Knight in Shining Suit (61 page)

I shouldn’t have walked
out on Astrid.

She was saying goodbye to
me. She was wishing me happiness. I walked away thinking I only
needed to give her space for a while. And give myself some time to
breathe… compose myself… before I said any more that will further
decrease my chances of being with her.

No! I wasn’t saying
goodbye to her at all.
Never!

And I pray to God that I
still have one chance to make it all right. To undo everything I
did in the past few months. I didn’t want to lose my memories of
her. And it wasn’t her fault that I did. But damn, she suffered the
most! I made her suffer because I was afraid to face what I feel
for her.

Adam arrived at the
hospital, followed by John.

“
Where is she?” Adam asked
me.

“
Inside,” I
replied.

“
Bryan did this?” Adam
asked John. I don’t know why he didn’t ask me, I was the first one
on the scene. John came a bit later.

Has Bryan not done enough
to Astrid? He knocked up her cousin, her best friend. They stole
Astrid’s dream wedding. They robbed Astrid of her faith in ‘ever
afters’. They crushed her dignity and self-esteem.

I remembered their
conversation before I came in. Bryan was so mad at Astrid because
he waited too long for her. Yes. Bryan wanted Astrid so much, but
she wanted to wait until marriage. And that night I went to the
wedding with Astrid… she shared herself with me. I was her first.
And it was the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. I was
Astrid’s first… I was the only man in her life.

Dannie and Nicole came to
the waiting area, a look of panic evident on their faces. Of
course! They love Astrid to the core. Even John and Adam. They all
cared for Astrid.

Dannie and Nicole were
looking at me angrily and I know why. For the past months, I have
been hurting their friend and they haven’t forgiven me yet. The
last time I saw them, they were all for Astrid and me. Now, if
looks could kill, they would be responsible for my
murder.

Just then, my head snapped
up as a realization hit me. I stared at them closely.

“
Dannie.” I said looking
at Astrid’s semi-feminine friend.

“
Nicole.” I said looking
at Astrid’s girl best friend.

They stared back at me,
equally dumbfounded. I’m sure I haven’t seen them since my
accident, so there was no way in hell I should know who they
were.

And how would I know that
I was Astrid’s first… that I was the only man she’s ever been
with?

Unless…

Now, maybe the adrenaline
rush died down. I finally felt what my body has been telling me. My
knuckles were painful, and I felt dizzy, like everything was
spinning.

I sat down on the chair,
holding my temples, trying my best not to scream from the pain.
Everything was getting blurry.

“
Nurse!” I heard somebody
shout. I think it was Adam who first realized that something was
happening to me.

And after that, there was
only darkness.

35.

WEDDING ALBUM:

A collection of the
snapshots and pictures captured during the wedding day. The Wedding
Album holds all the memories of the most wonderful day between a
husband and a wife.

Ryder.

I
have to meet her. The girl I spent half a day looking for
around the city! I thought I would never see her again.

“
I’ll cover the bar,
guys!” I told my bartenders. I took my jacket off and grabbed the
baseball cap from one of my staff and wore it on my head. “Borrow
for a while, okay?”

He looked at me like he
thought I was high or something and then he nodded.

I watched her. She was
alone. Now, I wish I knew some pick-up lines. Or if I did, I knew
how to use them effectively! But so far the only things that I
could remember hearing around were:

‘
Did it hurt when you fell
from heaven?’

or

‘
I lost my phone number,
so can I have yours?’

and

‘
If I say you have a
wonderful body, will you hold it against me?’

They are so lame and
corny! Who invents these things? And I doubt any of them are going
to work on her. Damn! I am not good at this!

She ordered a margarita. I
guess here’s my cue.

“
The best margarita in
town for the beautiful lady,” I said. Even I thought that sounds
creepy! “Can you sign, Ma’am?”

She didn’t answer. She
just stared at me. Her expression looked… I don’t know, star-struck
or something. Hmmm… I guess she likes what she sees.
That gave me the confidence I needed.

“
Can you sign, Ma’am?” I
repeated.

“
Oh.” She said and she
signed the tab. I couldn’t help but notice that her fingers were
slightly shaking.

“
Thank you,” she
said.

“
You’re welcome Madam,” I
said. “Enjoy your drink. Just call me if you need anything else.” I
said, grinning at her, flashing her my perfect set of teeth and the
dimples on my cheeks. Flirting. Yes, I am definitely flirting with
her, and she looked dumbfounded.

“
And what name would I ask
for?” She asked.

There! We’re getting
somewhere.

“
Ryder,” I
replied.

“
Alright. Thanks, Ryder,”
she said.

I stood there for a while,
waiting for her to tell me her name. But she only smiled at me and
I realized that was the only reply I was going to get. She’s
teasing me. Alright! Two can play this game.

“
Alright. Perhaps when I
bring you your next drink.” I said, and I winked at her.

I felt like a high school
boy reeling with excitement. What is it about this woman that
unnerves me? She got under my skin the minute I laid eyes on her.
And I can’t forget the feel of her in my arms. Although I doubt
that she recognizes me from the jewelry shop.

She was talking on the
phone with her friends.

“
Find me a straight guy!”
She said loudly over the receiver.

I smirked. I couldn’t help
smiling. What would she need a straight guy for? She can have her
pick here at the bar. Doesn’t she know how beautiful she
is?

“
You shouldn’t eavesdrop
on other people’s conversations.” She said, not looking at me, but
I knew she’s talking to me.

