“Sandra… you know her? How do you know her, Charles?” Sarah asked, tears already falling down her cheeks.
“Yeah, Charles. How do we know each other?” Sandra asked, stepping from the elevator close to Sarah.
“Did you sleep with her?” Sarah asked in disbelief.
“God, no. Sarah, I met Sandra a few days ago. Before I met you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you knew her? Or you were dating her?” Sarah asked, as she side-eyed Sandra, who stood quietly, allowing Charles to explain.
“We weren’t dating. I hung out with her for one day. Then, I met you.”
“So, I was just nothing to you? Our day together meant nothing?” Sandra blurted.
“Sandra, I told you I wasn’t interested in you. Why are you pretending that it was more?” Charles yelled, desperate to get through to Sarah before he lost her.
“Enough,” Sarah said firmly. “Charles, you’re a liar and a cheat. We’re done.”
Sarah turned and walked away from the echoes of Charles’ cries for her to wait and let him explain. There was no need to wait. She needed to get away as soon as possible. Away from the man she’d given her body to, even though he belonged to someone else. Away from the man who’d been lying to her each time they were together. She didn’t even know what to think about Sandra. All this time, she’d been mistreating her friends for a man who apparently had no interest in her. Sarah felt like she was in the twilight zone.
Walking in a daze, she somehow found another set of elevators and took them to her room floor. MaryAnn answered the door quickly as if she’d been waiting on her.
“Girl, I thought you were my room service. I ordered a little midnight… What’s wrong?” MaryAnn asked, noticing Sarah’s tear-stained face.
“He’s married, MaryAnn. I slept with him and he’s married.”
MaryAnn held her friend as the sobs shook her body. So much for the fun girl’s trip.
9 - If It’s Too Good To Be True
It was the last night of the trip. The ship quickly displaced water as it headed to its destination. Sarah packed slowly, the heaviness of depression solid on her shoulders. So much had happened in a matter of days. Charles had come to her room, pleading for her to listen. There was nothing to listen to. If his marriage was going to dissolve, that guilt wouldn’t be hers to own. Although she felt raw inside with missing him, she wouldn’t, couldn’t, give in. She grabbed the red slip dress she’d worn that night, suppressing the memory of his hands on her, his mouth between her legs, her moans of ecstasy. She should have known it was too good to be true.
As for Sandra, that friendship was, without a doubt, over and done. The other night as she cried her eyes out in MaryAnn’s arms, Sandra showed up, less than compassionate.
“So you crying over this man?”
Sarah could hear the hatred in her voice, and it confused her that her friend could be so callous when she was clearly in pain.
“You wouldn’t understand, Sandra,” Sarah said, as tears streamed, without staunching, down her face.
“I understand you just met him a few days ago, and you’re in here boo-hoo’ing like you’ve known him for years. A man that I met first, I might add.”
“Why didn’t you say something, Sandra? Why didn’t you tell us you’d met someone?”
“It was my business,” Sandra said, crossing her arms defensively across her chest.
“You know I never would have talked to him if I’d known you were interested in him.”
“Maybe. I guess that doesn’t matter now since you slept with him.”
Sandra laughed, a gut-busting deep in her belly laugh. Except it never reached her eyes. Her eyes told another story, and Sarah understood. Anger stopped Sarah’s tears. She wasn’t mad that Sandra was laughing at her pain. No. It pissed her off that Sandra was glad she was in pain.
“How long did you know about us?”
The tension in Sarah’s voice ceased Sandra’s hysterical laughter. Sandra cleared her voice, feigning disinterest.
“I saw the two of you at dinner one night when I went to find him.”
“Did you know he was married?” Sarah stood as she questioned her soon-to-be ex-friend.
“I thought he was single, just like you did. But, I knew he was hiding something. I just didn’t know what.”
“And you kept it to yourself, even though you knew I was seeing him? Even though you knew how much it would hurt me if he was playing me?”
MaryAnn stepped forward between her two best friends. She’d tried to stay out of the conversation. But, she couldn’t deny the truth behind Sarah’s spewed accusation.
“Did you want Sarah to get hurt, Sandra? I mean, even if you had an idea Charles was hiding something, you could have said something.”
“Maybe perfect Sarah deserves to be hurt sometimes. To not have something work out perfectly for her,” Sandra said as she shrugged, uncaring and unaffected.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Sarah could hardly believe her ears. “You think my life is perfect? I work day in and day in to have just enough money to pay bills. I live in a condo I can barely afford. My husband of twenty fucking years cheated on me with a man!”
“Everybody knew he was gay, Sarah. If you’d looked past the fairy tale life you created you would have seen it, too.”
“You knew?” Sarah asked incredulously, completely comprehending the depth of Sandra’s betrayal.
“Of course, I knew. But like the good friend I’ve been to you, I kept my mouth shut so you could live in your pink bubble of happiness.”
“What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?” Sarah questioned, tears threatening once again to fall. But she wouldn’t give Sandra the satisfaction of knowing how much her deception was killing her inside.
