Chapter Three

Will be waiting for you at your favorite restaurant

on the corner of 5th

-Dillon A.

A quick smile crossed her flawless completion as she read the note from her good friend. She looked up to see the splashing of a horse drawn coach drive across the wide drenched street. She quickly glanced both ways before quickly crossing the quiet lane, pulling her hat closer to her head to shield her face from the lightly falling snow. The freshly fallen flakes dotted her new long black coat. She smiled at the beauty of each one as the landed on her clothed body, all as different as the people that shared the same city as her. Most of the snow melted as it hit the ground, leaving the sidewalk where Miss Diana Holland walked wet and slippery. She looked up at the street sign to see where she was. Second. She only had a short walk left before she would find Dillon at the Vin Rouge.

The thought of him made her lift her hand slowly to her neck, making sure her necklace held its place. A blue sapphire set in a silver heart shaped charm that hung by the silver chain. Dillon Abney once gave her this necklace only a short while after they met. He too was from an upper class family that came from money. Unlike her, his family moved to Paris when he was a small child. When he was old enough to go to go to school, his family moved back to America but he stayed behind with his grandparents. He attended school in London where he fell in love with the culture and decided to remain there until he was needed back home. The two of them both shared a love for adventure and this lively capital gave them that excitement. They met each other back in February when Diana was still new to the city. Her heart pained to think that far back. If she thought about when she first arrived here in London, then her memories would drift back to the man she left behind. Thinking back, she watched him stand alone on the pier as looked up at the boat that she was on sail onto the open sea. She watched him toss the cased ring up in air, and let it fall back into his hand. She loved this man and at the time, he loved her too. Her heart felt empty and alone as the secret about this man still burned inside her today. Although she had made a choice that may change her life forever, she had still to tell Dillon about it. Thinking about the man she left back in New York made Diana lose track of time. Before she knew it, she was on the corner of fifth and could smell delightful aromas drifting from a small and old building. She tilted her head upwards to read the sign over a wooden door, Vin Rouge. Quickly, she gracefully walked to the door and opened it herself.

A blast of sound and smells overwhelmed her as she took a step inside. People speaking the language still new to her were quickly talking amongst themselves, not paying attention to the woman that just walked in. She loved that about this place, no one cared who she or her family was. Here, people were created equal, all only concerned about their own lives and not the ones of others. She scanned the room searching for one familiar face. The tables were organized around the room in perfect order, each covered with a crimson table cloth. The only light came from the candles on the tables and the ones that hung from the walls. Most of the chairs were full, but she only cared about one. Then, she saw him. In the back of the room, he sat in the candle light alone. His black hair sat as a perfect mess upon his head. His hand brought a glass of red wine to his fine lips as he took a sip. His round face seemed bored of waiting for her. He sat with proper posture as only he would he was brought up by a flawless family. His emerald eyes watched people across the room laugh at someone's words.

The old creaky door finally shut behind her making her jump a little. Quickly, his eyes jumped to the sound soon realizing it was her. A sly smiled crossed his fine face as he caught her eye. She offered a smile back and she started to take off her scarf. She hastily started to maneuver her way through the tables to reach him as he began to rise from his chair. When she got to him, he took her masked hand and brought it to his lips.

"Bonjour mademoiselle, vous regardez magnifique ce soir," he whispered into her hand before he kissed it softly. She felt the color rush to her cheeks, making her blush shyly.

"Good evening sir, may I say you as well look very nice." She took back her hand and sat down across from her friend.

"Your French is becoming very good Miss Holland, if I do say so myself," Dillon told her as he lifted his glass.

"Thank you Mr. Abney," she said as she laid her scarf behind her.

"Anything you need?" he asked politely. For growing up in Paris, he accent was not very strong and if you heard him speak English, you would think he was an American man. She shook her head and picked up her menu. She skimmed over the French pages already knowing what she was going to get. From the corner of her eye, she caught him starting at her through the candle light. She looked up to meet his gaze only to see him smile.

"What is it?" she asked with a hint of laughter in her question. He just shrugged back at her.

"I just can't get over the fact on how beautiful you are." She felt her face soon get warmer. At that moment, he reminded her of the man in New York. Her eyes soon showed loneliness and grief. Dillon soon caught on.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern. She set down her menu and nodded quickly.

"Of course I am okay, why wouldn't I be?" she asked him back.