I approached her. “I
wouldn’t have, if your voice wasn’t that loud.”

“
Oh sorry,” she said.
“People talk loud in bars, you know. Well, you should
know.”

“
Yes, I know.” I grinned
at her again. “So, what’s the quest for the straight guy
for?”

“
Not just a straight guy.
But a straight guy who’s willing to do anything for a couple of
grand.”

“
You’re not doing porn,
are you?” I asked, and God, I hope she says no.

“
Oh my God!
No!”

I sighed in
relief.

“
Now, I’m intrigued. What
could a girl like you possibly need a straight guy for?”

And so, she told me the
story of her life, with tears in her eyes.

For the life of me, I
could not believe everything she told me. How can someone bear to
hurt her? She looked so fragile, so vulnerable. She looked like she
has so much light and fire inside her. How could somebody afford to
put it out?

She wanted her pride back.
She wanted to save her face. And I couldn’t believe what I was
doing. I was agreeing to her plan, letting her think I was a
bartender in need of extra cash. If I was not so touched by her
breakup story, I would have laughed.

She wanted to bring a guy
to the wedding that could pretend that he was smart and rich, wore
an Armani suit, and drove a very expensive car. Harvard Degree,
investments here and there. She’s inventing the man who will
annihilate her ex-fiancé’s pride. She wants to redeem her dignity
by showing up at the wedding with a man that is like a slap in the
face to her ex, even if she was just pretending.

Well, that would be very
easy for me. Because basically, she wants me to pretend to be…
well… ‘
me
’.

***

The feel of her lips on
mine was… magic. It was like there were fireworks everywhere. All
night, I felt myself drowning into our charade. I could not get my
hands off her. I held her and kissed her, praying that the day
would never end.

Her eyes sparkled when she
looked at me. She erupted like a firecracker in my arms when I
kissed her. She genuinely laughed at my jokes. She was not afraid
to show me that she felt hurt and she needed me to hold her. She
needed me to save her.

And she didn’t even know
who I was. She was parading me around to her family, saying that I
am the rich hotshot guy who owns a chain of restaurants in New
York. She thought that was part of the act. I wonder how she’ll
react if she finds out… that’s who I really am.

Here she was, kissing me,
hugging me. Ryder, the bartender. And she didn’t care. It’s me she
wants, regardless of what I am.

She was drowning and drunk
on both the liquor and her grief. But I admire her. No one could go
through all that pain and live to tell about it.

Then she started crying.
She hugged me. And the next thing I knew, she was kissing
me.

I didn’t want to take
advantage of her. She was sad and drunk. But she was a cannonball
in my arms. I could feel her heat radiating against my skin. Her
kisses were sending me over the edge. I tried to hold on to my last
string of control, but when she pushed me on the bed and mounted
me, I lost it! I was only human, and my body craves this woman like
a drug.

I kissed her. She melted
in my arms. She was whispering my name over and over and it was the
sweetest sound I have ever heard in my life.

We lost our clothes. I was
lost in ecstasy. And when I went inside her, she squirmed in pain.
I felt a tearing sensation.
Damn!
No wonder she was too tight. I leaned down and
kissed her. She was crying.

“
I’m sorry, love.” I said
to her. But I knew I wasn’t! This is probably the most amazing
thing that has ever happened to me. She was a virgin. She was mine
first. I was the only one. And I knew from that moment on, I intend
to keep it that way.

***

I had just got back to
Malibu and my manager told me that a woman was looking for me. I
was not really interested. There was only one woman I was
interested in and I was getting impatient. I wanted her to get over
her past, her grief. I wanted her to fulfill her promises so I
could finally work my way into her life. I wanted her to start
fresh, fix herself, and then open herself up to trusting another
man again. And I wanted to be that man. I wanted her to know the
real me.

She wanted me. I know she
did. Her eyes had a certain gleam when she stared up at me. She
blushed at the simplest touch of my skin against hers and she went
mindless with me that night. And she thought I was a bartender,
desperate enough for money that I took the job of pretending to be
her boyfriend for a night. But still she wanted me.

This was the woman I was
looking for my entire life! A woman who would want me for me… not
for my money. It’s a good bonus that she’s sweet, beautiful, and
her touch makes me explode.

I cannot wait to pay
Astrid Jacobson a visit.

“
Ryder…” My bar manager
said. “This woman was asking for you a couple of days ago. She left
a message.”

I didn’t even look up from
the papers I was signing. I let Donald continue.

“
She told me to tell you
that… Astrid Jacobson was looking for you.”

Now, he got my undivided
attention. I stared at him for a while.

“
Astrid Jacobson?” I
echoed. He nodded. “You’re sure? Strawberry blond chick, enchanting
violet eyes?”

Donald grinned. “Yes.
Quite a breathtaking lady.”

So she found me. Now, she
knows who I am.

“
What else did she
say?”

Donald smiled at the
memory of Astrid, and I wanted to punch him in the face. I
controlled myself and raised a brow at him. He cleared his throat
and said, “Well, she asked me to tell you that when she does find
you, she cannot wait to… kick your ass.”

Oh! That’s why Donald was
smiling. Feisty Astrid! God, as if I needed another reminder why I
wanted her in the first place.

I called up Adam Ackers to
ask… no… force him to tell me where Astrid was at that moment.
After five minutes, he texted me her exact location and I wasted no
time going to where she was.

I found her, talking to a
man… a familiar man. Her ex-fiancé. Jealousy reeled through me when
I saw them talking. Is she still not over him?