Chance

by Rachel Rise

  “So, are we going? Your surprise awaits.” Francesca laughed and grabbed my hand, attempting to pull me away from the door and away from Charity.

  I kept my feet planted and turned to look at her. Her I want to get fucked now look was the exact one I’d had so many times before. I smiled. “I think I’m gonna just head home…alone.”

  She stopped pulling me and stared blankly at me. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Tonight isn’t going to work,” I stated quietly. I didn’t go into details, just left it at that.

  “But…” she started to argue, but when I touched her hand she stopped. “Does it have to do with your old friend?” she asked.

  My eyes widened, but then slowly retracted. “We’re in two different places of our lives, Francesca. You have to know that. And I’m sorry that I’ve led you on, but there comes a point when—.”

  She lifted her hand up and I stopped talking. “Please do not coddle me. I don’t need you to go into details about why you think we shouldn’t get together tonight. We’ve always been there for one another and you’ve always never seemed to have a problem with that. Now all of a sudden you’re saying that it won’t work. That’s all I need to know. I’m sorry for thinking we had an agreement.” She started to walk away and I instinctively reached out to touch her arm.

  “I’m sorry if I offended you,” I said.

  She laughed and looked back at me. “I think you’re making a mistake but I’ll be fine. I have plenty of options, but do you?” She yanked her arm away and headed towards her car. I stood staring at the back of her for several minutes until she had already gotten in her car and tore away. I wondered what she meant by that. Do you? I shrugged it off and looked back up to the door of the restaurant. I had to take a chance if nothing else. I’d already let a year slip by.

  I entered the restaurant and looked around for her. When I couldn’t find her, I approached the hostess stand. “Excuse me…” I started. The woman looked up and she held a big grin on her face. Her eyes lit up and she went into flirtation mode. I knew the type.

  “Why hello there. How may I help you?”

  I smiled politely at her. “I have a friend that came in here to borrow the phone. Do you know where she might be?”

  She frowned, but then motioned off to the side. I spotted Charity as she hung up the phone. She turned around and our eyes met. I nodded my thanks to the woman, then met Charity half way.

  “Let me help you,” I said.

  “Well, the tow truck is on their way.” She pushed past me and I had to pick up my pace to keep up with her. Once we were outside, I settled into a pace beside her. A fast pace, but a pace. “You can leave any moment,” she said.

  “Let me drive you back to your car,” I said.

  “No!” she scoffed. “I’m fine. I definitely don’t need you to swoop in and save the day. Go back to your perfect little car, perfect little girlfriend, perfect little life, and forget we even saw each other tonight.”

  My jaw dropped and I stopped walking for a minute. We had already gotten off the premises of The Luxor and at this rate, we’d be back to her car and my car would still be in the parking lot. I turned around and didn’t look back. I don’t know if she was surprised by that action or even noticed it, but I got back to my car and jumped inside, turned the ignition and sped out of the parking lot, in the direction she was heading.

  When I came up on her, she turned and looked at me and I slowed down to a snail’s pace, just so I could talk to her. I lowered my window, but she kept walking. “Listen to me,” I started. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating, but my life in no way is perfect and Francesca is not my girlfriend. I sent her home if you hadn’t noticed.” Her eyes darted to me, but she continued to walk. “You’re acting like a jealous girlfriend. We haven’t even seen each other for a year. A YEAR.”

  “Whatever! I don’t need to know anything about your life. Goodnight Mr. Baxter.” Her tense words actually made me smile. I shook my head and pressed on.

  “Come on…your car is way up there. Hop in and I’ll give you a ride.”

  At first, she ignored me as I only expected her to do, but the fact that I didn’t give up and she looked exhausted had her slowly changing her mind. She stopped walking and I slowed my car to a halt. “Fine,” she muttered. She walked around to the door and got in. When the door was closed I started driving. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to cause her to have any more reasons to despise me in that moment. I just left her to her own thoughts as we headed to her car.

  I soon saw it in the distance and I kept chugging to get there. When I got to her car and pulled off to the side, she was ready to jump out of the car and never look back. I just sat there for a moment, until it was awkward and then I got out of the car and walked over to her. She was leaning against her car and didn’t even look up.

  I stood there and looked around, still keeping things quiet. “You can go,” she said, interrupting the night air.

  I glanced at her. “I could,” I said nonchalantly but didn’t budge.

  After several more minutes, she looked at me. “I don’t need you to be here, so why aren’t you going?”

  I turned to her. It was evident that she was angered by something. I found it interesting and I made note of it. “Why are you adamant that I go?” I asked, inquisitively. “You seem really angry right now. Is that anger geared towards me?”

  After staring at one another for what seemed like way too long, her features softened. “Guess I’m just surprised to see you tonight, that’s all.” She shrugged. “It’s been a long day.”

  I nodded my understanding. “I’ve had a hectic day, too, but I swear I’m only trying to help, Charity. If you genuinely don’t want my help, then I’ll go.”

  I started to move towards my car, but my eyes didn’t leave her. She only took a few seconds to look at me and relent. “Fine! Don’t go!” She looked around the deserted road we stood on. “Who knows what will happen once the tow truck gets here and I really don’t want to be on this road alone.” I saw her swallow and look up into my eyes. “I’d appreciate you staying.”

