Chapter 8

Chloe was waiting for me as I tried the last dress she brought out for me for the 9th time, exhausted was an understatement compared to how I was feeling,

Taking a deep breath, I slipped the dress over my head and smoothed out the fabric. It was a pepper red silk long dress, with a v-neckline that delicately revealed a hint of my cleavage and a daring slit by the side that rose just above my knee.

I came out of the dressing room to face Chloe's judgment. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of insecurity. Would Chloe approve of this dress? Would it make me feel confident enough to go on this date? Or would I end up retreating into the safety of my own home?

She turned around from where she was fussing with some accessories on the bed and her eyes widened in surprise as she took in my appearance.

"Sam, you look stunning!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine admiration. "That dress is perfect on you."A wave of relief washed over me as I saw the genuine smile on Chloe's face. 

Maybe this dress could help me feel beautiful, despite the scars that adorned my skin."Really?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly with uncertainty.

"Absolutely," Chloe confirmed, nodding enthusiastically. "You look confident, sexy, and gorgeous. This is the dress you should wear tonight.

"Her words filled me with a newfound sense of confidence, and I couldn't help but smile as I twirled around in front of the mirror, admiring the way the fabric draped elegantly over my curves."Thank you, Chloe," I said, gratitude filling my voice.

 "I don't know what I would do without you."Chloe grinned and crossed the room to give me a tight hug. "You'd still be amazing, Sam. But I'm glad I could help. Now let's do some finishing touches and you would be good to go.

I carefully adorned myself with the accessories Chloe had picked out for me, slipping on the silver purse and sliding into the silver Prada heels that my mom had gifted me on my last birthday. As I glanced back at my reflection in the mirror, a nagging thought crept into my mind: was I doing too much?

I sighed, contemplating the idea of switching to something simpler, but I knew Chloe would never let me hear the end of it. With a resigned smile, I decided to trust her judgment. After all, she had never steered me wrong before.

I picked up my phone from the bed to check the address of the restaurant: MOS, IJdok One Eighty-Five, M M Amsterdam. I quickly looked up the restaurant in my Google Maps app and noted that it was a thirty-minute drive from home.

Stretching her body, Chloe let out a yawn. "Can I go now? If my body touches this bed again, I'm gonna sleep off," she joked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

I chuckled and nodded. "Yes, you can go. Thank you, Chloe. I feel beautiful."

Chloe smiled warmly at me. "Anything for you, bighead," she teased, her affection for me evident in her tone.

Chloe and I left the house, with Mom watching from her room's window. I guess she was surprised to see her daughter dressed so beautifully and wondered where she could be headed. We got into my car and drove off.

"Make sure you keep me updated on your date, Sam. Just relax and don't be so uptight, and don't forget to smile," Chloe advised as they drove.

"Smile, got it" Sam nodded in understanding, focusing on the road as she drove. 

Before dropping Chloe off, they did their special handshake and chroused "You are a special gift to me by God on the earth".

With a final wave to Chloe, She alighted and I took off heading to my date, feeling tense all of a sudden. The urge to just turn around and head home nagged me, but I shook the idea off. He was waiting already. 

One thing I hate about myself is that I am always late, even when there shouldn't be a need.

In no time looking at the directions from the map on my phone, it showed I was at my destination. 

I took a deep breath, turned off my car ignition, and stepped out. The restaurant was a beauty to behold from the outside, and I could only imagine how the inside would look. Walking into the five-star restaurant, I glanced around and saw him immediately.

Our eyes locked, and my heartbeat increased. He was still staring at me like he had seen a ghost, which made me feel confused and uncomfortable.

"Hi, "breaking the awkward silence.

"Uh, hi-hi, please have a seat," he replied, gesturing for me to sit down as he stood to help me into my seat.

"Sorry, I'm late," 

"It's fine. You look so beautiful," he complimented."Thank you," I replied, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks.

We ordered our meals and as we were waiting to be served.

"So, Samantha, what brings you to the city, I guess you are new here? he asked 

"Are you so familiar with everyone that you get to know who's new?

"Well not really, I just haven't come across this face before," he said smiling.

"Well, I recently moved here with my mom. We decided to start fresh in a new place".

Oh, I see. And what were you doing at the kickboxing tournament? Are you a fan?

"Yeah, actually, I love kickboxing. It's my only connection to someone special".

"Someone special"? He questioned, looking amused.

"Yeah, my dad. He used to be really into kickboxing. Watching tournaments like these makes me feel closer to him.

"I'm sorry to hear about your dad. It sounds like kickboxing means a lot to you" he said, sounding pitiful.

"Yeah, it does. Anyway, what about you? What do you do when you're not kickboxing"?

"Well, I'm a bit of a wanderer, I guess you could say. I travel a lot for fights, but when I'm not in the ring, I like to explore new places, and try new things". He replied.

"That sounds exciting," I said, feeling happy.

"It can be. So would you mind coming around tomorrow? I'd love to show you something if you don't mind" 

"Um, sure, I'd love to. What do you have in mind"? I asked unsure of how to feel.

"It's a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see" he replied with a chuckle

"Alright then sounds intriguing. Tomorrow then".

"Great. Looking forward to it". He said.

"Um it getting late now, I have to go" I said

"Fair enough, thank you for making my night" he said as he held my hands and gave me a little kiss, it felt magical.

We stood up and left the restaurant, and he walked me to my car. While we we

re almost at where my car was, he gave a light scream as he held his stomach and bent down...