Lillian had tried going on dates in the past, hoping she had moved on, but it simply didn't work because relationships take time to build. And she did not have the time for it since she was busy earning money to support herself and her family.
Lillian was also helping fund the orphanage she was from since it was put up again when she was in college. Lillian did not want the children to experience what she did when she stayed there, so she was helping maintain it.
Yet, without knowing about her circumstances and simply basing on how she always dressed for her corporate work, which had rich partners, people concluded that Lillian was still single because she thought too highly of herself and was too stuck-up.
If only they had tried to dig deeper, they would have known they were wrong.
Lillian dressed the way she did since it was what was required of her in her job. She got used to it too, after some time, and almost always dressed formally.
As for dating, she simply did not have the time to mingle and date because she was busy working. As for purity, she did not think too highly of herself; it was simply that when attempting dating failed, she knew it was dangerous to just go and sleep with a random guy she did not even know, just to get it over and done with.
However, after the talks of people around her got even worse, Lillian got too annoyed and, in frustration, after getting the deal she needed in a business trip in Las Vegas, she tagged along when their business partners invited her to a high-end bar with expenses paid by them.
Everyone got all dressed up, and when their business partners left her side and let loose, Lillian was free. They were already drunk, so she did not need to fear disappointing them. She did not need to send them home either, since they had already found company.
This time, it was her turn to get drunk and find company. Since they knew she was also single, their business partners even encouraged her and left her a generous amount of cash for the drinks before leaving.
Perhaps it was the gorgeous dress and the makeup, or the mood in the bar, that Lillian, who usually shied away from things like this, felt so fearless and emboldened. Or perhaps, she wanted to let loose, even just once, after studying and working so hard all her life.
Lillian made the impulsive decision to get laid and finally get things over and done with.
After all her years of simply studying and working relentlessly, Lillian was set to finally get things over and done with on her inexperience problem.
It would not even be a problem if the people around her were not making such a big deal out of it.
Lillian was tired of their constant pressure and gossip and decided to end it all tonight. She read a lot of stories of ONS (one-night stand) here, so it shouldn't be too hard, or would it?
With people high on alcohol, it wasn't too difficult to attract some guys. It might also be thanks to the dress and makeup she wore that made her seem like a fine prey. Lillian once again felt grateful to their business partners for paying up for everything.
Several men tried to hit on her. But the usual problem with Lillian came up.
Perhaps, like her workmates said, she was too choosy and had very high standards. She did not feel any sort of attraction with the men who surrounded her, even when a lot of them were perfectly her type: tall, good-looking guys that most ladies would also find attractive.
Lillian knew in her mind, and she could see that they were indeed attractive. Yet, she was not attracted to them. Perhaps, something was indeed wrong with her.
Was she not attracted to men but to women instead? But as far as she could recall, she had mostly been crushing on guys, not ladies.
Or, did Tom's cheating turn her off from men this much?
Thinking about it, Lillian realized that she had never had even one crush for the past five years. She was 21 when she broke up with Tom, and she was 26 now.
Lillian knew she no longer had feelings for Tom. Those feelings had long died. But did her heart do as well? Why could she not feel anything for these attractive guys?
Confused and annoyed with herself, Lillian let her eyes wander around the wide bar.
With all the people here from all walks of life and various nationalities, if she did not feel the least bit of attraction with even one person, either male or female, then perhaps something was indeed wrong with her.
Her eyes scanned the room, searching for one person who would catch her interest.
It was then that Lillian met the gaze of a man sitting in the far corner. He looked like he was silently watching her, a glass of wine in hand.
Unknowingly, they stared at each other for a few seconds as if nothing else mattered in the room; the loud sound of music and people talking around them faded into the background as they eyed each other.
Lillian's heart skipped a beat for a man for the first time in years. She had only looked him in the eye, and yet, something seemed to pull her in. She realized this was the man she was looking for!
Maybe, he's the man who could make her heart flutter again, at least for tonight.
But what if he was looking at someone else and not her?
Lillian was not too full of herself, so she thought that perhaps he was looking at someone else. She checked, but there was no one behind her. Just the wall. The man was indeed looking at her.
He even smiled and visibly chuckled when she checked if there was someone behind her.
Lillian suddenly felt self-conscious and looked away.