More insecurities arise and a challenge
As the car came to a stop Michael killed the engine and looked over at me. I was too nervous to say anything. I stepped out of the car and just leaned against it as Michael walked up to me. He took my hands in his and watched me for a moment.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he regarded me with a worried look.
"Yeah, I'm just nervous." I replied breathlessly and forced a smile.
"I can see that." I finally looked up at him with worry.
"Are you sure that I'm dressed appropriately?" I asked again for maybe the hundredth time that night. I watched him smile wider as he looked me over. Maybe it was a bad idea asking him for dressing tips. All he was doing was undressing me with his eyes. Michael chose a dark blue shirt and black jeans for me to wear for dinner tonight. The guys had invited us for dinner at one of the restaurants they owned.
Chase and Mark had been bugging me for a while now to meet the women in their lives and I had finally agreed. I really wanted them to like me. I waited for Michael to finish ogling me with his eyes and sighed when his eyes locked into mine.
"You look great baby. In fact I think I may have to warn off some of the men in there from undressing you with their eyes." He purred in my ear and I pushed him away playfully with a laugh.
"I'm being serious here." I tried to look angry.
"Me too baby, you look great. The girls will love you, and not because of what you have on. You being sexy as hell is a bonus too, they are gonna wish you played for their team. Damn now I think I may have to fight off the women too." He joked with a wiggle of his eyebrows and my eyes widened. He chuckled and took my hand as we walked away from the parking lot.
"That was a joke right?" I asked still unsure if he was playing me or not.
"Yeah baby, just relax." He replied as we walked in. The place was way bigger than I imagined. Everything from the decor to the food looked classy and expensive. Ok, now I had a clue just how much money my boyfriend had. I felt so much pride knowing that he was a very successful business man like his friends.
Jazz music played in the background and waiters bustled around everywhere. Someone like me would never afford to eat in a place like this. I let Michael lead me to a bigger table at the corner where everyone was waiting. They all turned to look at us and I swallowed past a dry throat. Chase and Mark introduced me to the girls and I was surprised at how excited they were to meet me.
Chase's girlfriend Ann was the same height as me with long black hair, blue eyes and the body of a model. She was an ad exec at an advertising company in the city. Mark's wife Susan was an inch taller with short blond hair, green eyes and a hot body to go with. She worked as a chef in the restaurant but took the night off to come meet me. She and Jacob kinda looked alike. They noticed me staring and told me they were cousins.
Dinner was amazing and I had a good laugh. I couldn't believe how open they were around me and they never made me feel left out. Even Jacob was all smiles and chatty too.
We had so much fun. I listened with envy when they reminisced about their college days. I was also envious of how close they all were with each other. I kinda wished Olive and Matt were here too. We made plans to meet up at Mark's house next weekend for dinner. I called Olive and Matt to invite them and they were happy to come. The week passed by quickly and when Saturday came around we picked them up as we drove to Mark's house. Everyone made them feel welcome and they got along with the girls really fast.
Mark's house was huge with expensively furnished. While the guys watched soccer the girls and I hung out since I wasn't such a huge soccer fan. A while later we sat down at the patio and had dinner. There were jokes and laughter and once again they made us feel welcome. I was happy that we were all getting along quite nicely, but my happiness was cut short. One minute we were talking about favorite foods when Michael spilled some sauce on his shirt and I took out a napkin to wipe it off.
Chase teased him for being a klutz and the whole table erupted with laughter. Susan totally shocked me when she mentioned that she remembered how his white shirt looked like he had been in a fight one night when came back from his date with Jacob. Chase chocked on his wine and Mark faked a cough in the hopes of shutting her up but she was way into the story to notice.
"What?" I asked in shock stopping her from continuing.
She finally looked at me as her smile slowly faded. Maybe it was the fact that everyone was looking everywhere except at me or her, or the surprised look on my face that told her I had no idea what she was talking about. There was about a good twenty seconds of silence before Mark got up from the table and mumbled something about leaving the stove on. He grabbed Susan by the arm and asked her to come check it out with him. I slowly turned to Michael to find him looking at his plate in silence.
"You two used to date?" I asked expecting the same silence I got. When he finally looked up at me guilt was written over his face.
"Michael?" I asked again but I got nothing. I was totally shocked, mostly because he had kept this from me. Olive decided to change the subject but I wasn't listening. They tried to make conversation but it was strained. The drive home was quiet and long. We dropped Olive and Matt off at their apartment and went to Michael's house. When we walked in the living area he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I looked over at him like I was confused.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" He sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
"Yes Shaun, I'm trying to talk to you here."
"That's funny, coz an hour ago you couldn't talk." He tried to say something but I cut him off. "But hey, it's good to know you've found your voice again."
"Shaun please let me explain."
"Explain what?" I was still playing the confusion game and he was slowly losing patience.
"About this! I know that finding out about me and Jacob came as a bit of a shock..."
"You think?" I asked cutting him off. He was silent for a few seconds.
"I didn't want you finding out like that."
"I see, so when were you planning on telling me Michael?" I asked. He was quite again and I grew angry.
"I can't believe this." I walked away from him and headed for the lift. He grabbed my hand and I turned to look at him.
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry."
"Are you apologizing for not telling me sooner or for that I found out like this?"
"Both." He replied as he swallowed nervously. We both stood there without saying anything.
"Were you two serious?" I finally asked.
"Not really it was just..." he tried to explain and I cut him off again.
"So it was just dates and sex?" I sighed in anger when he got tongue tied again.