"You just seem down," he told her, "you aren't usually like this."

"Well I can assure you that I am fine." She placed a napkin on her lap as a young waiter came up to their table. He asked what they wanted even though Diana could not understand everything that he was saying. If she had not met Dillon, she would not have made it long in this city. Dillon placed their orders and soon the waiter was gone.

"What did you get me?" she requested him.

"You're usual, and another glass so you can share the bottle of wine with me." He motioned to the red bottle and she laughed.

"You really should find something else to drink," she suggested. He shook his head. They both knew he was addicted.

"Anyway Diana," he said, "I brought you here because I had something important to tell you." She suspected so by the urgency she read in his note.

"Go ahead," she said. She watched his face grow serious very quickly. The light from the flame reflected off his face, hiding half of it away in shadow. Diana grew a little concerned but then he soon reached across the table and took her left hand. She felt his hand rough against hers as his eyes held her gaze. By the look in his eye, she was afraid about what he might be saying next.

"Diana, we have been friends for a long time," he started, "but there is something that I have been hiding for a while and I think you should know." He took his other hand a placed it on top of hers.

"I love you," he confessed to her. Then, her heart started beating faster. She could not believe it! His expression told her that he was not joking and she knew he would never do that. She looked away from him in shock, not knowing what to say.

"I don't know how you feel about me, but that is where I stand."

"Dillon, I don't know what to say," she started looking back at him. Then, the waiter came back with Diana's glass and set in on the table. Dillon let go of her hand and leaned back in his chair, trying to relax himself. Diana waved away the waiter and took her glass.

"I shouldn't have told you," he mumbled under his breath not meeting her gaze.

"No, I am glad you did," she told him but he took it the wrong way. He sat back up and took her hands in his.

"So you feel the same way?" he asked with a little excitement.

"Dillon, you are my best friend, but-," she started to say and his face fell into a frown.

"You don't, do you?" he jumped to conclusions. A person behind them laughed only making Diana wish the two of them were doing just that.

"I never said that, but I just haven't thought of you in that way," she explained to him. He nodded his head.

"Can we just talk about some else?" he pleaded.

"Of course we can," she smiled and placed her hands on her lap.

"How is your family in New York?" he asked her. Just then, memories and secrets flooded back to her with just the word New York. She knew she had to tell him now.

"They are doing well," she said, "except my mother has become very ill."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"Well, this is her second time with in the last couple years. I hate telling you this but I am going back." She closed her eyes, thinking about the worse thing he might say next but all he did was sit there in silence. That was worse for her then him talking.

"Dillon, please say something."

"When do you leave?" he asked quietly. The flame from the candle danced as he spook making Diana's heart fill with pain.

"In two days," she explained to him.

"Diana, your mother has been sick before I am sure she will be fine," he reassured her.

"That's not the point, what happens if she died and I didn't get to see her one last time. I would never be able to live with myself. Don't you understand that?"

"This isn't about her, we both know it." His words lingered in her mind.

"Fine, you can think that but it is. Plus I haven't even seen my nephew yet and he is already walking around. I don't want to miss out in his life." Dillon shook his head and took a drink from his glass, wiping it clean.

"Wrong again."

"Wrong?" she asked, "how can I be wrong?"

"This is about Henry," he said to her making her the angry swell up inside her. He knew never to say his name.

"This is about Henry, and you know it," he repeated his words.

"Don't even-," she started.

"That is why you don't love me. It is because you still love him." With those words, a tear found its way down her rosy cheek. She couldn't take this anymore. She stood from where she was, pushing her chair back.

"You know I don't love him," her voice a little edgy. He shrugged off her words.

"You say that, but no one believes you. Your going back to New York to find him and tell him you were wrong about leaving aren't you? But you know what Miss Holland? He won't take you back," he promised her. The tears were now continually falling from her perfect eyes.

"Goodbye Dillon," she turned and started her way to the door.

"You will end up all alone over there! New York will be as lonely as hell!" he said after her.

She turned back around to look at him. He sat in her chair smiling, knowing he made her angry. She then made her way back to him, as she let the tears fall. She got to his table and stood before him making sure he was watching. He watched her as she reached for her neck and pulled off the silver band. She raised her hand high and let go, letting the metal fall to the table. She could tell his heart was breaking into by the expression he showed on his face.

"Au revoir," she told him. She felt the eyes of many as she ran to the door and out into the snowy night.