Second Chance (38 page)

Cherry stood in
the middle of the side-walk with a breaking heart. She held her tears until the
lovers were out of her sight before she let her tears flow. She had never seen
Khyba display such affection for anyone. Not even for her. She had never heard
him laugh such laughter. Even if Sue gave Khyba up, he would not take Cherry.
He was free before and he didn’t want her, not in the way Cherry yearned for.

Even more painful
was that Khyba had been telling her the truth. He was in love with one woman
and no other could replace her. Not in this lifetime. In a way, the truth
released her. Funny how such display of a simple laughter could hurt her so
much.

Cherry wiped her
tears and made her way back to her car.

To her chagrin,
Michael McHeney was waiting for her in the parking lot.

Michael witnessed
the whole scene. He, too, was wounded, his ego deflated and his pride crumbled.
He could understand the pretty, teary-eyed woman in front of him.
Damn
,
he thought.

“What do you
want?”

Michael shrugged.
“Live, love, laugh.”

Cherry sniffled.
“What?”

“It’s this saying
you can find printed on photo frames, engraved in some retail décor—you okay?”

Cherry wiped her
tears, nodding.

“I saw them,
too…”

“What do you
want?”

“Ah, come on
pretty face, smile for me.”

“I’m not in any
mood to socialize, Michael. I’ve just got my heart broken by that short girl.”

“If you are
referring to Sue, don’t you think you should place some blame on that boy of
yours, too?”

“Are you stupid?
That short woman just walked away from you and you are not angry?”

Michael shrugged.
“She never pretended or lied to me. Actually, she was quite honest with me. I
respect that. True, I was looking for something more but hey, shit happens,
huh.”

“Shit happens?”

“Yeah, lots of
it. Want a drink? I could use something strong right now and you look like you
could use one, too.”

“Why are you
doing this?” Cherry asked.

“I’m peacocking.”

“Pea…what?”

“I’ll…ah…hell.
I’ll explain it,” he said, opening his car door.

Still teary-eyed,
Cherry reluctantly left Sue’s apartment building with Michael.

CHAPTER
50

Their last day
together was fast approaching and Sue wondered how she was going to say goodbye
or if she could say goodbye to Jae at all.

The last couple
of days had been blissful, magical. It was what Sue had dreamt about. She had
never considered herself the diamond type of girl nor did she ever in her life
imagine what it would be like to be showered with love.

When she agreed
to marry Jae years ago, she had imagined a simple life with a loving husband
and children. A career would be icing and anything else would be decorations.
She never imagined that life with Jae would be this wonderful.

Last night, she
had asked him if he was willing to give up his career and move to Minnesota
with her. She had asked him jokingly.

“In a heartbeat,”
he had said. Just like that.
In a heartbeat
. She never imagined that her
heart would love anyone as much as she loved this man. When she read lines such
as I’ll love you until my heart stops beating, in a heartbeat, with every
breath I take
; she often wondered what it would feel like to be the
recipient. To have received such a declaration, so simple, so unexpected, her
heart literally skipped a beat.

In a
heartbeat.

As she watched
Jae sleep next to her with his arms holding onto her, she felt loved and
cherished. She wished she could wake up every day to see him lying next to her,
the way they were now.

She enjoyed
watching him sleep and having his arms around her. When he slept, he looked
peaceful, unguarded and sometimes his arms tightened around her, drawing her
close to him. She liked that feeling of belonging. It gave her a sense of security.
If she could keep him with her like this, with him sleeping and his arms around
her, holding onto her, she would keep him like this forever.

Perhaps it was
the thought of losing Jae again that made her so wild the night before. She had
clung to Jae as if he was going to disappear. She smiled. She still blushed at
the thought of just touching Jae.

Jae had asked to
let him stay longer, to marry him. Yes, she would marry him, again. She loved
him, had loved him, and would always love him.

“Yes, I will,”
she whispered to him. It felt good to know she could wake up in his arms like
this for always. She placed a kiss on his shoulder, grinning, anticipating the
time when she would let him know what she truly wanted.