“Oh, god. You’re so dramatic, Sarah. I don’t hate you. I’m just tired of seeing you sweep through life, the world bending over backward to give you what you want while the rest of us get nothing for the efforts we put in. He was mine…”
“What?”
“CHARLES WAS MINE!” Sandra screamed, a crazed look in her eyes. “I met him first and could have had him if you hadn’t come along. Mason was mine, too.”
“Oh, god. Are you delusional, Sandra? I met Mason at a frat party.”
“A frat party that I met you at. Don’t you remember? I was on break, and I was coming to hang with you for the weekend. You gave me the address of the party and I got there before you. I’d been chatting him up all night, and then you walked through the door. He forgot about me. Just like Charles. I saw him, later on, chatting up a guy when he wasn’t with you. I guess I should thank you. At least it wasn’t me who found him in bed with a man.”
Sarah thought back to that night, unable to recall much from that long ago. Sandra had gotten to the party before her. She looked for Sandra amongst the crowd but met Mason instead. Still, she wasn’t to blame.
“How was I supposed to know, Sandra? You said nothing. Yet, you always blame me. Like, you’ve got this victim mentality down to a science.”
“Fuck you, Sarah. I’m tired of living in your shadow. You won’t get the chance to take another man from me.”
“I’m sorry that you’re so pathetic that you couldn’t get another man’s attention on this whole fucking ship.”
Sarah knew the comeback was petty and snippy, but Sandra blaming her for every uninterested man in her life was a joke. Sandra stepped towards Sarah as if she wanted to knock her lights out. Sarah stood her ground, ready to give as much as she received. Sandra thought better of it and halted her movements.
“I don’t know why I stayed around the two of you so long,” Sandra said as she headed for the door. “I’m better than this.”
“You don’t have to worry about it any longer. You’re dead to me,” Sarah said with a finality that not even MaryAnn could argue or change.
* * *
Sarah heard the soft knock on the door and knew it was MaryAn
n come to check on her for the hundredth time.
“Hey, girl.”
Sarah turned back to the luggage that lay open on the bed.
“How are you feeling?” MaryAnn asked as she sat in one of the accent chairs and casually crossed her legs.
“I feel like my life is a series of unfortunate events.” Sarah laughed sadly at the truth of her words.
“It’ll get better,” MaryAnn said before quickly asking, “Have you talked to Charles?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. He’s married. Conversation over.”
“I think you should let him explain.”
Sarah’s eyes widened at MaryAnn’s suggestion. MaryAnn knew better than anyone how much Mason’s betrayal had left her reeling. She would never be the other woman. MaryAnn put her hands up as if to ward off Sarah’s killer stare.
“Listen. You were the happiest I’ve seen you in a while. I just think you owe yourself the explanation if for nothing but closure.”
“I don’t know, MaryAnn.”
“He’s in the hallway.”
“What?!?” Sarah looked at the door as if she could see him through the polished wood paneling.
“He was out there when you let me in. We chatted for a minute. Just let him come in and say his peace. If you still feel how you feel when he’s done, then no harm, no foul.”
“Except I may end up feeling worse than I do right now,” Sarah said, rationalizing the fear she suddenly felt.
Despite her hurt feelings, she missed him. Missed his smile, his smell, his hands on her body, his lips on her lips. It would be so easy to open that door and spend one more night in his arms before she walked away. She couldn’t let that happen.
“I’ll listen to what he has to say. But you have to stay with me. Okay?”
MaryAnn nodded her head as she pushed the door open, signaling for Charles to enter. As he walked past her, she said in a hushed tone, “Don’t mess this up.”
Charles nodded and gave a slight smile that betrayed his nerves.
10 - Meant To Be
Even with blood-shot eyes, swollen cheeks, and dressed in leggings and a t-shirt, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Charles wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, giving himself time to think of the right words. This was his only chance to win Sarah back, and he had to. His future depended on it.
“Hey, Sarah.”
“Say what you need to say, Charles. I need to finish packing.”
So cold, yet so warm. She didn’t realize that she’d moved closer to him, although she was trying to turn a cold shoulder. He stepped closer, aching to touch her.
“I used to be married to a beautiful woman named Alison. We took these cruises every year. She loved Greece and the Greek islands.”
Charles smiled at the memory of his wife dancing in the ocean water or laying next to the pool. Cruising was her second home. Sarah stood stoic, giving nothing away. So he pushed on.
“She was in a car accident. She had a hard time sleeping, insomnia; and had gone almost a week on less than a couple of hours of sleep. When the fatigue hit her, it hit hard, and she fell asleep at the wheel on her way home from work. She died instantly on impact.”
Sarah gasped for air, the weight of his story knocking the wind from her. He continued, not allowing her to speak for fear that he wouldn’t get it all out.
“That was two years ago. I kept coming on these cruises because they reminded me of her. This was to be my last one. I put my ring on that necklace because I was going to bury it in Athens when the cruise was over. I should have told you from day one.”
