CHAPTER ONE

"No Sammy,you're not setting me up for another blind date which would turn out to be a total disaster,no Sammy,I said no"I said into my phone while I typed some words on my laptop with my one free hand.

"I admit the last one was a failure,and I'm sorry I let you down,but this one is going to be different I promise you,he came highly recommended,please do this for me,Daisy please."

"I did it for you the last time and honestly I wish I hadn't,it was a total disaster,the guy was a total jerk,he couldn't say two words without trying to touch me,I had to scrub myself for three fucking hours before I felt clean again" I said and Sammy laughed.

"Why are you laughing?,It wasn't a funny experience and you shouldn't be laughing about it"

"I'm sorry okay but I cross my bras that this one meets your standards,you will love him,just wait until you meet him"

"Why can't you just tell me who he is?

"Cos if you know you will end up not showing up and it's called a blind date for a reason;you are not supposed to know who you are having a date with"

"Okay,okay,whatever,tell me what time am I supposed to be at this blind date of yours?

"Eight"

"Okay,send me the location and every other detail and I will see about it"

"You have to be there"

"Don't make it sound like it's a big deal, I can actually decide not to show up,you know I don't give a fuck about things like this,I'm only doing this so you are actually busy with something"

"Thanks honey,you know I looove you right?And just think about it maybe you will finally find true love"

"Hahahaha,very hilarious,You know there's only one thing I can say to that"FUCK LOVE"

"I really wish you would stop saying things like that it pains me when you sound that way"

"And how am I sounding?

"Like love doesn't exist,Daisy listen to me,love is real,it's out there waiting for you,you just have to find it"

"Spare me the speech please,I will go on this blind date for the last time and after that if you try to set me up on another piece of shit it's fuck you"

"Yeah,yeah,thank you,and please be there on time"Sammy said and ended the call.

I dropped my phone and sighed,I don't understand why Sammy believes in love and all of that crap,I mean her fiance who she had been madly in love with had jilted her on their wedding day and sent her a text calling off the wedding and ending their relationship of eight years after making her wait for him at the aisle for three hours.Sammy had been so shocked and heartbroken and couldn't bring herself to stop crying,I was the one who had had to tell the guests that the wedding was off.

I can still remember how that incident had damaged Sammy,it had taken her six months of therapy sessions to prevent her from going crazy,I had been the perfect friend;I was there to provide a tissue for every tear she shed,I was the one encouraging her to move on and not give up on life,I accompanied her to every therapy session and when she finally had Jonas I was there to cradle him in my arms while the nurses tried to revive her,yes!she had been a month pregnant for the bastard and he had had the guts to leave her the way he did.I thought of him as a mother fucking asshole.

I have been trying so hard to get Sammy to give up on the idea that there was something called love and I had almost succeeded,almost,until this new friend of hers who she recently met introduced her to this group whose members were a crazy bunch of people who were ardent believers in love and romance.Just one month of going there and they had totally bought her over now Sammy wouldn't stop filling my ears with crappy and annoying talks of love.

"You have to believe in love,love is real,love exists,love is beautiful,love is everywhere,Daisy, you really have to come with me to our meeting"She wouldn't stop whining.

Why would anyone who had "fallen in love"and gotten hurt and broken over and over again still believe that there is something somewhere called love?C'mon you would have to agree with me that that is a very absurd thing to believe in.I mean yes!people do"fall in love"but they end up getting hurt and broken in the long run so what's the use of falling in love in the first place?

I removed all thoughts of love from my mind cos truth be told even thinking about love gets on my nerves and puts me in a really bad mood,instead I thought about the blind date Sammy had arranged for me.I wondered who and how this one was going to be,the last one was a guy who was too confident for his own good and had roving hands he wouldn't keep to himself.

So far I have gone on four dates which were all total disasters,I actually found myself laughing as I remembered the last four dates,I had ended up throwing degrading insults at my first date,I poured a glass of cold wine at the second,the third one received a slap from me and I had threatened the fourth one that I would stab his hands with a fork if he didn't keep his hands to himself.

And yet sweet Sammy is still trying to get me on more dates hoping that I would fall in love!I laughed harder now,there was no way I was going to fall in love and I knew it.I was going to die a single woman who never fell in love after being scarred by three past relationships.Yes!,just so you don't think I've always been a philophobic I've been in three horrible relationships which was why I would never make the mistake of going into a relationship or ever consider myself in love with some guy who will only break my heart in the end.

I couldn't help myself,I started crying as I remembered the pain and heartbreak I had gone through.No one would blame me for not believing in love,one does not get burnt by fire and still make fire his best friend.

I heard a knock on my office door.

"Come in"I said as I quickly wiped my tears with the back of my hands and and put myself in order,I took a file and pretended to be going through it.

My Secretary came in"Good day Miss Hartley,I just wanted to inform you that you have a meeting in exactly ten minutes"

"Okay,what is my schedule after the meeting?

My Secretary came in"Good day Miss Hartley,I just wanted to inform you that you have a meeting in exactly ten minutes"

"Okay,what is my schedule after the meeting?

"You are clear for the day after this meeting "

"Can I have the documents for the meeting??I said and she handed the documents to me.

"Okay,thanks,you may leave"I said as I flipped through the documents.

"Hold on" I said and she halted.

"How long is this meeting supposed to last?I asked her.

"Fourthy five minutes ma'am"She replied.

"Okay,that would be all"

I used five minutes to study the content of the documents and used the other five minutes to get myself ready.I left my office and headed to the conference room;my Secretary trailing behind me.The meeting went smoothly and was as successful as I had known it would be and by the time were done it was quarter to seven.

"Ambers,please put my office in order,I would be leaving right away and please leave the documented files on my desk so I can review them on Monday,when you are done you may go home" I instructed my secretary before taking my leave.

There was little traffic on the road so I was home by ten minutes after seven,I dumped my things immediately I got inside and went to get ready for the blind date.