“Are you ready to go?” He held out his arm.
“I am.” I smiled as I hooked my arm around his.
We climbed into my rental car and Drew drove us to a place called Hau Tree Lanai where we were seated outside beneath an arching Hau tree by the ocean and he ordered us a bottle of wine.
“Tell me more about you,” he spoke.
“Well, I grew up very wealthy with parents who controlled everything I did, right down to the food I put in my mouth. They tried to mold me into the perfect daughter. I could have no flaws. After so many years of molding, I became exactly who they wanted me to be. I wasn’t allowed to make any decisions for myself and that is why I don’t know who I am.” I picked up my glass and took a sip of wine.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t imagine growing up like that.”
“So tell me about your parents.” I smiled as I set my glass down.
“My dad was a construction worker until he got injured on the job and had to go on disability, and my mom is a nurse. Things were tight growing up, but I had everything I needed. My parents are great people and we’re very close.”
I gave him a small smile. “That’s how a family should be. So how did you get the funds to start your own technology company?”
“I’d always been interested in technology since I could remember. You could say I was a bit of a geek.” He smirked. “You know the ‘Cloud’?”
“Yeah.” I narrowed my eye at him.
“I developed it when I studied at MIT.”
“SHUT UP!” I exclaimed as I slightly leaned across the table.
Drew chuckled. “It’s true. I developed it and sold it for a fuck ton of money. I paid off all of my parent’s debt, bought them a new house, made a nice deposit in their bank account, and opened my own company.”
“How old were you?”
“Twenty when I sold Cloud and twenty-one when I opened the doors to Westbrook Technology, Inc.”
“Did you graduate from MIT?” I asked.
“Yes. I graduated when I was twenty-one. I graduated high school earlier than most kids.”
“So you’re a genius?” I smiled.
“Nah, not really. I’m just smart, I guess.”
“Oh please. You’re a freaking genius and don’t be ashamed to admit it.” I held up my glass to him.
“Touché, Miss Bell. I would say the same about you graduating top in your class at Yale Law.” His glass touched mine.
I gave him a small smile as I took a sip. The one thing that I was dying to know about him was why he left his fiancée. It was so bizarre to me that I met someone who did the same thing I had done. Should I ask him? Would it be too personal? I told him about why I did it so I thought that it was only fair he told me.
“I have something I want to ask you, and to be honest, it’s been bothering me.”
“What is it?” He cocked his head.
“Just before you passed out last night, you told me that we had something in common. You said that you left your fiancée on your wedding day.”
He leaned back in his chair as his eyes burned into mine.
“I told you that, eh?”
“Yeah. You did.” I nodded. “I just wondered why. I mean, you can tell me that it’s none of my business, but remember, I spilled my guts to you.”
“True.” He took in a deep breath. “I did leave my fiancée on our wedding day. I had just sold Cloud and made millions, graduated from MIT, and I guess I figured why the hell not? I met Marley at MIT and we had been together for a little over a year. It just seemed to make sense for some reason. She did all the planning and I just agreed to everything, but I was having doubts during the process. When our wedding day came, I just couldn’t see myself or a future with her. Or anyone, for that matter. It just doesn’t seem natural to spend the rest of your life with someone.”
“But your parents.”
“I know. They have a great relationship, and as much as I admire them, I just couldn’t see myself like that. So, before the ceremony, I mustered up the courage to go into the room she was waiting in and I told her that I couldn’t do it.”
“She must have been heartbroken.”
“She was. She cried like I never saw her cry before, called me all kinds of names, and told me to get the hell out. So I did and I never looked back. It was probably the hardest thing I ever did, but it was for the best. She’s married now with two kids and she’s happy.”
“Weird how life works out sometimes. So you never see yourself getting married and having a family?”
“Nah. Not really. I guess it’s who I am.”
“Well, at least you know who you are.” I smiled.
After finishing dinner, we took a walk along the shoreline. Taking off my shoes and throwing them into the sand, I lifted up my dress so the bottom didn’t get all wet. Drew took off his shoes and socks and rolled up the bottom of his pants. Darkness had settled in and the moon shined above us, lighting our path as the gentle tide swept across our feet.
“Thank you for dinner,” I spoke as I nudged his shoulder with mine.