  I nodded but didn’t smile to show her that that was exactly what I wanted to hear. I moved back to her and her eyes stayed on me until she slowly looked away. Even if we didn’t talk, at least she didn’t have to worry about being on that road alone. I was alright with just being there.

  CHAPTER 14

  Charity

  F

  rom the corner of my eye I saw him staring just inches from me, so close I could reach out and touch him, so near that I could smell the scent of his aftershave lotion tingling my nose and sending me over the edge. I took a deep breath, mentally blocking those thoughts. I wanted to be nicer to him and express that seeing him was the highlight of my week, if not month. Yet, all I could muster was a coldness and when he said he would leave if that was what I really wanted, I knew that I had to be a little less harsh and a little more reasonable. I didn’t know where I was and to be stranded on a deserted road, a woman of twenty-eight, it just didn’t seem fathomable.

  When the lights of the tow truck blinded us, I was grateful to finally have my escape, or so I thought. Instead, the driver confirmed my worst fears. He had to take my car to the shop and they would get back to me on Monday. I signed the paper that the tow truck driver handed me, then thanked him. Now, I was really stranded.

  “Have a good night,” the driver said as he got back into his truck. I wanted to ask him if it was his practice to leave women out on a deserted ride with no way of getting home, but then I spotted Nolan standing next to me and figured the man just assumed I had a ride. I watched him leave and felt a tinge of worry.

  I had tried calling Thomas back at the restaurant, but his phone went straight to voicemail. So, I didn’t leave a message because I didn’t have any clue what was happening anyway. “Thanks for waiting around with me,” I mumbled. I looked up at him and he just slightly
nodded. “Goodnight!” I started to move past him when I heard him shuffling beside me.

  “Goodnight?” he asked.

  I stopped and turned to him. “Yes! I’ll go back there and use the phone and call a ride.”

  He cocked his head, a silly smirk on his lips. “Charity, don’t be stubborn. I have a vehicle. Let me take you home.”

  I looked over at his Aston Martin, the same Aston Martin that I fell in love with on that night, and I felt differently. “I don’t know. Probably not the wisest idea.”

  He chuckled beside me, jarring my attention back to him. “You think the wisest idea is allowing you to walk back to the restaurant, alone?” I shrugged, but he was already continuing. “This is for the best. I’ll get you home safe and sound.”

  I thought about that, still feeling that nothing good could come of Nolan taking me home, but also realizing that if I got back to the restaurant and still couldn’t get a hold of Thomas, then it was likely that I would be stuck scrambling around to find a friend that was free at midnight and who knew when the restaurant closed. So, to my dismay, I ended up accepting the ride that Nolan offered. We were on the road to my house before I could reconsider again. I directed him but was surprised when he mumbled his knowledge of where I lived. “How would you know that?” I asked.

  He shrugged beside me. “I might have passed it a couple of times. No big deal.” But it was a big deal. I knew that him finding my license would mean that he knew my address, but I wondered if he had bothered to look up my address, why he hadn’t bothered to check up on me. Was he scared? Stupid? Or, our encounter meant nothing to him? I didn’t want it to be the latter, solely because I wasn’t the type of girl to do a one-night stand. Or, I wasn’t that type until it happened. Clearly, Nolan made me want to do things that I never considered before.

  He pulled down my street and I pointed to the house, but he was already turning into the driveway. He wasn’t kidding when he admitted that. I put my arm down and unbuckled my seatbelt as he pulled to a stop in my driveway. His eyes rested on Thomas’ truck, but he didn’t say anything. He just turned to me.

  “I don’t want this to be the end,” he said.

  I was startled by that confession. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  He fidgeted in his seat before he explained. “It’s been a year since we saw each other and that happened in my Penthouse.” Yeah, he doesn’t have to remind me. “I believe in fate. Do you?” I hadn’t really thought about it much, but I believed in things always happening for a reason. I just shrugged, as if to provide that as my answer. “Meet me tomorrow for coffee,” he stated. It wasn’t a question, a mere statement.

  I looked up at the front door, fearful that Thomas would be looking outside. When I noticed the house seemed dark, I looked back at him. “Even if I wanted to, I have no ride. I’m basically stranded. Besides, that would be a horrible mistake.”

  He snickered. “Perhaps a horribly good mistake? But nonetheless…I can pick you up. Or, have a driver pick you up.” He was working it well, but I continued to shake him off.

  “I really can’t,” I said. He looked disappointed and then he reached over and opened his glove compartment box. He brushed up against my knee in the process and our eyes locked. I had to bite back the groan that wanted to break out. I looked away from him, fearing he would see my uneasiness.

  He closed the glove compartment and I sat up straight. “Here,” he said.

  I looked down at the card he presented me. It had his corporation name on top, Westchester Hills Finance Incorporated, followed by his name and phone number. “You hand these out to all your women friends?” I asked, glancing at him.

  He laughed. “That’s not typically how I roll. I just want you to text or call me, should you change your mind.” He paused as I looked down at the card. “I really would like to get together with you and just talk. Consider it.”

