Addicted// A.Galchenyuk

It was the same thing today like every other day. I thought it would have stopped being so tedious after I gave Samantha my number, but that was not the case. She hadn't contact me in 13 days.
That's 312 hours.
18720 minutes.
1123200 seconds.
And I couldn't help but wonder what I did wrong. I remember how Brendan was high after first meeting Isabelle. He would not shut up about how perfect he found her. How happy he was to have gone to that concert. He called Max to thank him that night and that stupid grin of his never leaving his face. I've known Brendan for 5 years, never had I seen him act this way about a girl.That's when I knew she was special.
I remember how heartbroken he was not knowing when would be the next he would see her again. For weeks, every time we went outside he would think he would see her. And I would remind him that he was crazy since she lived in Ottawa. The first time we played the Ottawa Senator's, Brendan was starstruck. He was trying to learn everything possible about the city of the women he loved...loves. But that heartbroken look he wore for most of his days, I told myself, I would try my best to never feel such a way, that is if I did found someone remotely close as El. Even though I wished it was me Isabelle was with, I never want to see my best friend hurt.
When she told him she didn't love him, I was in shock at first. I had always thought she was heads over heels for him. Then I was happy because I thought I had a chance with her. And when Annie told me she had to leave for her shoot, I told myself That's it, this is your chance. It seemed to be going like that, till the next morning I didn't see her next to me. I think that's when I knew for sure that she did not, and would never love me the way I did. I was relatively okay with that until I had meet Samantha. I could say her name all day. But I felt that wasn't enough.
Samantha, God Heard.
Samantha, the listener.
Samantha, flower.
Her name, so versatile. Every region world wide had different meanings for it. And all applied to her. I had convinced myself that it were all true. God had heard my prayer's for someone. She was like that one flower in a garden that you can't help but look at. You could stare at it for hours and never get bored of it. Man, I wished their was a way to describe how I feel about her. But I can't. I wish I was able to talk to her without freaking out. I remember Isabelle telling me that it's all about practice. I would love to practice talking to her, instead of thinking of her or Isabelle. But she hadn't called and it's been
1123500 second since I've wanted to know her.
18725 minutes since I've felt some way about a girl.
312 hours since I last saw her.
13 days since we last spoke.
"Get up." Isabelle said barging in my apartment.
"What's the matter?" I asked her. None knew anything and I was pretty secretive about all of this. She placed her hands on her hips and gave me a stern look. She didn't like when people lied to her. I dont know how she knew I was lying but she did. One of the many mysteries of Isabelle McFadder.
"You haven't been out on a date since last December." She said stating the truth. I didn't want to go out with a girl for one night. I wanted to go out with a girl I could call my best friend, my lover, my one. Not those randoms one night stands.
"And?" I told her frowning. I should have gave her more explanation but I wasn't able too. The words weren't coming to me the same way as I thought them.
"And you need to learn to have some fun?" She said walking all over my room. She had laid down a few outfits and was trying to determine which would suit me best. For what exactly, I don't know.
"What are you doing?" I asked getting off my bed. My phone still in my hand.
"Getting you ready for your date!" She chirped cheerfully. The more I looked, the more her and Brendan seemed to be almost like the same person. Well, the way the interacted with people.
"I don't want to go" I told her making my way towards her.
"And I don't care" She said smiling warmly at me. She placed a hand on my shoulder.
"This isn't healthy." She stated the obvious. I looked towards my phone. I should maybe tell her about Samantha. I should maybe tell her about how I think I found someone. But my heart knew it was a lie. I would need more than just one encounter with her before any feelings that I have for the women before me leave. Samantha deserved better than to be just my Isabelle cleanser. But I'm selfish. Ashamed by everything I was planning on doing. I payed attention to the street view then looking at her in the eyes.
"Alex, I want was best for you." She said
"I know." I whispered. Even if she didn't love me the way I wanted her, she still cared for me.
"So you're gonna go on this date?" She asked. I shrugged my shoulder. And she rolled her eyes at me.
"Come on! I personally know her" She said smiling. She looked towards the outfits and eliminated a few of them each minute that passed by.
"She's prefect for you. I just know it." She said coming towards me with the outfit I was to wear that night.
She's not you.
