Skylar couldn’t choose a dress to wear to her first date. It wasn’t the type of date she would have preferred with a man she liked. It was the complete opposite! She didn’t know what to expect out of it. Should she wear a formal dress or go for a casual look?
Finally, she settled for a semi-formal look, choosing a black sheath dress instead. In another fifteen minutes, she was ready and waiting impatiently for Christian. Had he forgotten about it? There were still five minutes left, and she went to see her granny. Her grandpa had gone out to his fitness club after days and hadn’t returned yet.
“Ah, Skye! You look lovely, my dear! Dresses suit you better than those ugly jeans you always wear,” said Granny. Skylar rolled her eyes since she wasn’t the one who preferred dresses. She hardly had any. Her wardrobe was full of jeans in all shades and lengths. The only dresses she had were those that her friends or family have gifted.
“Thank you, granny. I prefer jeans, though.”
“I know you do. So where are you off to with your girl gang?” smiled Granny but Skylar sat with a scowl instead.
“I’m not going out with my friends. Christian asked me out on a date!”
Granny’s face lit up at the information. “Oh! That’s good to know. Christian is a very nice boy. He’ll keep you happy, Skye. Don’t hurt him.” Skylar gaped at her granny. Why was her family so obsessed with the man? What did they see in him?
“I don’t find him nice. I think he is arrogant and over-smart. He is a pain in the wrong places. He manipulates my mind, and I hate him.”
“Talking about me, Skylar?” asked Christian from the doorway with an amused grin on his face. Skylar froze, her cheeks coloring with embarrassment. Why did he have to move around so stealthily?
“I, umm..” she stammered, gaping at him as he entered the room.
“How are you now, granny?” he leaned in to plant a kiss on granny’s cheek. Skylar couldn’t help the feeling of jealousy in her heart. How can her granny love the man she hated the most?
“Much better, my boy.” Skylar glared at their interaction, ready to explode. Christian seemed to see through her as he glanced at her frequently, his eyes glittering with amusement.
“I’m glad, granny.” At last, he turned to face her. “Ready for our date? Maybe I can change your mind about me tonight!”
Skylar nodded, unable to meet his gaze in front of Granny who just chuckled at their exchange.
“I’m sure she will. Even I hated your grandpa when I met him for the first time. It takes time but when you get to know each other well, you fall in love,” said Granny. Skylar opened her mouth to protest but saw the look on Christian’s face as he waited for her to put up a fight. No, she wouldn’t let him win. She wouldn’t do what he expected her to do. Instead, she kept mum.
“I’m sure we will too,” said Christian, waiting for her to accept the bait and fight him.
“You might, but I won’t ever fall in love with you,” gritted Skylar, unable to stop herself. Christian laughed while Granny chuckled, but Skylar fumed and stomped away toward the door. She could feel him rushing after her and a strange feeling spread all over her. Was it excitement or awareness? She didn’t know.
She stopped beside his car, waiting for him to unlock it. Christian came up and opened the passenger door for her, his eyes watching her like a hawk. If she could, she would have blindfolded him already, just to stop him from staring at her. Didn’t he tire of it? He closed the door and went around to the other side.
Skylar struggled with the seat belt that refused to cooperate. It was as stubborn as he was.
“May I?” he asked, leaning towards her. The more he leaned towards her, the more her heart raced with excitement. It was a strange ordeal indeed! Something she wasn’t used to.
He stopped inches from her and reached out to extract the seat belt. With his unwavering gaze pinned upon her, she forgot to breathe. His glance fell upon her luscious lips, and her breath hitched. She seemed to have no control over her heart, mind, and body. Never had she reacted this way to a man before! She wouldn’t have bothered if it was any other guy, but it was her arch nemesis and she was at her wit’s end.
Her eyes widened, seeing where his eyes were hooked. He could easily brush his lips against hers if he wanted. They were within kissing distance of each other. Her gaze, too, went to his lips for a brief fraction of a second. They looked so dewy, so kissable!
When she looked up, she blushed crimson to find him gazing back at her with his eyebrow raised. So he noticed her staring at his lips.
‘God! This is so damn embarrassing! Why can’t you control yourself, Skye? You’ll lose the challenge!’ chided her inner mind.
He smirked and clamped her seat belt in the socket. Instantly, he moved away and Skylar missed his warmth, feeling the cold air blast from the AC vents. She wondered why he looked so happy as he drove on towards some unknown destination. Did he think she had lost the challenge? She might have reacted to him once, but she was now ready to prove that she was immune to him.
“Black suits you.” His husky statement brought her out of her mental battle. Was that a compliment?
“Yes, it depicts my mind.”
“I didn’t mean it that way at all. Black brings out the color of your beautiful eyes.” Skylar’s cheeks flushed at his remark. Did he really find her beautiful?
“Flattery won’t make me forget the challenge, Mr. St. James,” she said, looking out of the window to hide her reaction. Nonchalance was her armor now. He shouldn’t notice just how much his appreciation had affected her. She couldn’t afford to lose the challenge.
“I don’t flatter. I speak my mind.” He drove on grimly, unable to tell her that she was the only one in the world he found beautiful. Years ago, Sebastian had admitted to him, he would never marry her. Since then, he had considered Skylar his life. If only she would return his feelings! He had changed himself so much since then, leaving all his bad habits and company. He had made himself capable of her and returned home to shoulder his responsibilities.
He drove into the parking area of an upscale restaurant and club. He alighted from his car and Skylar too followed him out. It seemed he had a membership in this expensive place. So wasn’t this a normal dinner date as she had expected? She could handle it, right?
“Grandpa Ben and Sebastian are old patrons here. So, shall we start with dinner or do you wish to look around? There are games, bowling, boating,” he asked, leading her inside the swanky place.
“Dinner sounds fine.” Skylar felt conscious of herself after seeing the chic, sophisticated women around her. If Christian had told her earlier, she would have dressed adequately. He placed his hand on her lower back and led her toward the club’s signature restaurant. Skylar could feel the warmth radiating upward from his touch. It confused her further. This was the second time she reacted to his touch. What was wrong with her? At this rate, she would never win the challenge.
The maitre d’hotel seated them at a table reserved for them. Skylar noticed the bunch of pink carnations on their table. Was it a coincidence that her favorite flowers adorned their table? She glanced around to find none of the tables had carnations as a centerpiece. But how did they know she loved only carnations?
“I had them ordered for you. Do you like them?” Skylar gaped at the man in front of her. He was becoming a mystery with every passing minute. How did he know about her favorite flowers?
“Did granny tell you about my favorite flowers?” she asked with a frown. She should warn Granny not to give away anything about her to Christian.
“Nope. I hardly interacted much with granny.” He picked up the menu card, evading her gaze. Skylar had the feeling, he was hiding something. What could it be?
“Then?” she prodded.
“Caleb told me a few years ago.” Skylar gaped at him in surprise.
“When did you meet Caleb?” This was getting more complicated than she had expected. Did Caleb know Christian that well?
“Two years ago when he used to date Lillian. They broke off because of a misunderstanding and Lillian went into a depression. Grandpa Ben helped them sort out their differences and get married. Didn’t you know about it?” Skylar choked on her own spit at hearing this new piece of information. She slowly shook her head, feeling upset at being kept in the dark.