  I wanted to right then say that I would call him, but I couldn’t do that, especially when thoughts of Thomas were now flooding my brain. Perhaps it was because we were in the driveway that my boyfriend and I shared, in the front of the house that we both lived in, but there was no way that I could just up and agree to get together with Nolan. It was way too complicated for that.

  “Think about it,” he said.

  I sighed and slipped the card into my purse. “I’ll think about it.” I looked up at him. “Goodbye, Nolan.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want it to be goodbye. Consider it, see you later.”

  I snickered and got out of his car. I didn’t look back as I headed up to the front door and opened it up. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. I then looked around to see that I was right. All the lights were off and Thomas wasn’t even downstairs. I went up the stairs, only to find that he was sound asleep in bed.

  I rolled my eyes and started to get around to go to bed. It was no wonder he had his phone off, but he couldn’t even bother to stay awake until I got home. Something was missing and I wasn’t sure it was worth getting back.

  CHAPTER 15

  Charity

  I

  t was six o’clock in the morning when I opened my eyes and looked across the room at the clock. I couldn’t sleep much and hadn’t throughout the night. I kept rolling and tossing, then waking up to look at Thomas, then rolling and tossing some more. I had so much on my mind that everything seemed out of place when my eyes were closed.

  So when I saw the clock reading six o’clock and since I knew I hadn’t slept much anyway, I decided to roll out of bed and take my shower. The shower was relaxing, lulling me into a false sense of security, but when I closed my eyes, it was Nolan’s face I saw. It caused me to snap my eyes back open and not envision him being there. That was the fastest shower I’d ever taken because I didn’t want to get caught up in what I fantasized happening in that shower.

  I got out of the tub and got dressed and pulled my hair back into a clip, then walked back into our bedroom. Thomas was still sound asleep. I sat down on the chair that was against the bedroom wall and watched him sleeping. There was a time when I could get lost in watching him sleeping for hours. One day, that time just disappeared. As much as it was strange to consider it was easy to know that a lot of my feelings changed the day Thomas and I got back together. So, for a year I’d been caught in this cyclone of wondering if our relationship mattered. Why didn’t I ever consider leaving? Stability. In my eyes, I believed that Thomas would be the answer to all my problems, should I need someone to fall back on. Yet, he wasn’t as stable as I chose to believe. He would choose cartoons over working any day and that wasn’t the life I wanted for myself. Yet, I did nothing about it.

  As I watched him sleep, my mind went to Nolan. He was stable, gorgeous, sexy, and could provide a woman the future she desired. It was no wonder why I had gone back in my head so many times to him. He was the epitome of perfection in any woman’s eyes. He knew how to treat a woman and that’s why it didn’t take much persuading for me to want to meet up with him again.

  I stood up from my chair and went to my purse, where I had slipped Nolan’s card into the side pocket. I pulled it out and glanced over to Thomas. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and left the bedroom. I stood with the phone in hand going back and forth if I should call him or text him. Seeing that it was just past six, I went with texting him.

  Charity: Pick me up for coffee at the corner of Brentmoor and Tucsan. I’ll meet you at ten.

  I slipped my phone back into my pocket, along with his card. However, the message came in just a minute later, causing me to retrieve my phone back out of my pocket.

  Nolan: I’ll be there at five til.

  I smiled at his message and put the phone back in my pocket. I was suddenly giddy over seeing him again. I went back into the bedroom and Thomas was moving around. He opened his eyes and looked up at me. “Hey, Babe!”

  I smiled down at him. “Hey!”

  Thomas then seemed to g
et a little more conscious. “You got home late last night!” he said.

  He opened one eye and looked at me. “Yeah. I called you last night.”

  He nodded. “Oh…right. It was all gibberish. Figured you were just saying you’d be in late.” He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes to look more lively. “You must have had fun.”

  I nodded. “I did until my car broke down.”

  He shot up on his elbows. “Babe, you should have called me,” he said.

  I looked away, feeling all sorts of anger boiling up inside. “Yeah. I did,” I said. “Twice, actually. When it was gibberish I walked to a restaurant and called you, but you didn’t answer.”

  He frowned. “Oh. I’m sorry. I must have turned my phone off.”

  “Yeah. You did,” I said. I shook my head. “It’s fine. I got a ride home from a friend.”

  “I’m glad Michelle and Sophie didn’t leave you hanging.” He smiled and I didn’t bother telling him that that wasn’t the friend I was referring to. “I’m glad you’re safe. What happened to the car?”

  I shrugged. “Not sure!” I mumbled. “I’ll call them tomorrow.”

  He got out of bed and walked over to me. He planted a soft kiss on my lips and I barely reciprocated. “I’m going to get cleaned up.” He started towards the bathroom, then shouted behind himself. “What plans do you have today?” he asked. I heard the shower start and he peeked his head out of the room.

  “I’m meeting a friend for coffee. They’re picking me up.”

  “Sounds like fun,” he said.

  I nodded as he went into the bathroom to take his shower, everything he did had me feeling annoyed. I needed to do something about that, but I needed to see Nolan first. Then I would have a clear head and know exactly what I wanted to do.