Jae tightened his
hold on her. When he moved, his dragon tattoo moved and she watched with awe.
Looks would fade and she imagined what the tattoo would look like years from
now. She chuckled at the image that came to mind and thought she would tell him
later. For now, that tattoo of his was definitely eye candy and she looked her
fill. Then again, he was very easy on the eyes. The thought that this beautiful
man lying next to her could very well be hers to possess stirred a desire in
her that sent tingling sensations throughout her body. Goose bumps rose on her
skin and she wanted to roll him on his back and make mad love to him. She
blushed at the thought.

She kissed him
again before she gently lifted his arm from her bare waist. She slowly
untangled herself from Jae, being careful not to wake him. Thinking to kiss him
again before leaving the bed, she looked at his handsome face and found him
watching her.

“Good morning,
beautiful,” he said hoarsely, smiling at her sleepily. She could swear she saw
a twinkle in his eye or maybe it was the morning light seeping through the
blinds.

What the heck,
she thought. Let it be a twinkle in his eye.

Sue smiled and
kissed him long and tenderly.

“Good morning,
love,” Sue said stroking the hair at the nape of his neck, placing a kiss on
the bump of his nose before getting out of bed.

Jae had his arms
around her waist, holding onto to her as she stood by the bed wrapped in bed
sheets. As soon as Jae let go of her waist, she kissed his cheek then turned to
leave. Jae grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving the bedside. Swiftly,
he hoisted her back to bed. She wiggled against him and he gave something
between a groan and a laughter as he leaned his back against the head board,
settling her on top of his abdomen. Her legs were on either side of him, straddling
him, their naked bodies separated only by a thin layer of bed sheet.

They kissed
lazily.

“Mmmm…” she
moaned against his lips. “What was that for?”

“For loving me,”
he gently nipped her bottom lip. Seeing the cut from the day before, he touched
it with the pad of his thumb.

To distract his
mind back to her, she teased, “I do love you, though I don’t know why. Perhaps,
it is your muscles.” She kissed his muscular arm. As she did so, she
purposefully moved her body lower on his body and she could feel his desire
apparent for her.

He laughed and
groaned as he placed his hands on her hips to stop her from moving.

“Maybe it is your
nose.” She traced the bump on his nose and kissed his chin. “Or perhaps it is
the way you kiss me.” She traced his lips with her finger, and then she shook
her head. “No, that can’t be right…there must be other reasons why I—”

He kissed her,
effectively distracting her as his hands caressing her bare legs. “Woman, you
make me daft,” he said smiling that half smile of his. He slightly tugged on
the thin sheet covering her body and her breast intimately pressed on his
chest, bare skin to bare skin.

 “Man, you make
me love you,” she said tenderly, kissing his jaw.

“I love you,
too.” He tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ear as he looked at her swollen
lips, her blushed cheeks, and her misty brown eyes glistening with desire for
him. “Stop moving like that or you’ll never get out of this bed!” he groaned.

Sue chuckled.
“Perhaps that’s why I love you so much—”

She shrieked as
Jae rolled on top of her. He tried to tickle her and she poked him in the ribs.

“Woman, you are
violent.”

“Quit your
whining. That was nothing more than a caress.”

“No, love, this
is a caress.” He caressed her breast and she gasped as his tongue touched her nipple.
“And this.” He suckled her other nipple and she arched her body to his. He
kissed her flat belly, sending tickling sensation throughout her body. He
pulled the sheet completely off her body and he kissed her lower, lower until
his lips were on the inside of her thigh. He kissed her body, every scar, every
bruise. His mouth possessed hers as he entered her and loved her until she
shuddered in his arms before he released his life into her. She was his past,
his present and God willing, his future.

CHAPTER
51

Michael and
Cherry spent the night in downtown Minneapolis, exploring the night life.
Cherry almost forgot the reason why she was in Minnesota. Almost. Michael
reminded her as they drove back to her hotel.

“Still thinking
about him?” Michael asked.

