Sweet Revenge
Chapter Four
Sarah was in a daze following her encounter with Michael. She wondered if her encounter the night before was real, or a wild figment of her imagination. All her classes bled into one another and the test she had been worrying about didn’t seem important. She found herself wishing time would hurry up and slow down at the same time. She didn’t know how to feel about the date but the butterflies in her stomach didn’t help her in the slightest. The possibility that she was blowing the whole thing out of proportion was a thought that went through her mind every thirty seconds. It was only a coffee. There was nothing more implied, it was a simple ‘thank you’ coffee. Maybe he just wanted to make some new friends and thought she was a good candidate? What if he did indeed like her? Would she mess it up by saying something stupid and inappropriate? Maybe he would think she was dull and boring? She didn’t have any interesting stories, she had no real hobbies to speak of unless reading, listening to music and watching movies counted. She wasn't the most social of creatures and for the first time ever she was aware of it. She always made friends wherever she went but she never wanted to impress anyone before so it was an effortless task. Now that she was desperate to win Michael’s approval it made the situation more stressful. Little things like what she should wear, and suitable topics to talk about were now at the forefront of her mind. If he wasn’t into music and movies, what would they talk about? The thought of them sitting across from each other with nothing to talk about was horrifying. She wanted, no needed, for this to go well. Or at the very least she wanted to not embarrass herself.
The hour long debate on what she should wear ended with her feeling relatively okay with the chosen outfit. It wasn’t anything special but she made sure to wear a nice pair of jeans and a cute jumper. She wasn’t going to dress up for a coffee but she wanted to be slightly more presentable than her normal ‘It’s too early for me to think about my outfit, so I’ll throw on whatever is the cleanest’ attire. She was coordinated. The ballerina shoes she wore were comfortable, even if they showed off her lack of height. She decided it was probably best if she left her hair down, in case she needed to hide the blush that would no doubt mar her cheeks at some stage during the date. She even put on a little make up, just to hide the zit that had popped up this morning for no reason. She was left with twenty minutes to wait before she needed to leave. It was a frustrating amount of time to be left with; it was too long to wait outside the coffee shop for him but it wasn’t enough to watch a TV show while she waited at home. The twenty minutes were used to pace around the kitchen aimlessly in an attempt to ease the twisted knot in her stomach. All the times she had scorned her friends for acting in such a childish way came back to her, and she was certain this was payback. She was twenty years old but she was shaking like a child on Christmas day.
The nerves didn’t ease when she walked down the well trodden path to the coffee shop. Her headphones were turned up full volume, drowning out every noise on the way to meet Michael. She focused on the music, drowning in the heavy beats and lyrics as a form of distraction that was only mildly effective. She made it to the coffee shop right on time and smiled when she found Michael was already outside waiting for her. He had a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips and in spite of her anti smoking stance, Sarah couldn’t deny it was an attractive sight. His normal work attire was gone; it was replaced with casual blue denim jeans and a black faux leather jacket. The top underneath was black but she she couldn’t make out if there was a design on it.
“Hey” he greeted somewhat shyly when he finally saw her.
“Hey” she couldn’t stop the smile that took control of her mouth when he dropped the cigarette to the ground and smiled at her. He looked amazing, and she couldn’t help but blush at the sight of him. She knew she was lucky that he had taken an interest in her. He was an extremely attractive guy who could probably get any girl he wanted. He could certainly get one that was prettier than her. He chose her though, and it meant the world to her. Even if the evening didn’t pan out as she hoped, it wouldn’t be a complete loss. She had gotten a date with one of the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. That was an accomplishment in itself.
“How did your exam go?”
She could listen to his voice all day. Even the phone book would sound delicious if he read it out. It was the right kind of deep with a little rough edge to it.
“It went okay…I think. I pretty sure I passed it at any rate.”
God, why did she say it like that? He probably thought she was conceited now, which was far from the truth. She knew she was smart academically but she didn’t rub it in people’s faces. She didn’t think she was better than anybody else because of it. She worked hard to get to the top of all her classes, it wasn’t a natural gift she could revel in. Anybody could do it if they put the right amount of time into it and worked hard enough. Two seconds into their date and she already embarrassed herself.
“Glad to hear it. I know I said I’d take you for coffee, but they’re showing The Evil Dead movie on in the cinema a few blocks over and I was thinking we could go, if you want? It starts in fifteen minutes so we can make it.”
She tried to keep the look of fear off her face. She didn’t do horror movies. Everything about them terrified her, from the blood and guts to the edge of your seat suspense that ended with you screaming like an idiot in the middle of a packed theatre. It was her idea of hell and a sure way for her to end up humiliating herself. She couldn’t tell him that though. It would make her seem like one of those ‘girly’ girls that she hated, or worse, like she was contrary and hard to please which wasn’t the case at all. He just happened to pick the one thing she didn’t want to do.
