my stuff before I left, I think. Wait...” My stomach dropped when I looked at my wrist, “My bracelet. The one Mom gave me—it’s gone.”

Gillian winced. “That’s... not nice.”

“Can this day get any better?” I asked in frustration.

“You’ll probably need to see him again, that bracelet is sentimental to you,” she said, with a little smile on her face.

“What are you smiling about, Gil? Didn’t you know I might bring World War 3 in our family because of this?” I told her.

“You’re overreacting, Sam. This might be the start of something exciting, and romantic,” she chuckled. Gosh, this girl didn’t know how to be serious in times like this.

“This isn’t funny, Gil, I’m serious. If my family finds out about this, it’ll be chaos.”

“Then don’t let them find out,” she said. “At least not yet,” she winked at me.

I gave her a look. “Not yet? What’s that supposed to mean? I can’t just keep this hidden forever. You know how my family is—they have a sixth sense for sniffing out secrets.”

Gillian shrugged, unfazed by my panic. “So, don’t give them anything to sniff. Play it cool, act like nothing happened. If you don’t make a big deal out of it, neither will anyone else. And seriously, about the bracelet—go get it back. He probably doesn’t even know it’s yours.”

I groaned. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one who has to face David Collins after... whatever last night was.”

“True,” she said with a smirk. “But who knows? Maybe this is fate.”

“Fate?” I sat up, glaring at her. “This isn’t some rom-com, Gil.’ And she chuckled again.

“Relax, Sam. You’re overthinking this. Just take it one step at a time. Get some rest—you look like you haven’t slept in a week.” She said and laughed.

I sighed. As annoying as her carefree attitude could be, she wasn’t entirely wrong. I couldn’t undo what happened, but I could take control of what came next. Step one was dealing with the bracelet.

I was thinking about how to get my bracelet to David because that was important to me, but I didn’t know how to react or even function if I saw him again, knowing what happened last night. What if I asked him if there were any specific bracelets in his room when he forgot who the girl he slept with was, then I am going to be doomed. It feels like I made him remember that I am the woman he spent the night with. Thinking about this infuriated me until my phone rang. It was River.

“What the hell?” I answered his call.

“Huh? You told me to call you,” River said.

“Why did you leave me last night?” I said in frustration.

“Who were you with last night? Gosh, my headache sucks! We still have a hangover,” he said on the other line.

“You’re useless,” I said in frustration.

“Calm down, lady Sam. Why are you so mad? Did anything happen to you? Where are you?” he asked me, his voice sounding like he was still so sleepy.

“I’m at Gil’s apartment right now, why don’t you pick me up? Where’s Tony and Grey?” I asked him more.

“Still snoring beside me,” he said, laughing.

“Gosh, Grandpa would be so mad at us if he found out I spent the night without the three of you, and he’s going to think we’re wasted,” I said in annoyance.

“Don’t worry, Sam. You spent the night at Gillian’s, so Grandpa doesn’t have to worry about you. He’ll be mad at us, that’s for sure,” he chuckled on the line.

I sighed after I ended the call with River. If only he knew what exactly happened.

I slumped back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Gillian handed me a mug of coffee. "So, what now? Are you going to tell River what happened?"

I shook my head quickly. "No way. He’d lose it.”

"Alright," she said, sitting beside me.

“I may just forget about that bracelet, tell Mom I lost it somewhere I don’t remember,” I said.

“Hmm… okay, if that’s what you wanted to do, too bad you won’t have to see Mr. Collins again,” she chuckled and I rolled my eyes at her.

“You’re unbelievable,” I said.

Gillian smirked. “I’m just saying, it’s your choice. But if you ask me, that bracelet means too much to forget about. Plus, it’s not like David’s some monster. He probably doesn’t even remember who you are.”

I groaned, sinking deeper into the couch. “That’s the problem, Gil! What if he does? What if he doesn’t? Either way, it’s going to be so awkward. I’m not ready for that.”

She patted my shoulder with a grin. “You’re making this way harder than it needs to be. Just go, grab the bracelet, and leave. No big speeches, no drama. Quick and easy.”

“Quick and easy?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Do you even hear yourself? Nothing about this is easy. Or quick. It’s complicated.”

I stayed quiet, my mind racing. Could I just pretend nothing happened and move on? The bracelet wasn’t just any bracelet—it was Mom’s customized gift for me. I’m the only person who has that, and it costs a thousand pounds. Realizing the price, Mom would kill me if I lost it, so I changed my mind. I need to face David; I need to get that bracelet from him.

Gillian noticed the change in my expression. “You’re going to get it, aren’t you?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I can’t just leave it. It’s too important.”

She grinned. “Good. You’re doing the right thing. And hey, maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.”

“I doubt that,” I muttered. My stomach twisted at the thought of seeing David again, but I knew there was no other choice.

“Want me to come with you?” Gillian offered.

I shook my head. “No. This is something I have to do on my own.”

She nodded, handing me my jacket. “Alright, but call me if you need backup.”

I grabbed my bag and headed out. The whole way to David’s apartment, my thoughts raced. What if he laughed at me?

