FINDING DESTINY
This is part 5 of my ongoing series Fulfilling Destiny. If you haven't read the other parts yet I strongly recommend that you do.
It had been several weeks since Destiny had her rendezvous with Tyler and Gwen. Since then, the two had gotten married and had even invited Destiny to the wedding. Destiny had gone and enjoyed herself immensely. Tyler and Gwen had even invited her to join them in the honeymoon suite they had booked for that night before leaving for their honeymoon the next morning. Destiny had been tempted. Extremely so actually. But in the end, she declined the offer. She loved sex but she wanted more now. She wanted a relationship. She wanted love, commitment, marriage and eventually children and she was convinced she wouldn't find that having meaningless flings. So, she hugged them both goodbye and gone home to use her vibrator. Three orgasms later her body was spent, and she had fallen into a deep sleep alone.
At first when Gwen had called to invite her to the wedding Destiny had accepted in the hopes of possibly meeting someone there. The wedding was to be a large and grand affair and it seemed the perfect opportunity to meet and mingle with some new men. However, she soon realized that wouldn't be happening. Oh, she had met a few guys. Guys who were obviously interested and even a couple she might have been interested in as well. Though, after being intimate with the bride and groom she soon realized it was awkward trying to flirt with their friends. If things ever got serious with one of them Destiny would feel obligated to tell the guy about her past and that could get tricky. What would she say, "Hey I love you and want to be with you but just so you know I've had sex with the couple we spend Thanksgiving with every year and at one point they asked me to be their girlfriend. I hope that doesn't bother you." She supposed she didn't have to say anything but that would seem like a lie of omission. Especially since Gwen and Tyler would be involved in their life since the guy would be a friend of theirs.
And if all that weren't bad enough Destiny could feel Tyler and Gwen looking at her sometimes during the reception. It was worse the few times she attempted chatting up one of the male guests. And later when the two were saying their goodbyes and getting ready to leave, Destiny felt like the quiet invitation they spoke to her was more out of jealousy than lust. After thinking about everything the following morning with a clear head Destiny decided to distance herself from Tyler and Gwen a bit. No reason to cut them off completely but she needed to give them time to get over their disappointment. She just didn't want the type of relationship they were offering.
So, Destiny spent her time at work and with her friends. She talked to Leo whenever he had a chance to call and listened intently to the stories he had to tell. He loved his life and the adventures he was having. It was everything he had ever wanted, though he confessed he was sometimes lonely. He told her how much he missed her and wished she could see some of the places he was seeing. Destiny missed him too, more than she had realized she would when he first told her about this job offer. She hadn't spent every day with him before he left and hadn't even spoken to him a great deal since he had been dating Tia at the time. But Destiny had known if she ever needed Leo, he would be there for her in a second and Destiny missed that security. With him being halfway around the world it was as if a piece of her home were gone too.
About a month after the wedding Destiny decided to spend Saturday morning at a coffee shop just a few blocks away from her apartment. Fall was just starting to creep in, and the weather was perfect for a walk. After making her way downtown and getting her coffee order Destiny sat at a table by the window. It was still early, and most people weren't up yet on a Saturday, so the coffee shop was relatively empty. Which is why Destiny was surprised when she heard a deep voice beside her ask, "Would you mind if I join you?" Destiny looked up and for a moment lost the ability to speak. The man standing next to her looked to be around her age. He was very tall and broad shouldered. Even though he wore a jacket, and she couldn't see his arms he appeared to be muscular. He had dark brown hair that curled just a bit at the ends. His face was chiseled with high cheekbones a strong chin and straight nose. But it was his piercing blue eyes that captured her attention. They were light against his olive skin, and they seemed to stare into her very soul. He almost looked as though he recognized her, but Destiny knew if she had ever seen him before she would certainly remember.
When she didn't answer right away, he continued speaking, "If you want to be alone, please say the word and I'll leave immediately. But I saw you sitting here, and I just know that if I don't at least take a shot, I'll regret it the rest of my life."
Destiny finally snapped out of her daze to reply. "No. No, it's fine. Please sit down. I would love some company." The man smiled lighting up his entire face and revealing a dimple in his left cheek. He sat down across from her and after putting down his coffee offered her his right hand. "I'm Carter Warren." Destiny took his hand in hers and introduced herself as well. "Destiny Ryder, its nice to meet you."
Carter smiled and said, "Beautiful name. It suits you." Destiny blushed. She couldn't believe it. She'd had men compliment her before but for some reason this man made her giddy. To his credit, if he'd noticed the pink on her cheeks he chose not to comment. "So, what are you doing out and about this early? Most people our age are still at home 7:30 on a Saturday morning."
"Normally I am too but I didn't have any plans last night, so I went to bed early. The morning was so beautiful I decided to get dressed and enjoy it. Not to mention its nice to get a seat in here. Usually, it's so crowded I must get my coffee to go. What about you? Why are you out and about this early?"
"I have a rehearsal at the playhouse just a couple blocks away from here in about an hour. I was up early like you and decided to grab a coffee before heading in."
"You're an actor? Is that your job or is it for fun," Destiny asked intrigued?
"For me it's both. I love acting and fortunately I can make a living from it due to an inheritance from my grandparents. Most of the other cast members have other full-time jobs and do the plays just for the fun of it. Rehearsals can be at odd times of the day and night to try and work with everyone's schedule. But I don't mind. I just love the theatre and I love performing. The odd hours don't bother me. What about you? What do you do for a living?"
Destiny started telling him all about her job but as the hour wore on, she told him so much more. She told him about college and how she'd gotten hired right after graduation. How the company had taken off and she was now living very comfortably. She talked about her friends and how they all stayed in touch and hung out regularly. In turn he talked about his childhood and how he had always been close to his grandparents. How his grandmother had passed away when he was a teenager and his grandfather when he was 26. How his grandfather had been wealthier than he had ever imagined and when he died, he'd left everything to his only grandchild. How it allowed him to live comfortably and pursue a life as an actor even though it paid next to nothing. The two were so engrossed in one another that both Carter and Destiny were surprised when Carter exclaimed that he was ten minutes late for rehearsal and had to run. Destiny was disappointed, but Carter smiled at her and said, "I don't think I've ever met someone I've wanted to see again so badly. Can I give you my number? That way if you want to see me again you can call or text. No pressure. If I never hear from you again, I'll understand." Destiny put his number into her phone and then with a squeeze of her hand a quick peck on her cheek Carter left the coffee house and Destiny to herself.
Destiny took a deep breath, a smile lighting her whole face as she quickly typed up a text, "Of course I want to see you again. When are you free next?" She hesitated a moment wondering if she came across as too eager. But what the hell? She WAS eager. Even though they were strangers she felt as though she knew him. There was something familiar about him as though she had known him in a past life or something. She wanted to see him again and as soon as possible. She hit, "send," on her phone and waited. Carter must have been waiting as eager as she was because she got a response almost immediately. "Tomorrow morning. Same time and place?" Destiny was a bit disappointed. She had hoped to see him again that day. She couldn't imagine he would be in rehearsal all day and night but maybe he had other plans. She would gladly take what she could get. She sent back a simple, "I'll be there," and left it at that. Then she left to run some errands before heading back home.