“Why does it
matter to you?” Cherry replied.

“Let’s just say I
know the feeling.”

“Know the feeling
of love or of your heart breaking?”

“Both.”

“Who broke your
heart, Michael? Sue? The same woman who took my Khyba?”

“If he was yours
to begin with, you wouldn’t be here moping.”

“That was cruel.”

“I’m sorry. Two
women so far have denied my company for the same man. What is it about Khyba
that you love so much? His money? Stardom?”

“I don’t want his
money and I certainly don’t want his stardom. A life in the spotlight can be
lonely.”

“His looks? Sex
appeal?”

“No.”

They reached
Cherry’s hotel and Michael walked her to her door. Before she could protest his
intrusion into her room, he closed her door, grabbed her arm and turned her to
face him. He pinned her to the wall and kissed her, slowly, gently, his hands
on her breast and thigh, gently messaging her, coaxing her to respond. Just
when she began to respond to his kiss, he stopped.

“If that makes
your blood boil, you don’t love him pretty face,” Michael whispered. “It’s
natural to love those we care about and even more natural to think that love
can spawn from friendship. Don’t sell yourself short pretty face. Good night.”

And with that, he
was out the door. Cherry collapsed to the floor, shoulders sagging in misery.
She shed a tear for pity then ran her hands through her hair. Panting in anger,
she got up and chased after him.

Cherry caught up
with Michael in the lobby. She ran to him and kissed him passionately, leaving
him just as breathlessly as he had left her.

“If that makes
your blood boil handsome face, take this.” She slapped him across his face. She
calmly turned and walked to the elevator. In the elevator, she turned back to
him, finding him staring at her. She blew him a kiss as the doors closed.

CHAPTER
52

To Sue and Jae’s
surprise, Cherry and Michael came to her apartment bearing lunch. After they
ate, Cherry asked Sue to go for a walk, assuring Jae that she meant well this
time.

“How’s your lip?”
Cherry asked.

“Fine.”

“I’m glad. I wanted
to apologize for my unruly behavior yesterday. I…am not accustomed to being
denied anything and I’m afraid I was behaving like the spoilt woman scorned,”
Cherry said as they walked the same path as the day before. “I am sorry.”

“No need to
apologize. I was in your shoes once. I know the feeling.” Sue sighed. “I have
to give you kudos for fighting for him though. I wish I had your spirit,
perhaps things might’ve turned out … different for Jae and me.”

“That’s kind of
you to say.” Cherry smiled in relief. “It was insane to come, but I needed to
know. Khyba has been in my life for so many years and I, well, believed the
next step in our friendship was…love. I was mistaken…a silly little girl’s
notion I suppose.”

They made their
way around a curve, giving them a view of her apartment.

“I thought I love
him. I was so sure,” Cherry said. “But today, I see him and, oh rubbish. I
don’t love him.”

“I’m glad. It
makes things so much easier.” She was starting to like Cherry. “What changed
over night?”

“That Michael
McHeney!” Cherry all but sneered.

“Michael is
dreamy.”

“I know.”
Realizing what she just admitted, Cherry blushed.

“You like
Michael?”

Cherry
reluctantly nodded. “He… It’s only one night. I’m a bit confused at the
moment.”

Sue grinned.

“Would you mind so
terribly if I stay friends with Khyba? Perhaps you and I could become friends
as well? He is good friends with my family and I would rather not hate him.”

“I think he would
like that. And me, too. I could learn to be more understanding like you.”

Cherry laughed.
“I’ve often wondered if my parents deliberately bestowed the name Cherry upon
me as a lesson in humility.”

Sue liked Cherry
more and more. They made their way closer to Sue’s apartment and the men came
out of the patio door to wait for them.

“I must apologize
as well, Cherry.”

“What for?”

“I didn’t know
about you until recently. I can understand the feeling of seeing the person you
love with another woman.”

Cherry nodded in
understanding, swallowing her pride.

“And thank you
for your offer of friendship. I’d rather have you as a friend than an enemy.”