When I finally reached his building, I hesitated at the entrance. My feet felt like they were glued to the ground. “You can do this,” I whispered to myself.

I took a deep breath and pushed the buzzer for his apartment. After a few moments, his voice came through the intercom. “Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Sam,” I said.

“Sam?” He sounded confused for a moment, then I heard him chuckle a little which annoyed me right away, “Oh. The Sam. Come on in,” his voice saying that was irritating.

The door buzzed, and I stepped inside. The elevator ride felt like an eternity. When I reached his floor, my heart was pounding so loud it felt like everyone could hear it.

I knocked on his door, and it opened almost immediately. David stood there, looking casual and calm like this was just another normal day.

“Hey,” he said, smirking at me. “Come in.”

I stepped inside, clutching my bag, “I... uh, came to get my bracelet. It’s really important to me.”

“Yeah, I figured,” he said, walking over to the coffee table. He picked up the bracelet and then smirked at me, “I don’t think I can give this to you, Sam Lee,” he said.

Hearing him mention my last name made my blood boil, “I don’t have time to play a game with you,” I said, irritated.

“But you had the time to spend the night with me last night,” he walked towards me. Gosh, seeing him is a bad idea. I shouldn’t have listened to Gillian.

“That’s my biggest mistake!” I said sternly, “Can you just give me the bracelet right now? I’m starting to lose my patience with you,” I said.

“Woah! Feisty,” he chuckled.

“This bracelet is going to be my souvenir from the Lee family,” he said proudly, staring at the diamonds in my bracelet.

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my cool. “David, I’m serious. That bracelet is not just any piece of jewelry. It’s a gift from my mom, and it means a lot to me. Stop playing around and give it back.”

“You know I can’t,” he chuckled, examining the bracelet.

“I want to punch you in the face right now!” I shouted at him.

But what he did next surprised me more, he moved a few inches in my face and whispered, “Go on, punch me, if you can,” he chuckled in my ears.

I gathered all my strength to punch him but he eventually caught my fist and held it, staring into my eyes for seconds and then he smiled annoyingly, “I had fun,” he whispered.

I was stunned, did he just confirm that there’s really something that happened last night? I went pale when after that and he chuckled again, “Why are so pale? Are you that afraid to be associated with a Collins?” he looked at me, my heart wanted to burst in anger.

I pulled my hand away from his grip, glaring at him. “You’re insufferable, David. This isn’t a joke to me. Give me the bracelet, and I’ll be out of your life.”

He tilted his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “Out of my life? You’re quite dramatic, aren’t you? Who says I want you out of my life?”

I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Trust me, you’ll thank me later. Now hand it over.”

David sighed, leaning against the edge of the coffee table as he toyed with the bracelet in his hand. “You don’t remember anything, do you?”

I froze. His tone had shifted—no longer playful but curious, almost serious.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked cautiously.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, his smirk returning. “Just making sure you’re as clueless as you seem.”

I felt my face heat up with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. “I’m done playing your stupid games, David. Give me the bracelet now, or I’ll—”

“Or you’ll what?” he interrupted, raising an eyebrow. “Call your family? Bring them here to deal with me? Because I’m sure they’d love to know how their precious Sam ended up spending the night at my place.”

My stomach twisted at his words. I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out. He wasn’t wrong—if my family found out, it would be a disaster.

David chuckled at my silence. “Thought so. Look, I’ll give it back to you, but on one condition.”

“What condition?” I asked.

“You owe me dinner,” he said, leaning back with a smug grin.

I blinked, unsure if I’d heard him correctly. “Dinner? Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” he said, holding up the bracelet like a prize. “One dinner and this is yours. Take it or leave it.”

I stared at him, torn between wanting to punch him and wanting to grab the bracelet and run. “Why? What’s the point of this?”

“Let’s just say I enjoy your company,” he said, “You’re... interesting.”

“Interesting?” I repeated, my frustration boiling over. “David, this isn’t a game. That bracelet means everything to me. Can’t you just do the decent thing for once and give it back?”

“No, dinner first,” he smirked again.

“Fine! But remember that I’ll do this because I have no choice! And make sure no one sees us being together during this dinner,” I said, frustrated that I have to see him again for this damn dinner that he wanted for me to get my bracelet.

“Then let’s have dinner here. In my place,” he said.

“I hate you. I hope you know that,” I said sternly.

David laughed and seemed to enjoy my frustration. “Hate’s a strong word, Sam. You’ll change your mind after dinner. Trust me.”

I glared at him, “Don’t push your luck, Collins. This dinner is just a deal, nothing more.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he said.

At the door, I turned and looked at him sharply. “This dinner doesn’t mean anything. Don’t get any ideas.”

He smirked, “Noted. See you at seven, Sam.”

I rolled my eyes and slammed the door behind me. In the hallway, I let out a deep breath.

Why did he have to be so annoying? And why did I let him bother me so much?

As I left the building, Gillian’s words came back to me: Maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.

I groaned. If only she knew.

Now, I had a dinner with David Collins ahead of me—a dinner I was sure would be a disaster.