“Sure, sounds like fun” she faked a smile, and followed him to what she was sure would be her one and only date with Michael. She wouldn’t be leaving the cinema with her dignity intact. The image of her landing on her butt on the sticky, popcorn covered floor of the cinema stuck in her mind, and she just prayed that it wouldn’t become a reality. He made more small talk on the way to, mostly about how he had a love of horror films from a very young age. She could hear the passion in his voice when he spoke and it was a major hobby for him. His brown eyes were bright and full of energy, the kind that was infectious. She felt herself calming down a little. She could make it through the movie, and if Michael’s enthusiasm was anything to go by maybe she would enjoy it. It was nearly ten years since the last time she saw a horror movie; she wasn’t a scared child anymore. A lot of her fear was based on the perception of a young child who thought that the blood and violence were real. Maybe now was a good time to revisit the genre with adult eyes that knew the blood was made of corn syrup and that the screams of terror were fake. Surely now it wouldn’t be seem so scary.
“Two tickets for the Evil Dead please.” Michael asked when they finally got to the top of the queue.
Sarah immediately fumbled in her bag, ready to grab her wallet to pay for her ticket when she felt a warm hand wrap her wrist.
“Hey, it’s on me. I asked you out.” His tone was a little stern, but the charming smile didn’t show any sign of offense.
“At least let me pay for the popcorn or something?” She offered.
“Nope.”
She rolled her eyes. He ordered a large popcorn to share and two drinks. He grinned excitedly when he saw two free seats at the back. Location had never been important for Sarah when going to the cinema, but according to Michael it was crucial to get as far back as possible.
“The less dickheads you have behind you, the better” He whispered.
They settled into their seats just as the movie started. Michael was engrossed from the very beginning. His eyes never seemed to leave the screen and Sarah was hoping it would remain that way. The movie started off innocently enough, and Sarah was lulled into a false sense of security. She was quickly reminded of why she hated horror movies.
“Is she…”
“Getting raped by the trees? Yup” Michael finished the sentence, amused by Sarah’s wide eyed shock.
“This is why I hate horrors” She groaned without thinking, forgetting that Michael could hear her. She suddenly felt his arm wrap around her, pulling her closer to him. She didn’t think twice about using his shoulder for a place to hide when the violence got too much.
“I’ll keep you safe, don’t worry.”
That was the moment she fell in love. She looked into his warm brown eyes, and she knew he meant it. It was crazy to think that she could love someone she barely knew but she had always been told that you just ‘know’ when it happens to you. She never truly believed it until now. The feel of his warm, dry lips on her confirmed it. It was sweet, gentle and everything she ever wanted in a kiss. When he pulled his lips away, he kept his arm around her tightly. She had never felt as safe as she did in his arms that night.
The hour long debate on what she should wear ended with her feeling relatively okay with the chosen outfit. It wasn’t anything special but she made sure to wear a nice pair of jeans and a cute jumper. She wasn’t going to dress up for a coffee but she wanted to be slightly more presentable than her normal ‘It’s too early for me to think about my outfit, so I’ll throw on whatever is the cleanest’ attire. She was coordinated. The ballerina shoes she wore were comfortable, even if they showed off her lack of height. She decided it was probably best if she left her hair down, in case she needed to hide the blush that would no doubt mar her cheeks at some stage during the date. She even put on a little make up, just to hide the zit that had popped up this morning for no reason. She was left with twenty minutes to wait before she needed to leave. It was a frustrating amount of time to be left with; it was too long to wait outside the coffee shop for him but it wasn’t enough to watch a TV show while she waited at home. The twenty minutes were used to pace around the kitchen aimlessly in an attempt to ease the twisted knot in her stomach. All the times she had scorned her friends for acting in such a childish way came back to her, and she was certain this was payback. She was twenty years old but she was shaking like a child on Christmas day.
The nerves didn’t ease when she walked down the well trodden path to the coffee shop. Her headphones were turned up full volume, drowning out every noise on the way to meet Michael. She focused on the music, drowning in the heavy beats and lyrics as a form of distraction that was only mildly effective. She made it to the coffee shop right on time and smiled when she found Michael was already outside waiting for her. He had a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips and in spite of her anti smoking stance, Sarah couldn’t deny it was an attractive sight. His normal work attire was gone; it was replaced with casual blue denim jeans and a black faux leather jacket. The top underneath was black but she she couldn’t make out if there was a design on it.
“Hey” he greeted somewhat shyly when he finally saw her.
