22

“I am going to be a bit late tonight,” Krystal said to Andrew on her way out to work.

“Going somewhere?” He asked

“Visiting my parents. My mum wants me to come see her and she might not let me go early,” she said.

“I might not be home early too,” Andrew said.

“I and Brittney are going out later this evening,” he said.

“Okay,” Krystal said after a moment of silence.

“Bye, see you when you get back then,” Krystal said and walked out of the door.

Andrew was hoping for a different response. He didn’t know what it was exactly but something that might have made him reconsider going anywhere with brittney. Just a word from her, anything and he would have made the phone call that he wouldn’t be able to make it.

Andrew hated feeling this way. He felt out of control for the first time and that was why he was scared. He had never been out of control when it came to anything.

He always knew what to say, do or how to act but with Krystal, he found himself not in control and did not understand what was going on with him.

He changed into his work clothes and left the house some minutes after Krystal had left.

Krystal was in her office, about to leave when she heard a knock on it. She knew it was most likely Collins.

“Come in.”

Collins walked in. Krystal was standing about to leave for home.

“You’re leaving early today, anything?” He asked.

“No, just leaving to visit my mum.”

“Tell mum I said hello and that I would see her soon,” he said with a smile. That same smile she had fell in love with over the years. The same one he had used to get away with a lot of things he had done to her.

She loved it when it smiled, he had dimples that were always made evident by the smile and she liked to see it.

“I should get going now,” she said.

She was about to leave when he stood in front of her preventing her from leaving.

“Wait,” he said.

“What is it? Is there any issue?” She asked.

He brought out a small casing from his pockets. Krystal wondered if it was a ring and why he would even want to give her one.

He opened it and it was the prettiest diamond chain she had ever seen.

“I got you this,” he said.

She stared at it. The sight of it was a lot beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“It’s yours.”

“I can’t take this,” she said.

“We are not enemies. It’s just a gift and I got it specially for you from the best jeweler in the city,” he said.

“It’s not even my birthday,” she said.

“I know but take it as an early birthday gift,” he said.

“My birthday is still months away,” she said.

“Just please take it,” he said.

“Alright.”

“Let me put it on you,” he said and she pulled her hair up as he placed it around her neck.

She looked down at the piece of jewelry not knowing why she accepted it. She remembered how he never gave her any presents while they were married. Not even on her birthdays.

“You forgot my birthday again,” Krystal had said as they ate dinner at the table.

They were 2 years into marriage and that was the second birthday she had been celebrating.

“It’s just birthday. There will always be another one to celebrate,” he had said.

She looked up from her food and at him. He felt no remorse and had just continued eating. He didn’t care if he hurt her or if she didn’t like what he was doing. He did it anyway.

“It’s not just birthday to me. It means a lot. You couldn’t even say a happy birthday,” she had said.

“Happy birthday. Are you happy now? Are you? I have said it!! Did it change anything in our lives!” He said.

“You just made me lose my appetite,” he said standing from where he had been sitting and leaving the dinning area.

“Collins!! Collins!! I am sorry,” she had said.

Tears rolled down her eyes as he walked away. She blamed herself for everything that happened, he gaslighted her at every opportunity and made her think she was the problem.

“I should leave. Thank you,” Krystal said walking out of the office into her car.

She drove to her parents house. Thinking of all that had happened with Collins.

She got to her parents house after a few minutes.

She got into the house and the first person she saw was her mum who pulled her into a tight hug.

She smiled as she hugged her.

“I have missed you terribly,” her mum had said.

“Mum, I have been fine and dad sees me at the office too,” she said.

They both sat on the couch.

“How are you doing?” Her mum asked.

“Mum, you keep asking me this and my answer remains the same. I am fine mum.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am, mum.”

“How is marriage and I hope he is treating you like the princess you are?”

Krystal laughed.

“He is treating me like a queen even, trust me. Andrew has been amazing to me.”

“Everything happened so fast and we are just adjusting now. I hope you made the right choice though. Collins is a fine man and I like him alot.”

“Mum, can we stop talking about Collins and focus on something else.”

Andrew left work and his driver drove to brittney’s house to pick her up. He got down from the car and knocked on the door.

On the second try, she opened the door.

“Hey handsome, been expecting you,” she said and smiled.

“Hello Brittney.”

He ushered her to the car, opened the door and she went in. He opened the door of the other side and sat in.

“You know we could just stay in at my place,” she said, rubbing his thighs teasingly.

He moved her hands away from his thighs.

“I think dinner is better,” he said.

“I prefer Netflix and chill,” she said.

She teased his face, touching it seductively.

“You know I can do a lot of things to you and you would do the same to me. We would have so much fun inside than we would out.”she added.

Before she could say anything else, they were at the restaurant. The driver opened their door and they went inside the restaurant.

They were showed their sits and the waiter came to ask for their orders.

“You know I still like you a lot. We could do a thing or two together and no one even has to know,” she said.

“It could be like old days, we could stay up all night watching our favorite series. Going on roller coasters and shouting till our lungs give up, taste all the ice cream flavored in an ice cream shop and live our lives like we are still teenagers in love.”

“That’s the thing Brittney, we are no longer teenagers.”

Brittney touched him on his hands, caressing it.

“We can be again. You used to enjoy doing all those things. Especially with me.”

“That was before, I am married now Brittney.”

“No one has to know. Just us, living our best lives like there is no tomorrow.”

Andrew removed her hands from his.

“I can’t do that to Krystal.”

“Is it because of what happened in high school? I am sorry,” she said.

“It’s not that.”

“The other day when I saw you on my birthday, I was surprised but glad to see you again since I haven’t in a while. The memories of the fun times we had flushed my memories and that caused the feelings I had that day. I eventually realized that it wasn’t you I missed, it was the memories. I was holding onto a time that had passed and i should just let go,” he explained.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. You promised you would never stop loving me no matter what happened,” she said.

“I didn’t actually think I was capable of not loving you anymore but Brittney, I am grown now and I want a different life and I can’t picture you in it.”

Brittney didn’t know what else to say. What other plans or strategy she could pull.

She wasn’t planning on giving up either. Not like that at least.

The rest of the dinner went by fast and it ended earlier than it would have.

Andrew had gotten home even earlier than Krystal.

Krystal got home several minutes after Andrew was home.

“Hey, didn’t know I was going to meet you at home. You’re back early,” Krystal said as she saw Andrew sitting on the couch when she entered.

“It ended earlier than expected,” he answered.

She sat on the couch next to him wanting to hear everything that happened.

“You asked me before if I still had feelings for Brittney?”

“Yes, I did.”

“The answer is No.”

“And a dinner out with her made you realize this?” Krystal asked.

“Yes actually,” he answered.

“Also, you asked me before about high school and the story behind our breakup?”

“Yes.”

“Let me tell you the version that’s true and no one is aware of.”