AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I just don’t want to get hurt again,” I say, the thought coming at me like a freight train out of nowhere.
A sobering thought. I don’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships. I always see myself walking down the aisle after the first date. I have a little home for us in mind by the second date, complete with a white picket fence. And by the third date, I’ve named all three of our non-existent children. So far, none of that has come to pass and with Ethan, even though I tell myself I’m taking things as they come with no expectations, I’m scared. Terrified that this will be another terrible ending and this time, with everything I’ve already gone through… I may not survive it.
“I know,” Beth says sympathetically. “I also know that you won’t stop falling in love just because you might get hurt.”
We both sigh and sit quietly nursing our drinks and our thoughts.
Ethan is different from any other man I have ever been involved with, so maybe- just maybe- things would work out differently this time too. Or things would be worse far worse than I could have ever imagined.
He has the looks, the charm and the money to get any woman he wants. What is he doing with me? Is it all just a game and I’m reading too much into the whole situation?
A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts and I jump to my feet.
“Are you expecting someone?” Beth asks.
I make my way over to the door. “No, you’re the only person who actually knows where I live.”
A smartly-dressed man with a suit cover over his arm greets me, and I immediately think he has the wrong address.
“Miss Hayes?” the man asks, handing me a clipboard to sign.
“Yes,” I reply, reading the message on the clipboard.
The delivery is from Ethan. Before I can thank the delivery man or ask him what this is, he’s gone.
I walk back into the living room in a confused daze, inspecting the suit cover. “It’s a package from Ethan.”
“Well? It’s not going to announce what it is. Open it,” she says, rushing over excitedly.
I stare at the suit cover for a moment, trying and failing not to get too excited about whatever is inside. I can’t get my hopes up; he probably does this kind of stuff for every girl. He can afford it.
Slowly I unzip the cover and a satin dress unfolds out of the bag as if coming to life.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” Beth shrieks, clapping her hands. “I’d know the craftsmanship of Cavalli anywhere!”
“Cavalli?” I ask, shocked. And as I get a better look at the inside of the cover, I see it is indeed Cavalli. “But why would Ethan get me a Cavalli dress? Where would I even wear something like this?” I ask, my mind already spinning.
“Does it matter?” Beth pushes me toward my bedroom. “Put it on, put it on. I want to see how it looks on you.”
I let her lead me there without a fight. My mind is still trying to make sense of the very expensive gift and what Ethan could have planned. The emerald green satin delicately embroidered with gold roses looks classic and chic all at once. I pull out the dress and lay it on my bed, and a card falls out onto the floor.
‘I tried to find a dress to match your beauty, but I couldn’t. So I asked a friend to make this for you. Join me for a night at the opera tomorrow night, Ethan.’
Another handwritten note.
I slip the dress on and it falls effortlessly onto my body. Even the cinched waist and ruffled bottom opening in a slit that ends perfectly mid-thigh fits perfectly. Shows off just enough to spark interest, leaving the rest as a mystery.
“I couldn’t wait much longer,” Beth says, walking into my room and then gasping. “It fits like a glove,” she gushes. “You look like a movie star!”
I look back in the mirror, my hair bundled to the side looks even brighter against the shimmery green fabric of the dress. Every feature of the gown has been chosen specifically to complement every feature of mine, all the way down to the slight flare of my hips.
“So this man knows you, like really, really knows you,” Beth says, zipping the dress up at the back. “I couldn’t have picked a better dress for you myself.”
In the short time I have known Ethan I guess he really did know me. He knows me so much better than I thought. He doesn’t need to pay any attention to me, but he did. No man could ever study a woman he doesn’t care about as carefully as Ethan does with me, could he?
“A night at the theater?” Beth says, reading the card. “Please tell me you’re going, even if it’s only to show off this gorgeous dress.”
I sit down on the bed and stare at my reflection in the mirror. The dress really is gorgeous and it made Ethan think of me.