“Hey” she couldn’t stop the smile that took control of her mouth when he dropped the cigarette to the ground and smiled at her. He looked amazing, and she couldn’t help but blush at the sight of him. She knew she was lucky that he had taken an interest in her. He was an extremely attractive guy who could probably get any girl he wanted. He could certainly get one that was prettier than her. He chose her though, and it meant the world to her. Even if the evening didn’t pan out as she hoped, it wouldn’t be a complete loss. She had gotten a date with one of the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. That was an accomplishment in itself.
“How did your exam go?”
She could listen to his voice all day. Even the phone book would sound delicious if he read it out. It was the right kind of deep with a little rough edge to it.
“It went okay…I think. I pretty sure I passed it at any rate.”
God, why did she say it like that? He probably thought she was conceited now, which was far from the truth. She knew she was smart academically but she didn’t rub it in people’s faces. She didn’t think she was better than anybody else because of it. She worked hard to get to the top of all her classes, it wasn’t a natural gift she could revel in. Anybody could do it if they put the right amount of time into it and worked hard enough. Two seconds into their date and she already embarrassed herself.
“Glad to hear it. I know I said I’d take you for coffee, but they’re showing The Evil Dead movie on in the cinema a few blocks over and I was thinking we could go, if you want? It starts in fifteen minutes so we can make it.”
She tried to keep the look of fear off her face. She didn’t do horror movies. Everything about them terrified her, from the blood and guts to the edge of your seat suspense that ended with you screaming like an idiot in the middle of a packed theatre. It was her idea of hell and a sure way for her to end up humiliating herself. She couldn’t tell him that though. It would make her seem like one of those ‘girly’ girls that she hated, or worse, like she was contrary and hard to please which wasn’t the case at all. He just happened to pick the one thing she didn’t want to do.
“Sure, sounds like fun” she faked a smile, and followed him to what she was sure would be her one and only date with Michael. She wouldn’t be leaving the cinema with her dignity intact. The image of her landing on her butt on the sticky, popcorn covered floor of the cinema stuck in her mind, and she just prayed that it wouldn’t become a reality. He made more small talk on the way to, mostly about how he had a love of horror films from a very young age. She could hear the passion in his voice when he spoke and it was a major hobby for him. His brown eyes were bright and full of energy, the kind that was infectious. She felt herself calming down a little. She could make it through the movie, and if Michael’s enthusiasm was anything to go by maybe she would enjoy it. It was nearly ten years since the last time she saw a horror movie; she wasn’t a scared child anymore. A lot of her fear was based on the perception of a young child who thought that the blood and violence were real. Maybe now was a good time to revisit the genre with adult eyes that knew the blood was made of corn syrup and that the screams of terror were fake. Surely now it wouldn’t be seem so scary.
“Two tickets for the Evil Dead please.” Michael asked when they finally got to the top of the queue.
Sarah immediately fumbled in her bag, ready to grab her wallet to pay for her ticket when she felt a warm hand wrap her wrist.
“Hey, it’s on me. I asked you out.” His tone was a little stern, but the charming smile didn’t show any sign of offense.
“At least let me pay for the popcorn or something?” She offered.
“Nope.”
She rolled her eyes. He ordered a large popcorn to share and two drinks. He grinned excitedly when he saw two free seats at the back. Location had never been important for Sarah when going to the cinema, but according to Michael it was crucial to get as far back as possible.
“The less dickheads you have behind you, the better” He whispered.
They settled into their seats just as the movie started. Michael was engrossed from the very beginning. His eyes never seemed to leave the screen and Sarah was hoping it would remain that way. The movie started off innocently enough, and Sarah was lulled into a false sense of security. She was quickly reminded of why she hated horror movies.
“Is she…”
“Getting raped by the trees? Yup” Michael finished the sentence, amused by Sarah’s wide eyed shock.
“This is why I hate horrors” She groaned without thinking, forgetting that Michael could hear her. She suddenly felt his arm wrap around her, pulling her closer to him. She didn’t think twice about using his shoulder for a place to hide when the violence got too much.
“I’ll keep you safe, don’t worry.”
That was the moment she fell in love. She looked into his warm brown eyes, and she knew he meant it. It was crazy to think that she could love someone she barely knew but she had always been told that you just ‘know’ when it happens to you. She never truly believed it until now. The feel of his warm, dry lips on her confirmed it. It was sweet, gentle and everything she ever wanted in a kiss. When he pulled his lips away, he kept his arm around her tightly. She had never felt as safe as she did in his arms that night.
Notes
Hey guys,
Crappy chapter I know. It'll get better!
I hope you enjoyed .
Lyra
I always fall inlove with thr storys that havent been updated in years :(
11/23/18