"Okay. I'll get ready." I told her, semi pushing her out of my room. And that's exactly what I did. I showered the 3rd today, shaved a bit, got dressed with what Isabelle had picked out for me, sprayed some cologne and made my way towards. Well, I was. I stopped because I heard a girl's voice speaking to Isabelle. And it was not my sister. I slowly opened the door and checked carefully whom it might be. That's when I caught a glimpse of her auburn hair. The only girl I knew that had hair like that was Samantha.
She did not step me up with the girl I'm crushing on.
"He's very shy. But I assure you he's the kindest, sweetest man you'll ever meet. A true gentleman." I heard Isabelle say to Samantha.
"Yeah, I got that from when I met him at the ice cream place." She said. I wanted to make my way out of the door through the small crack I had opened. If I attempted to open anymore than this, I would be noticed.
"Ow." I said rubbing my shoulder. I didn't pay attention to the corner of the door. And hit my shoulder pretty awkwardly. Samantha meet my eyes and laughed at bit.
"You okay there?" She asked with a playful smile on her lips.
"Yeah." I managed to say. I made my way towards them without anymore interruption.
"You know next time you should probably try and open the door the whole way." She said to me. I looked towards Isabelle. She gave me a reassuring smile telling me to go on. I breath in and smile towards Samantha.
"Shall we get going?" I asked her.
"Yeah, if you know where that is?" She said in a joking matter. I had, indeed no clue where I was going.
Damn these 2 with their set up plans.
"Umm, Isabelle organized this. This was a blind date." I told her.
"Same here." She said smiling. "But when I learnt it was you, I was pretty happy about this." Her smile grew wider. And the sight of that got me smiling.
"I'll text you guys the details. Now go have some fun." She said pushing us gently towards the door.
"Après vous." I told Samantha while bowing a bit.She gave an impressed look towards Isabelle.
"You missed the fact he was well educated Iz." She said. I felt my cheeks burning a bit. I tried to stop them but they wouldn't.
"And cute." I raised my eyebrow.
"Cute? What am I? 5?" I asked.
"Well, its the only thing I am welling to say in front of our friend here." She said to me. We both looked towards Isabelle and laughed.
"I already feel I'm going to regret setting you guys up together when you guys end up a couple." She said rolling her.
"Now leave, you'll miss your reservation."
And we left my building. They had planned everything out for us. Dinner with classic music. Samantha was enjoying every bit of this. She had mentioned that she didn't get to go out to restaurant like the one we day because she couldn't afford it. But that she was glad that her first time out to a high end restaurant was with me. And I liked the sound of that. She was clearly interested by my Russian roots and kept asking questions about it. She had admit that she always wanted to learn the language. And that she wish she had some Russian blood in her instead of French.
"French women are my favorites" I told her. And she smiled widely at me.
"And like man who lie to make the girl feel better."
She had ways with her words. You had to be quick with her. We were walking around the city a bit. And I was quite happy about that. It was a nice August night. But I felt it in the air that the season was soon starting again. And I thought of the fact that I would have to be away from this beautiful girl. I didn't want to be away from her. I cursed myself for thinking negatively when I was actually enjoying myself.
"What's the matter?" She asked. Even she could feel it.
"Nothing important." I told her smiling. She debated slightly on rather she should persiste or let it go. But she dropped it.
"Mind driving me home?" She asked me.
I agreed and did what she asked. Since she had done most of the asking tonight, I did my fair share of asking on the way to her place. I learnt that she was Business student at Concordia. That when was a kid till really the end of high school, she played hockey, baseball, soccer and track and field. That she had published a few articles in the La Presse new paper. She told me she always wished to be a journaliste but her parents, whom are very much alive, did not approve. In no time, we had arrived at her place.
"Well, here we are." I told her.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening Alex." She said smiling. She leaned in a kissed my cheek. And the whiff of vanilla ice cream hint me when she did.
"It was my pleasure." I told her.
"Do you see us doing this again sometime soon?"
"Do you want us to do this again sometime soon?" She asked me in return. And I couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah, I'd like that."
"Me too." She said getting out of the car.
"I promise I'll call" She said.
And I said okay. I drove back home with my music blasted. This was a goodnight. It would have been perfect if I had someone to go back home to. But it was still a good night. However, just as I was about to go to sleep, she called me. And boy was I happy.
That made the night, a great night.

Notes