Chapter 18

''Mum… Mum?'', she heard a voice and felt a tap on the shoulder. ''Did you sleep here?''

''Yeah… I guess I fell asleep on the sofa'', Deirdre said rubbing her neck. ''Are you going to work?''

''Yes. See you later''.

''Bye, honey!''. 'What a night!', she thought when she was alone again. She woke up feeling so exhausted, her whole body was aching. In just one night she had remembered her entire life. Paul had never left her mind, though he existed somewhere deep inside because the memory of him still hurt. But Andy… She hadn't thought about him in ages! Andy… Because of a stupid mistake, because of his childish silliness, Andy had destroyed his brother's life and hers. 'And now he comes back to destroy my Penny'. When this thought entered her mind, her heart was full of fear. 'No… Not my little girl… I must do something. I can't let him tear her apart too'.

Early in the afternoon, Penny returned home and the minute she opened the door, she smelled the delicious beef stew Deirdre had cooked.

''Oh… I'm starving!'', she said when she entered the kitchen.

''Welcome! Sit and I'll get you a dish''. Penny devoured her meal as Deirdre sat near her. ''You know… Earlier, I was thinking that your birthday is two weeks away''.

''Mmm…'', Penny answered with a full mouth.

''How about you invite a couple of friends to celebrate all together? You can tell Andy too…'', she said cunningly.

''Oh, yes. What a lovely idea! Mum, when you meet him, I'm sure you will love him''. Deirdre started to eat her lunch slowly without saying another word. 'Yeah… I definitely will…'

[Two weeks later]

''Good morning, darling'', Andy answered his phone.

''Good morning'', Penny said.

''You never call so early in the morning''.

''Well, you know why I'm calling you now? It's my birthday next Sunday and a few friends of mine are coming over. Of course, you are invited too and so is Erica. The more the merrier''.

''Deal. I'll call her and I'll let you know, okay?''. When he hang up, he called Erica immediately.

''Hello?'', he heard her sleepy voice.

''Hey, Erica. It's me. I'm sorry I woke you up but I imagined you weren't still sleeping''.

''What do you want at this ungodly hour?''

''Next Sunday, it's Penny's birthday and she invited us to her place. You're coming, right?''

''Sunday. Penny. Birthday. Okay''.

''Good morning! I brought breakfast'', Andy heard a familiar, cheerful voice from the other end of the line. Erica looked towards him and shushed him.

''Is anyone with you?'', Andy asked her after several awkward seconds.

''Ah… Yes… I mean… A friend stayed the night…''

''I see. So, what's wrong with Timothy's apartment and you have to accommodate him?''

''What? Andy? I can't hear you… I have to go… Bye'', Erica said and hang up in a hurry. Then she gave Timothy, who was standing next to her holding a tray, an upset look. ''Damn it, Timothy! Andy heard you and now he'll start asking questions. How will I clean up this mess?''

''I'm sorry. I didn't know you were on the phone. I just wanted to tell you that I bought breakfast''. His words immediately drove her anger away.

''Thank you so much'', she said taking the tray. She drank a glass of fresh orange-juice and he sat next to her grabbing a croissant. ''I am sorry about that''. Timothy looked at her and caressed her cheek gently. ''You are a really good guy. I can't remember if any other man has ever offered me breakfast in bed. Actually, sometimes they're not even here when I wake up'', she laughed but there was bitterness in her voice. Timothy couldn't help wondering how could this be possible. How could other men not see what he saw?

He met Erica almost five months ago, just after he moved in his new apartment. One night he and Andy were supposed to have a drink at the bar and as he was leaving for work, he knocked on Andy's door. It was Erica who opened and he unexpectedly found himself in front of a beauty. That's what he thought the first time he saw her. He never believed this would happen to him but he fell in love at first sight. He was just standing there and looked at her without saying a single word. It was a real challenge for him to explain that he was Andy's friend who lived next door. Since then, they had met many times, although he never had the courage to express his admiration. In his mind, Erica was like no other woman. She was beautiful and charming but as he got to know her better, he saw she was much more than that. Erica was smart, he could talk to her for hours about anything… To cut a long story short, Erica's personality was extraordinary.

''Why are you looking at me like that?'', she asked him bringing him back to reality but he remained silent searching for the right words to express his feelings.

''You'll make fun of me, if I tell you''.

''No. In all seriousness I promise I'll hear you out''.

''Okay, I'll just say it… I'm in love with you'', he confessed and Erica looked surprised. ''From the first moment I saw you… Then, the better I got to know you, the deeper my love got. I don't know if you suspected anything… Anyway, this has never happened to me before and I felt the need to tell you''.

''I… I don't know what to say…''

''You don't have to say anything right now. Just… If you feel the same, just give us a chance. If you don't, I promise that I will leave you alone and never talk about what happened between us. You really shouldn't feel weird or bad because to me, what we shared… You know, whenever I look at you, I see a goddess. So just the fact that you are here right now means a lot to me and I'm not sure I could ask for more…''. Erica had no idea what to say, probably for the first time. She was not ready to hear such words, because she never imagined she would. No one had spoken to her like this before.

''Oh, my sweet Timothy...'', she said when she realized she hadn't spoke for a while, ''I wish I could tell you that I feel the same way but that would be a lie''. As he heard these words, a sad smile appeared on his face. ''Don't think that I don't care for you. Because I do. A lot. But you have to understand that this relationship could never work''.

''Why do you say that?''

''Well…'', she sighed. ''Earlier, you called me 'a goddess'''.

''I did. Because this is how I see you'', he said with a sweet smile. ''You are a goddess. Inside-out''.

''Though I'm not, Timothy. I'm a woman like any other''.

''I don't think so!'', he commented and Erica hit him playfully at his chest.

''Hey, I'm serious. Whoever sees me, thinks he found the perfect woman. But I am not perfect, you know. I never reach their expectations because I have flaws too. I am stubborn, spendthrift and difficult in my relationships. The few who stayed long enough to see, ran away. Most left before they really got to know me. Well, that's why I think we should end it now. I will let you down too, like all the rest before you''. Timothy held her hands for a few seconds and then kissed them lightly.

''Can I speak now?''

''You can'', she replied with her head low.

''First of all, I could be the one who will let you down. I'm a little grumpy and I am overreacting all the time and perhaps you will find this really annoying. I'm just saying that we are not so different. You, Erica, are stubborn, spendthrift and difficult. But you're also brilliant, you are the best friend anyone could ever ask for, you care about people, you offer your help to those who need it, you're funny and whenever you engage with something, you always succeed. That's what I know about you and I do so from my personal experience and from what Andy has told me. I want to know everything about you, though. If you have more flaws, I want to know them. If you have even more advantages, which I'm certain you do, I want to know about them too. I understand that until now you've been avoiding opening up your heart, out of fear of getting hurt but now the time has come to change your way of thinking. Erica, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me and I have no intention of losing you. I have a dream that I can live my life by your side. I don't know where this could lead us to but I am willing to fight for our relationship''.

''You mean… We are in a relationship now?'', she asked with a tiny smile on her lips.

''I must inform you that I am not a one-night stand man'', he said leaning forward to kiss her while she put aside the tray with the half eaten breakfast.