Damaged Beyond Repair by Kashmira Kamat (KittyKash) (ebook reader below 3000 .txt) 📖

Rowan  

Sofia drove a nice sleek black Cadillac SUV. Currently, I maneuvered the car through the smooth roads of Copenhagen, breathing the first air of freedom since the last five months. It felt great to listen to songs as I drummed my fingers on the wheel to the unfamiliar Danish songs.

    Since my stay in Denmark, I'd become quite accustomed to listening to the music and I really enjoyed it. It was quite rare for a patient from the rehab to get a chance to be outside during a therapy, but Sofia had made an exception and done me a huge favor which was quite unexpected considering the amount drilling I've had to listen to because Sofia knew that Alana was lethal, the kind of a drug far addictive then cocaine could ever be for me. She knew I would throw it all away for just being with Alana.

     Sofia trusted me, and I wasn't going to disappoint her. 

    I parked the car right in front of the hostel that Alana was staying in. I kind of felt bad that I couldn't even pay for a nice suite during her stay. I thought at least I could make our date special. Denmark was pretty expensive, be it the hotels or the food, and I'd been apprehensive when my father offered to pay for one of the best private rehabilitations in the world. Although I had promised him that I would pay for it, I didn't think it was possible in the future with a professors salary. 

    I snapped back from my thoughts when my eyes spotted her in a distance, making her way towards the car. Alana was dressed in a maroon knee length sweater dress and high heels. The dress hugged her body perfectly, like it was made just for her. Her usual wavy hair was straightened out and the color of her lips matched the color of her dress. She never wore much makeup, but today she seemed to have worked some magic there and done some tricks.

   Alana passed me her heart melting smile as she slid into the passenger seat.

   "Hey." She smiled at me.

   "Hey, beautiful. You look stunning." I said as I pecked her lips.

     "Thank you, Rowan."

     She looked so much older than her age, almost like she was twenty-six give or take. Sex shouldn't have been on my mind at that moment, but all I could think about was how I could get her out of that dress. I wished at that point of time that life shouldn't have been so complicated. That Alana was twenty something, and not an ex-student.

    What if she hadn't been my student at all, and someone who was an adult? Were the feelings that Alana harbored for me a mere infatuation? The kind of emotion that would fade with time when love wouldn't be a priority anymore. If I thought of giving up again, would she still be beside me?

   "Earth to Rowan!" She waved her hand at me. "Are you still here?"

    "I was just thinking about how lucky I'm to have you." I said as I leaned in to peck her lips, the familiar fragrance of cherry blossom made me nostalgic. I recalled the first time we had gone on a date.

    "Oh no. I think I'm the lucky one here." She said, and my heart melted for a second. I didn't want to break her heart.

       "Where do you want to go?" I asked trying to change the tracks.

       "Any place that serves Danish food."

      "Well, I know just the place."

****

           I took Alana to Nyhaven, a place which stretched the harbor and was lined by bars, restaurants and cafes. I'd visited this place years ago when I was a college student myself but I never had a chance to see how romantic it actually was with the boats lined up lapping over the calm waters. The lights from the bars illuminated and reflected the water, seeming like rare stones glistening. The restaurant was bustling with patrons who were busy boozing and having a good time. Alana seemed really impressed by the place. I led her inside the bar and we settled down in a secluded corner that overlooked the harbor.

   We ordered for smorrebrod which was an open sandwich, a popular snack in Denmark that I had come to love. The bread was topped with mayonnaise, smoked salmon, shrimp and red caviar. I also ordered for a few other things like Polsevogn which was a hot dog and there was also Frikadeller, the Danish version of meatballs.  Everything in Denmark, be it the hotel or the food, bored holes into the wallets, but Alana was enjoying herself which made it damn worth every penny. 

    "Something on your mind?" I asked her taking a bite of my meatball.

   "Is it possible that you can stay the night with me in a hotel?"

     Alana's question threw me off-guard. "Baby, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not allowed to do that."

   "Please! I'm here only for one day."

    "I'm really sorry baby, there are certain rules that I'm supposed to follow as a part of the rehabilitation. I'm not even allowed an evening outside like this, you do realize that my therapist made an exception, don't you?"

    Alana's face fell like a child who had been refused candy by her parents. "I understand."

    I touched her hand. "Hey, don't be like that, Alana. We have tomorrow together." 

    "Yeah, and then we probably can't meet for another six months." She said flatly taking a sip of her mocktail, "I need to use the restroom."

She was obviously upset that I wasn't going to spend the night with her. I dreaded the moment when I would have to break the ice and that would be tonight. Just imagining the look on her face made it harder. My hand slipped and Alana's handbag tipped off the table and fell to the floor and most of the contents of the handbag spilled out. I began collecting all her things, a few tubes of lipstick, a round makeup of some kind, a deodorant, her wallet, and there was something else that I didn't think I would see in Alana's bag.