Sarah sat down on the bed, the weight of his singlehood hanging in the room between them. What did it mean? They could be together. But how? Instead of focusing on those questions, she said,
“I’m so sorry to hear about your wife.”
“It’s okay. You don’t know what you don’t know.”
“But, why didn’t you tell me about Sandra?”
“Honestly, I didn’t want to lose you. I had no interest in Sandra beyond friendship, and I told her that from the very first time she tried to make a move on me. Then, I met you and you said you were on a trip with your friends, and I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. But, I had to get to know you. I didn’t want to lose that chance because of your loyalty to your friend.”
“We are no longer friends. Sadly, I don’t think we ever were.”
Charles took a seat next to Sarah on the bed. Sarah looked up when she heard her room door click shut, and realized MaryAnn had left them alone. Suddenly, her heartbeat sped up, pounding loudly in her head.
“I hope that wasn’t because of me.”
“No. Sandra had some twisted ideas about me and my life. You potentially being married made her happy because she knew it would hurt me.”
“Damn. With friends like that, who needs enemies?” Charles said, ruefully chuckling.
Despite the sting of the words, Sarah giggled with him and said, “Right.”
After their shared laugh, they sat in silence, awkwardly thinking about their next move. After a few seconds, Charles sat back on the bed, leaning against the headboard. He extended his hand, an implicit offer to join him. Sarah accepted and slid between his legs, resting her head against his chest. Absorbing the calm, Sarah closed her eyes and breathed him in, reminding herself why she’d fallen so easily for him. Then, before she could change her mind, she blurted,
“I have a confession to make. This trip was more about cheering me up than just a girl’s trip. I used to be married… for twenty years.”
“Wow. What happened?”
“He cheated on me… with a man.”
“Oh, damn.” If not for the seriousness of the conversation, the shock on Charles’ face would have made her laugh.
“That’s why I got so angry when I thought you were cheating on your wife.”
“Right, because your husband cheated you on. So, of course, you have very little forgiveness for a cheater.”
“I still should have given you a chance to explain. After all the time we’d spent together, I should have listened. I’m sorry.”
“No apology is necessary. I’m sorry that your ex-husband was an asshole that hurt you.”
“Thank you.”
Once again, silence fell between them, unspoken questions hanging between them. Where did they go from there? The ship would dock in a matter of hours. Would they go their separate ways? Try to maintain a long-distance relationship? Were a few days together worth the effort? Sarah thought so, but she was unsure how Charles felt.
“So what now? You’re single and you didn’t sleep with my ex-best friend. But, you live in Virginia and I live in New York. How is this ever going to work?” Sarah asked tentatively.
“You let me worry about that,” Charles said before gently kissing Sarah.
Soon, the pressure of the gentle kiss increased, the passion between them igniting a flame that neither wanted to control.
Charles slowly pulled back and says, “My work is freelance. I can work from anywhere. I told you Virginia was getting kind of old.”
“Have you ever thought about working in New York?” Sarah asked shyly, not wanting to appear too eager, but desperately wanting to hold on to their newfound relationship.
“I’m definitely thinking about it now.”
Charles smiled before continuing their kiss, a kiss filled with so much hope for their future. Neither one of them knew what to expect once the romanticism of the cruise ship was no longer lulling them. They only knew that life had given them another chance. Another chance at connection. Another chance at love. Another chance… period.
THE END
Other novellas in the series…
About the Author
JC Anderson is a mother to one 3-year old boy and a step mom to an 12-year old little girl. She and her husband have been together for almost 8 years, married for 5. She has a BS in Chemical Engineering and a MA in Accounting. Though her educatio
nal exploits have launched her career further than she’d hoped, it was writing that fed her soul and allowed her creativity to flow.
Writing has always been near and dear to JC’s heart as she has been writing romance and erotica since she was in high school, approximately 25 years ago. She would write her stories in a basic college-ruled notebook, each story no more than 2-3 pages each. She would circulate the notebook around class and eventually around campus, soaking up her classmates’ reactions each time she shared her stories. It was for fun then, but it’s serious now.
She sought an outlet for the stories that cloud her mind and rob her of sleep, some nights and is grateful to Amazon kindle for providing a way. She never professed to be the greatest writer, but she believes she can tell a story. A story that will make you blush and wish you were a character on the page. Thank you for getting to know her.
You can connect with me on:
https://jcawrites.weebly.com/#%2F
https://twitter.com/JCAWrites
https://facebook.com/jcawrites
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Also by JC Anderson
Don’t forget to check out these other works that can be purchased on Amazon.
Infinite Possibilities
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H57GT69
Agatha, a shy, conservative librarian, has allowed her inexperience to stop her from pursuing her sexy boss, Sean. She’s been content being her best friend, Melissa’s, shadow. One night at Club Infinite, Agatha is a changed woman and ready to do whatever it takes to get and keep her man. How will Melissa deal with the changes she sees in Agatha? What happens when loves gets in the way of friendship and self-discovery? You won’t believe what happens….
Another Chance (Seven Days to Fall in Love #3) Page 6