Club Endless Fantasy

Hearing Elly’s story brought my naturally protective nature to the surface. I stayed calm and jovial on the outside, but underneath the laughter was a layer of disappointment towards the people who were responsible for taking care of her when she was too young to fend for herself. She felt like she had to do that at an age when it wasn’t supposed to be her job—but they dropped it directly on her shoulders. It didn’t matter if that was their intention or not—it was her perception, and they didn’t do anything to change it. It was no wonder that she hated the holiday season and thought relationships were doomed to fail. I needed to show her that her view of the world was just one scenario in a million—and I had a damn good example.

I just need her to trust me and keep an open mind.

We made quick work of the appetizer, I convinced Elly to have a second glass of wine, and then our food arrived. I tried to keep the mood light after Elly agreed to give me one shot before we mutually agreed to part ways—I felt like that was a pretty big step for her. She had no reason to trust me. I was practically a stranger that she met through an app she didn’t even mean to sign up for, to begin with. Thankfully, she seemed to relax once she started on her second glass of wine, and she seemed interested in learning more about me—that seemed to be a pretty big step as well. If Elly was asking questions, then her interest had shifted beyond the nervous glances she shot towards the exit when she first arrived.

“So, you’re an app developer? You said that your company made the Secret Santa Romance app?” Elly tilted her head inquisitively.

“Something like that.” I smiled. “I’m actually the owner of the company—and the CEO.”

“Wait…” She blinked in surprise. “You own the company!?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and chuckled under my breath. “I got a job doing tech support for a finance company shortly after I graduated from college, and I had a lot of extra time on my hands, so I started coding apps on the side. A couple of them were successful, so I decided to see where that would take me—I guess you could say it took me a lot further than I expected.”

“Wow…” Elly reached for her wine. “I would have never guessed you were the boss—you seem so down to earth.”

“I don’t believe that fear or intimidation are good leadership traits. I’d rather have a team that respects me than one that only respects the position I hold.” I shrugged. “It has worked out for me so far.”

“Wait…” She held up her hand. “Something just clicked for me—you make dating apps, and you’re single? You must date a lot of people!”

“No.” I shook my head back and forth.

I might as well tell her the truth. She’s not going to believe me if I don’t explain it…

It had been a really long time since I told anyone about Abigail. She was a ghost from my past, but nobody knew that I allowed her to continue haunting me. It wouldn’t have been fair to hide that from Elly—not if I thought there was a chance what we had could turn into more than the two of us deleting the app at the end of the night and going our separate ways. I didn’t want that, and I wasn’t sure Elly really wanted it. She was being cautious, and she had a damn good reason to hold onto the heart she rescued from the turmoil of her youth.

“You’ve never told her, even after all of these years?” Elly’s demeanor shifted to a solemn stare.

“Nah, that wouldn’t be fair.” I sighed. “She’s married now. She has the family she always wanted—I’m the guy that was too scared to give it to her.”

“I don’t think I would want to know either.” She looked down and sipped her wine. “Some things have to stay in the past.”

“You should take your own advice.” I reached for my wine. “There are a lot of things you should leave in the past too.”

“It’s not the same thing.” She shook her head back and forth.

“I know.” I shrugged. “But I’ve held onto mine for a really long time—I know how much damage it can do.”

“Do you think you could actually move past that?” She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

“Honestly?” I nervously sipped my wine. “I didn’t think it was possible—but now I’m beginning to wonder if I wa

s wrong.”

“I wish I had your optimism.” Elly took a drink of her wine and gave me the half-smile that I recognized from her profile picture.

Maybe you will after tonight.

We finished our meal and decided against dessert. I was definitely tempted, but my trips to the gym had gotten far too infrequent for me to push my luck with the delicious looking stuff on the menu. Elly was kind enough not to force me to watch her devour something that would have made my mouth water. I tried to pay for her dinner, but she still turned me down. I finally gave up fighting when the waiter walked away with both of our credit cards. She really didn’t want it to be a date, so I did my best to respect her wishes, even though I felt like it was turning into one. I was definitely interested in Elly—even if she was still hesitant. Abigail finally felt like part of my past, and I was excited to feel liberated from her ghost.

“Are you ready?” I signed my credit card receipt and looked up at Elly.

“I said I would give you a chance…” She nodded. “Are you planning to take me somewhere?”

“I am.” I stood up from the table. “It won’t take long, I promise.”

“I would ask if you’re a serial killer, and this is how you lure all of your victims into your kill-room, but you wouldn’t tell me if you were…” She narrowed her eyes for a moment, and then she finally smiled.

“No, I would keep that to myself until you woke up in my trunk.” I winked at her and laughed.