THE BLIND DATE

The cold, icy night air bit into my skin the moment the door shut behind me.

For a while, I did nothing else but stand there on the porch with my suitcase held tightly in my hands. My body trembled violently, whether from the pain in my cheek, or the sheer adrenaline rushing through my body, I didn’t know, and right then, I honestly did not care.

All I knew was the simple and final fact that I was done.

With Evan, with love, and with relationships.

My vision blurred as I forced myself down the steps. It took me only a couple of seconds to reach my car, throw my suitcase into the backseat, and start the engine.

That last part was the hardest. My hands were trembling, and it took a few tries for me to be able to turn the key. The engine turned to life, and my love collapsed along with it.

I drove,

Somewhere, anywhere.

It didn’t matter. I had no plan, no thoughts, no destination, just a desire to be free. It was only when I began to recognize the streets I was driving through that I realized where I was heading.

Home.

My parents' house appeared at the end of the quiet street.

I blinked through the tears falling down my eyes as I drove into their driveway. I still had not called them, and I had no idea how I was going to be received, but right now, they were the only family I had.

The porch light turned on, and the moment I opened my car door, I spotted my mother standing outside the home, her arms folded and her expression stern.

“Vera dear,” she whispered, her tone filled with concern and fear, not anger like I had expected, “Is that you, honey?”

That was all it took,

Her soft tone and her warm motherly smile were more than enough to break the dam I had built up.

I cried harder than I had ever had,

“Oh sweetheart…” My mum rushed towards me and pulled me into a warm big hug, “What did he do? What happened? Are you hurt?”

I couldn’t answer, my tears clouded my vision and all I could do was hug her tighter,

From behind her, I could see the visage of my dad appearing behind the door.

His usually stern gaze softened the moment he saw me. I expected him to shout, to scream at me or something, but he only frowned and stepped aside.

“Get her inside,” he murmured, then before I could blink, he stepped forward and took my suitcase from my hand, “It’s late,”

I leaned heavily on my mother as she guided me into my former bedroom. I collapsed on the bed and watched as my mother sat beside me and gently brushed back my hair.

“You are safe now, honey,” she whispered,

And with those words, I fell asleep and, for the first time in a long time, I felt warmth.

***

It had been a week since that night, and morning still came too fast for me.

The heavy light filtering through the satin curtains were too bright for my eyes. My body ached, my eyes still felt puffy from all the crying, and my heart still felt strained.

When I finally blinked awake, there were two shadows hovering over my bed,

My dad and mum.

“Morning,” Collins, my dad, smiled as he glanced down at me,

Rose Varon, the woman who had birthed me, hovered closer and pressed the back of her hand to my neck, “How are you feeling?”

“Like I died and woke up in hell,” I murmured as I sat up and stifled a groan,

My mom did not accept that answer. “Nope,” she shook her head, “We are not doing this again. You are not going to spend another day sulking under the bedsheets.”

“I wasn’t sulking,” I whispered,

“You were,” my dad replied, and that shut me up.

“Get ready,” Rose said with a bright grin that sent shivers running down my spine,

I froze,

“Why?” I grumble, “You know I don’t want to,”

“I know baby,” my mother whispered, “But you need to get up and put Evan out of your mind, he has chosen his place. Now, you need to choose yours. You are beautiful, young and smart. You don’t need to wallow in pain crying about a man who does not care about you.”

I stared into my mom’s eyes and offered her the warmest smile I possibly could, “I know mom, I really do,” I whispered, hugging myself, “But my heart still hurts.”

“And I have the perfect remedy for that,” Rose said with a smile, shifting closer to me, “I believe you need to move on,”

“How?” I asked, frowning,

“Have you thought about a date?” Rose asked,

I froze, and the world went still around me, “A… a date?”

I had just gotten out of a relationship that had shattered me, and now my mom wanted me to go on a date? I did not have the strength for that.

But Rose was relentless. “Think about it love,” she continued, “Even if it’s just for fun, it is at least going to give you something to do and think about.”

I let out a sigh, and nodded, “Okay, I’ll think about it.” I paused, a suspicious feeling rising within me, “Don’t tell me you have already found a date?”

“Yes,” Rose answered with a smile, “It’s this afternoon, and it is with an amazing guy.”

She didn’t even wait for my reply before picking up a dress and showing it to me, “Don’t worry honey, I’ll dress you,”

I shifted away from my traitorous mom on sheer instinct, “Uh… can I say no?” I asked, “This is just too soon.”

“Oh, you’re ready,” My mom smiled, “Trust me,”

I turned to face my dad, who promptly found one of the posters on the wall very interesting.

My stomach twisted as I let out a sigh and nodded at mom, “Who is he?”

My mom smiled wickedly, like she had been waiting for me to ask that exact question, ---

“His name is Sylas Gold,” she whispered,

And I froze in disbelief.