Unveiled (Torn #6)(41)
“I apologize if I sound a little too ungrateful for your love and affection,” he murmured, giving me an diffident look. “I just wish I had the power to make this all disappear. I’ve racked my brain trying to remember a thing but I always come out empty handed. Do you know how confusing that is to me?”
“Maybe you had way too much alcohol and you barely remember like how Carter did it?” It wasn’t truly enlightening but I have to appear vague and clueless about what had happened. Though he knows that I knew the woman in question was the French clingy ex of his.
He merely shrugged, lost in thought before his phone rung before sighing deeply, telling me that it was his father asking for a favor if he could buy a failing company that was owned by the brother of one of his best friend’s in such a hefty price that he immediately turned down the offer. Excusing himself to take the call, I looked out the view, distracting myself as I wondered how long will it take for the food to come. Dimitris informed me that he had previously gave him the menu he wanted so it should take awhile. The wine that was served a few minutes after we sat down was left untouched. Dimitris usually never went without alcohol during dinner, so him skipping this one meant only one thing. It was either he was leery of drinking after the scandal or it was because he didn’t trust that damn thing in his body because it made him forget the awful things he did.
By the way he sounded and described last night, what little he told me before I stopped him so, it was quite clear that he was rather confused by the whole ordeal, as if he couldn’t believe it either and the questioning doubts he had could easily be seen in those eyes I know so much. But were those missing pieces that relevant when it was blatantly obvious from the pictures what kind of activities they’ve just enjoyed.
Pushing the thought of him rutting in her, my blood was still simmering a little at the nasty images that popped out of my mind when he came back from hearing from his father. I was becoming a master of deceiving myself that things will going to be okay but it was rather obvious from me blurting out a question like that knowing quite well enough that Dimitris will pick up on my mood and that we’d most likely have a serious conversation about it, so best I put my happy face on.
The second he discussed about his father and the rest of his clan, speaking about his cousin expecting their third child and how everyone’s excited about it, I let myself immerse into his world, forgetting mine for a while.
Our dinner turned out rather lovely when he and I covered less tumultuous conversations. It was great to see us charter into a less highly charged territory and into a more friendlier one. It reminded me of our great days, island hopping as he showed me his beloved Greece and its beauty. He was a passionate man and anyone who had the chance to spend time with him even for a few minutes could easily detect that.
After our main course consisting of lamp chops and veal, I was rather stuffed but he insisted we share dessert. So once the array of a dozen or so sweets came out from the kitchen, I hadn’t expected him to propose a toast.
“Here’s to you, my love—my everything. May you and I be blessed for the next upcoming year with great joy and hopefully, less of a drama that this current year has put us through. You’re light in my life and I cannot say enough how much you’ve inspired and motivated me to be become a better man. You’re strength and unending persistence to keep loving me amidst the chaos proves me how much you love me. And I hope, someday, I’ll be worthy of it again. I love you, yineka mou—nothing will ever change that. So thank you for being here, for being the stubborn woman that you are—for simply being this force of a nature that I can’t even tame. You truly fascinate me and I’m honored to be the man standing next to you. Forever I will cherish you…I am yours and you are mine. Forever it’ll remain for as long as I’m alive.”
After raising his champagne flute, I followed suit and took a lengthy sip, feeling even more emotional that I was before we started dinner. It was as if when doubts start to arise, he immediately squashes it one-way or the other.
For the remainder of the night, we spent it with his immediate family at Pappou’s villa. I had never known how it was to be in a loving family and having Elias on my side, cherishing me as if I was already a part of his family, meant too much to me. I loved the feeling of having someone worry for you just because. It was touching to see that Maria and Yannis, Dimitris’s parents, had already warmed to me as if I was still their daughter in law. In their eyes, as Dimitris had told me before, I was still his wife because even though we were divorced, our love continued on and still going strong. Strength to strength, riding the most difficult of waves, remaining as a whole, a unit.
This confirmation tonight merely made me feel afoot and that whatever indecisions and doubts I had before should be addressed. But before I open up these canned worms with Dimi, I have yet one person to see. Only then could I ever wish to say that I could happily carry on with my life.
But as for tonight, I simply wanted to enjoy the warmth of having a great loving family…and for the first time, I felt like I truly belonged with them. It was an alienated feeling but it was one I welcomed with open arms. Gone were the ill feelings I had beforehand, or the notion that someone was out to get me. I felt secured enough to start opening myself, to let them all in and start living again.
It was an amazing feeling that when I got home with Dimi that night, I didn’t want the nonsensical, animalistic sex we both normally indulged ourselves with. Tonight…I wanted to make love to him. For him to show me how much he loved me, showing and giving me a world we both thrived in. The experience was raw and emotionally charged, making love to him as we kissed…as I silently wept with each strokes he thrusted into my willing body, he made me his in every possible way. The intensity of my emotions and the tears made me feel bare and exposed like never before and even though the fright remained in the background, I still let him in—in my heart and in my soul.