The next day, I was ready ten minutes before seven. I wore the blue dress along with Meredith’s high-heeled glass sandals. My hair was curled and clipped on one side and cascaded freely on a side-swept style on the other side where my scars were, hiding them from view.
“You look gorgeous.” Meredith smiled at me when she finished doing my makeup. I looked like… not me and yet still me at the same time.
The doorbell rang by seven in the evening and I nervously opened the door. A man wearing a tux stood on our doorstep.
“Miss Harley?” he asked.
I nodded.
“I’m here to pick you up.”
Meredith came up behind me and asked, “Where are you taking her?”
“I’m from The Riviera. Mr. Vaughn has made dinner arrangements and asked us to pick up Miss Harley.” He handed Meredith his card. “You can verify that from the hotel itself.”
Meredith looked at the card and took her cellphone to call the number. “You can never be too sure nowadays. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course. Please call to verify.”
After speaking to the hotel’s concierge and confirming the man’s identity, Meredith turned to me. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll pick you up.”
“Madam, Mr. Vaughn had also arranged for her to be taken home safely,” the man informed her.
I leaned forward and kissed Meredith’s cheek. “See you later, Mer.”
A few minutes later, I was in The Riviera Hotel. As I walked towards the rooftop garden, I was mesmerized by the view. Light posts surrounded the well-lit garden, the pool was illuminated by the lights under the water, and a table was set for two on the side where a violinist stood beside it, playing a classical tune.
I saw Hunter standing on the side, waiting for me. I walked towards him. He was dressed in a pair of black pants, blue-collared shirt and a black jacket. The minute he heard me approaching, he took a deep breath and then his lips curved into a crooked smile, indicating that he sensed my presence.
“Hello, beautiful,” he greeted.
“Hello yourself,” I said.
He raised his arm and I took it. We walked slowly towards the table. I was guiding him, but it didn’t look like I needed to. No doubt he spent some time memorizing the steps before I arrived.
I was struggling to walk on the soft grass in Meredith’s sandals. I was still not used to wearing heels. Just before we reached my seat, I lost my balance and tripped. Well, almost because the minute I lost my footing, Hunter was there to wrap his arms around my waist, catching me and then keeping me steady.
“Okay, we make a dangerous pair. I’m blind and you’re clumsy.” He chuckled.
“I’m sorry,” I said, giggling. “I’m wearing Meredith’s heels. I’m not used to it.”
He smiled. “And you wore a dress.”
“Yes. Blue. Like you asked.”
“I would give everything to see how you look tonight.” There was a trace of regret in his voice.
“I look okay. Just imagine me in heels, wrap-around blue dress, with my scars hidden behind my hair.”
He fell silent for a moment, as if he was really imagining how I looked like and then he said, “You look enchanting.”
“Thank you.”
He pulled a chair out for me. Then he traced the back of his palm on the side of the table until he reached his seat.
We had dinner under the stars with a romantic tune playing around us. We talked about ourselves… our past lives. Talking to Hunter about my history felt effortless. I didn’t try to keep anything from him because I felt that no matter what I said, he wouldn’t judge me or force me to be okay. He was just there to listen.
It was easy to admit to myself how torn and broken I was. Because I know… that he was too. But no matter how horrible my scars were… it was nothing compared to what Hunter must have felt right then. He not only lost his mom. He also lost the most important thing he needed to survive, get up and fight back… he lost the ability to see.
After dinner, he stood up from the table and held his hand out to me.
“May I have this dance, Mademoiselle?” he asked.
I smiled. As I took his hand and he took me in his arms, I couldn’t help wishing that Hunter could see how perfect the moment was, and how wonderful he made everything for me.
I rested my head on the curve of his shoulder. Another first for me. This was my first dance.
“How’s your date so far, Miss Harley?”
I smiled lazily. “Perfect,” I whispered. “You made everything perfect, Hunter Vaughn.”
“What time is it?” he asked.
I looked at my wristwatch. “Ten.”
He gently pulled away from me. “I think we should sit.”
I took his hand and guided him towards our table, but he pulled me back.
“There,” he said referring to the bench a few meters away from our table.
“Okay.” I took his arm and guided him towards the bench. He felt for the back of the chair and sat down. He reached for my hand and pulled me to sit beside him, then he wound an arm around my shoulder, making me rest my head against him.
He rubbed his fingers against my bare shoulder. “You’re a little cold.”
“I’m okay,”
He pulled away from me and took off his jacket. He handed it to me. “Here. Wear this.”
After draping his jacket over my shoulders, Hunter pulled me to him again.
“Can you tell me what you see?” he asked.
I fought the urge to cry. He deserved to see this garden. He deserved to witness this moment.
I described the garden to him in detail, using the right adjectives to make the picture in his head as vivid as possible.
“Can you look up, Allison?” he asked.
I did as he asked and saw the breathtaking view of the sky.
“There’s a crescent moon surrounded by millions of stars twinkling above us and…” I stopped short, when I saw a string of light flash across the sky. It disappeared in a few seconds, but I knew I didn’t imagine it. I was about to say something, when another flash came across… followed by another.
“Make a wish, Allison,” Hunter said. That told me that he already knew what I was seeing.
Tears filled my eyes. It was another first for me. It was my first time to witness a meteor shower.
“How did you know?” I whispered.
“I listened to the news last night,” he replied. “And I realized how to make our second date more spectacular than the first one.”
Another shooting star passed by. I closed my eyes and made a wish from my heart.
I wish… that Hunter would be able to see again.
I knew that right at that moment, there was nothing I wanted more. I wanted him to see, not for me… not even to see me. I wanted him to see because he deserved to see the beautiful swans in our garden. He deserved to look up the sky and watch meteor showers again.
The peak of the shower came soon and I watched star after star shoot across the sky.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered to Hunter. “Thank you so much for this.”
He smiled at me and then he slowly leaned his face towards mine. I leaned forward and met him halfway.
If there was something more spectacular and more magical than the meteor shower above us, it was the magical kiss that we shared in that magical moment.