CHAPTER 11
DRAKE
I could feel the sunlight on my face even before I opened my eyes. The whole scene from the previous evening replayed on my mind. My first instinct was to reach out to the beautiful woman lying down beside me. She wasn’t there, though.
My eyes shot open. That’s when I saw her standing in front of the dresser, drying her golden brown tresses. She was already dressed and ready for the day’s events.
I was about to speak when she suddenly turned around. I almost gasped when I saw her wearing a pair of eyeglasses. At that very moment, an image of a geeky girl from high school flickered in my mind. It was a memory I had long buried. But now it came back to me in vivid color.
It can’t be, I said to myself. I shifted to a sitting position and peered closer. That’s the only time she noticed that I was already awake. Startled, she quickly took off her glasses and smiled awkwardly at me.
“Hey, there,” she said a little bit shyly.
“Hey,” I greeted back. I was still quite shaken. The image hadn’t left me and now, as I gazed at the woman in front of me, I could actually see the resemblance.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she joked as she fluffed her waves around her shoulders. The hair was definitely different. Her gorgeous tan now also made her seem a whole lot different than when she’d been a pale nerdy girl with freckles on her cheeks. The freckles were still visible, though, but not as prominent.
I stood up to get dressed, still staring at her. She suddenly seemed to feel uncomfortable. She disappeared into the bathroom for a while. I couldn’t help following and peeking, and that was when I saw her putting on her contact lenses. Quickly, I stepped back out.
She rushed out of the bathroom, and then grabbed her jacket and purse. “I have to go, Drake. I don’t want to be late. Please just lock the door when you leave.” Before I could say anything, she left the room in a hurry.
I stood there half-naked, stumped. Was it really Geeky Georgie from high school? A shiver ran down my spine as I vaguely recalled how I’d taken part in her big humiliation during prom night. Guilt crept into my heart. It was so long ago and had been insignificant to me until now. High school was high school, after all.
Did she even know it’s me? And yet she still slept with me. Perhaps she’d long forgiven me or forgotten about the incident. It probably didn’t matter, anymore.
Later that day, as I entertained inquirers at our booth, my thoughts drifted back to Dr. Georgia Hill. I couldn’t believe it was really her. First of all, she was now drop-dead gorgeous with no traces of geekiness except perhaps for her being a bright and passionate doctor. Second, she’d actually become a successful, rather confident woman who knew what she wanted. Third, I was greatly besotted by this new Georgia.
I decided to take a break. As I drank my coffee at the al fresco dining area of the resort’s main building, I contacted one of my former classmates back in high school who was now an employee in my father’s company.
“I know this may sound strange…” I started. “But do you happen to have a copy of our graduation yearbook from Windfield High? Can you please look up a Georgia Hill and send me a snapshot?”
Eli, my classmate, seemed to choke on the other line. He then coughed and tried to keep from laughing. “Sure. But what would you want with Geeky Georgie’s picture?!”
My heart began to beat real fast. I felt beads of sweat breaking out from my forehead. “You’re sure that Geeky Georgie’s real name is Georgia Hill?”
“Yeah, why?”
I ignored his question, but instead went on asking. “You know what happened to her after high school or where she is now?”
He now seemed totally puzzled by my questions. He couldn’t understand where I was coming from. “Well, from what I’ve heard, she dropped off the face of the earth. Nobody knows where she went except for her friend Lauren. She isn’t even on any social media platform, as far as I know.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said abruptly. Before he could say or ask anything else, I added, “Just send me the snapshot. Thanks, man.”
I put the phone down and waited, my breathing becoming irregular. I couldn’t understand why I should get worried. She’d probably known all along that it was me and yet she had not cared… Unless she was planning to dupe me or use me in some way…
Now that got me thinking. It’s sensible to assume that something so juvenile could easily be forgotten, that it wasn’t worth any effort for revenge. But then, I’ve read about numerous adults who have carried grudges way back from their childhood days.
A ping made me jump. I checked my phone immediately and almost dropped it when I saw the graduation photo of Georgia Hill who was in my same class. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t recalled her full name.
Georgia’s picture showed her without her glasses, which showed off her beautiful eyes. Her hair was straight and dull, limping slightly and framing her face in a way that made her look as if she wanted to hide. Her smile was awkward, with her lips pursed. She probably didn’t want to show her braces.
My eyes scanned every detail. The eyebrows were also different. But the nose, chin, and cheekbones were a perfect match. She was wearing makeup in the photo, which accentuated her lovely features and made her look more like the present Georgia.
My hand clapped over my mouth automatically. What a revelation.
Suddenly, a part of me wanted to shrink and shrivel and never show myself again to the woman who had been too kind and polite to shove the truth to my face. She didn’t deserve such humiliation. Thinking about it now, I felt very, very guilty. Even then, she had not deserved such treatment. All she had done was be nice to me. She even helped me pass Math and eventually graduate.
“Shit, shit,” I muttered as I paced back and forth.
I heard her voice then, which made my heart leap. For the first time in my life, I felt serious regret weighing me down. I strode out of the balcony and that’s when I saw her chatting with some other doctors. They were deep in conversation, and she was actually leading it, giving them information that they were drinking in eagerly. Their eyes were bright with interest as they listened to her.
Impulsively, I stepped back into the shadows so that she won’t catch me staring. I dialed the number of the personal assistant my father had assigned to me. I’d insisted then that I would never have the need for one, but now I did.
She picked up at once. I gave her specific instructions, thanked her, and then put the phone down. I returned to our company booth casually as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
Georgia wasn’t around anymore. I was sort of relieved, though I knew I would need to face her again soon. Tonight, to be exact. I had to talk to her about this, or risk losing her and losing my mind.