Chương 42: Close the chapter

She decided that Dennis was not bad company after all. They danced until she felt like her feet had enough. She did not even notice that Raf and Sophia were no longer on the dance floor or their table when they returned to take a much-needed rest.

Leo was already busy at the bar with the girl he was dancing with earlier. While Raf and Sophia were nowhere in sight. Leaving just Dennis and her on the table. She never liked the awkward situation. As an actress, being shy was not one of her characteristics. So, opening a topic for conversation was not a problem for her.

"What do you do, considering I believe you already know what I do for a living?" She asked Dennis who sat beside her, handing her another drink. She took a small sip of the drink, careful not to consume too much. She was aware that she already had reached her limit.

"I had a small business," Dennis said. "A sporting goods. Boring stuff." Shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm sure it is not boring if you are passionate about your work. Are you guys in the same business?" She asked out of curiosity.

She suddenly realized that she had no idea what Raf did besides managed the resort. She had heard from Lindsey that he was supposed to manage a bigger business, but she did not get the detail.

She usually avoided asking too many personal questions when they were together, afraid that he would do the same, and caught her with her lies.

"Yeah, you're right though. I love what I do. It might not be a multinational company but I certainly enjoyed every minute I spend on that biz." He said proudly, glancing at her with a shy smile on his face. "But, Leo is more on the artistic side. He is a tattoo artist, while Raf is way off on a different level from us. He is the big gun."

"Oh! What do you mean?" Her interest just escalated with his statement. "How did you guys meet?" Curious that three quite different personalities bonded with a common interest.

"We used to be surfing buddies back in college. We love to compete. It was what brought us together. Then, Raf…" His words were cut short as Raf and Sophia showed up on their table.

"Why do I hear my name? What have you been telling her about me?" Raf directed his question to Dennis, patting Dennis in the back before sitting next to Sophia.

"Nothing much. We were just talking about our college days." Dennis stated casually.

"Boys, would you mind if we stepped away for a minute?" Sophia made an excuse and dragged her to the other side of the bar, pretending to be ordering another set of drinks.

"What do you think of Raf?" Sophia asked her while they wait for the drinks. "He was my date last night." She added, clearly thrilled to see him again tonight.

She had no idea how to answer her friend because she knew exactly how great Raf was. "I would not know. I barely talked to him." She had to lie. Both of them could never know her secret.

"But, he is so hot. Right?" Her friend giggled like a school girl crushing on a boy. "He is also a good kisser."

She did not need to hear that, but what could she do. She just remained silent as she kept telling her his wonderful qualities.

"What about you? Dennis seems to like you." Sophia winked her eyes on her, indicating that she approved of the matchup.

"I don't think so. You know I am already dating Edward." She suddenly brought him up to stop Sophia from playing matchmaker.

"Well, from what I observed, you are not quite serious yet with the doctor. Maybe you should try going out more until you find the right one." Sophia was great at picking up this kind of thing. She could never lie to her if she hinted at something.

"We just started dating, so it did not exactly qualify as love yet. I am willing to see where it would lead us." She told her to keep her off her back.

"If you say so." Sophia finally relented as she fixed her hair.

"I think we better get back before they suspect that we are talking about them." She reminded her friend.

"Sab. I just want you to be happy after what you had gone through." Sophia said, taking her for a hug.

"I know. You are a true friend." She said. "But, we should go before I end up crying in here."

She grabbed her friend's arms and walked with her back to their table where the boys were still waiting.

With a few more chit-chats and drinks. She finally called it a night.

"Sorry, but I need to leave." She told everyone at the table. The girl with Leo even asked for an autograph which she had no idea how she managed to sign with her dizzy state.

"Would you like me to take you home?" Dennis offered, just like a true gentleman.

"No need. She had a bodyguard waiting for her." Sophia announced.

"What about you? Would you like me to take you home?" She heard Raf offered her.

"Sure. That would be great." Sophia answered him with much enthusiasm.

All night, she tried to avoid looking at the two of them. The sweet stare they shared, the laughter in their inside jokes, and the small touched they shared once in a while. It felt like her heart was being twisted with a knife. Even in her drunken state, she could feel the pain of losing him.

"Thanks, guys, but it had been a lovely night." She stood up, glad that her head was not spinning. She had to get out of there before her eyes started their waterworks.

Mike who was still waiting for her on the other side of the bar, immediately came alert, waiting for her to move towards the exit.

Dennis decided to escort her outside as Mike parked the car on the front pavement.

"I had a great time," Dennis said. "I know this is a bit bold, but would you go out with me for dinner."

"I also had a great time, but I don't think it would be a good idea for us to date." She said, not wanting to make any promises to him that she was not willing to keep. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It had been nice to get to know you." He finally said, kissing her on the cheeks before helping her inside her car. She waved to him goodbye as Mike drove her back to her apartment.

Closing her eyes, she wanted to say goodbye to him too. She wanted to close the chapter of their story and moved on to the next part of her life.