CHAPTER 1

Taron was worried to death.

He had been sitting on the same spot for more than three hours now and his back was aching. He took a napkin from his pocket and mopped the beads of sweat that had gathered around his brows. He knew he had to look good. It was an important day - the day he was going to finally ask his high school sweetheart, the beautiful model, Selena Goldbridge to be his wife. He had been looking forward to this day for a very long time now and he was excited.

A message popped up on his phone screen and he opened it in a hurry to see who it was.

“Sorry Taron. I totally forgot about the outing. I’ll be there in a few…”

Taron smiled and adjusted his glasses on his face. He didn’t care if he had to wait for hours to see Selena. What mattered to him was that she was coming. He giggled in excitement and arranged the table quickly. Everything needed to be in order.

He turned around to see that the waiter was smiling at him. The waiter, Pablo Hernandez was an advanced man in his late fifties. He was tall, smart and kindhearted and a few times when Taron had stayed up at the bar waiting for Selena, the waiter made sure to entertain him with old jokes about the World War Two over a few shots of Tequila. Taron had always wondered how an old man working in a bar was able to afford such an expensive drink and when he eventually offered to pay for the drink one day, the waiter refused.

Pablo Hernandez walked up to Taron’s table and drew out the opposite chair. Taron frowned and looked around quickly. He didn’t want Selena to meet him discussing with the old man and luckily for him, she was not yet in sight.

“Still waiting for her eh?” Pablo asked as he poured himself a glass of wine.

“Yes I am,” Taron replied, adjusting his glasses. “She would be here anytime soon.”

Pablo gulped down the glass of wine at once and started pouring out another. “ I wish you luck, boy. She sure does like to keep you waiting.”

“She’s a model,” Taron replied smiling. “She’s always busy with brands and endorsements and deals like that.”

“I see,” Pablo nodded and stood up. “There’s your date coming over now. I’d better get back to work.”

Taron muttered a curse as Pablo walked away. Selena must have seen him discussing with the old man. He hoped it would not reduce his chances of finally landing her. She didn’t seem like one who would enjoy the company of people like Pablo .

“Hello my angel,” Taron smiled as he admired Selena .

Selena was no doubt a stunning lady. She had a long blonde hair that curled down her back and stopped below her waist. Her hazel colored eyes always had this spark in them that could make a guy go nuts and her hips were slightly curved, accentuating her beauty. She wore a red dinner gown that stopped way above her knees showing off her fair, lanky and well shaped legs.

Taron assessed her and swallowed hard. She was a ten over ten.

“Hello Taron,” Selena smiled back at him and sat down. “Had a lot to do at the office and I almost forgot about the outing.”

Taron wondered why she was still calling it an outing. For God’s sake it was a date, and he was going to ask her out that night.

He stood up from his seat and attempted to peck her on the cheek and she turned away, blushing. In the process, his hand hit the bottle of wine that he had ordered and it came crashing down on the floor. Everyone in the bar turned to look at him.

“Shit!” Taron cursed in his head. He was not bothered about the fact that people were staring at him. What bothered him was the wine that had spilled. Baron De Montes. One of the most expensive in the whole city. He had gone out of his way, saving for three whole months just to get that wine and now his clumsiness had made him spill it. As he stared at the bottle on the floor, wondering how he was going to pay for another, he felt someone tap him.

He spun around to see Pablo standing in front of him with another bottle in his hand.

“The second one you ordered sir,” Pablo smiled handing him the bottle.

Taron stared at him, surprised.

“And thanks for the hundred dollar tip,” Pablo whispered loud enough for Selena to hear.

He walked away smiling as soon as he had dropped the wine on the table and Taron turned back to face Selena who was now smiling.

“You’re very generous,” she said, her eyes fixed on his pocket.

“Oh, I just like to, you know…help the less privileged,” Taron smiled.

“That’s nice,” Selena said. “Waiter!”

Pablo walked over to where they sat and took their orders. All the while, Taron’s heart was in his mouth as he prayed Selena wouldn’t order something very expensive and luckily for him, Pablo was able to convince her that the two hundred dollar worth chicken wings was not yet available.

In a matter of minutes, the food was ready and they ate silently.

“I’ve been thinking,” Taron said determined to break the ice.

Selena looked up at him. “Yes?”

“We’ve been dating for a long time now,” Taron said. “And you know how I feel about you. I want us to get married.”

Selena stared at him for some time, expecting him to burst into laughter or something, anything at all to show that he was just joking. Of course he didn’t mean it. He didn’t expect her, Selena Goldbridge, the next big model in New Orleans to get married to a broke and unemployed nerd.

To Selena’s shock, Taron went on his knees quickly and brought out a ring from a squeezed piece of paper. She stared at the ring. She could see patches of brown where it was supposed to be gold and she wondered how many fingers had worn it before. He couldn’t even afford a new ring for an engagement!

“Marry me, Selena,” Taron said. “You know I love you very much. We would make a good couple…”

“Stand up Mike,” Selena said in a tone a little above a whisper. “You’re embarrassing me.”

Taron read the situation wrongly. He took it as Selena trying to play ‘hard to get.’ All he needed was a little more persistence and he was going to get her to agree.

“I would love you and cherish you forever, my darling,” Taron added. “I would take care of you like…”

“Take care of me?” Selena cut in, staring him down. “For God’s sake Taron, you can’t even take care of yourself! You’ve been wearing those shoes since high school and they’re worn out now. Is that how you want to take care of me?”

Taron McCarthy was shocked to the bone. He removed his glasses, cleaned it and wore it back. He was sure he was not seeing clearly. Selena could not be rejecting him. They had been dating since high school. That was more than five years already. This couldn’t be happening.

“I’ve already promised you that I’ll fix up,” Taron pleaded. “Trust me, Selena. I would get a job very soon. I’m working on it already.”

“You’ve been working on it for five years now,” Selena said and shook her head sadly. “I can’t give you more time to embarrass me, Mike. I have to tell you the truth.”

The truth? Taron’s heart was pounding in his chest now. He felt his whole world crumbling apart. She had just rejected his proposal and now she wanted to tell him the truth?

“Wha-wha-what truth?” Taron stammered. He blinked hard, trying to fight back the tears that had etched at the corners of his eyes.

“I never liked you Mike,” Selena said. “It was all a dare. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you it was a lie because you looked so happy. I thought treating you badly would drive you away from me but you’re just too stubborn. I blame Sarah for all this!”

Taron could feel the air around him get hotter. The words were struggling to escape from his throat but they just couldn’t.

“A..a dare?” He managed to ask.

“Yes boy,” a deep voice said behind him.

Taron turned around to see who it was. It was Steve Garrick, the handsome and spoilt son of billionaire, James Garrick.

“I gave her a week to tell you the truth and break up with you,” Steve grunted, taking Selena’s hand.

Taron’s face twisted in horror and he turned to face Selena . “Steve Garrick? What does he have that I don’t?”

“Money,” Selena replied. “You’re damn broke, Taron.”

“See you around loser,” Steve added and turned around. “Let’s go babe.”

Taron McCarthy watched, with hot tears dropping from his eyes as they made their way out of the bar. He was a failure and he had found out the hard way.