The Second Chance

Chapter 3

It took us a while to get there. Now and then she would ask "Is that it?" and point at something nearby. "No, not yet we're almost there," I would tell her. I could tell she was really excited and so was I. Maybe it wasn't much but I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. We finally got there and she turned and looked at me with a confused look on her face. "Where are we?" she asked. We came upon a forest with a clear path. It was dark but there was enough light from the led park lights. I turned towards her, reached for her hand, and squeezed it. "Do you trust me?" I asked her. She looked frightened at first but I think the question settled her nerves. "I do," she said. "Then let's go." I got the book bag from the seat and I got out of the car and opened the car door for her. I held her hand as we walked along the path. We got to a small steep hill and I let go of her hand and set my bookbag down. I pulled out both my bedsheets from the bag and set them both down. "Come sit with me," I said to her. She obeyed and sat down. "You're not going to seduce me are you?" I laughed and turned to look at her. "I wouldn't pick such a place for that would I?" She smiled at me and sat down next to me. "So what are we doing exactly?" she asked. I turned towards her, laid down on the ground, and stared into the sky. "Stargazing."

Soon, we were both staring deep into the stars. I did the classic hand-around-her trick to keep her close to me and she soon fell into my arms. It was a nice moment. A beautiful moment. It was just me, her, and nature around us and that's all I wanted. I felt something hard, something tough pump inside me. I loved her, and I wanted her to know that too. I put my hand on her chin and faced her to me. I found myself reaching for her hands. I held her hand in mine and stared deeply into her eyes. I held her close and moved closer towards her. I could tell she was surprised and a little nervous but she didn't step back, her eyes widened a little. It may not have been the amazing kiss you see on Netflix shows nowadays, but it was still special for me. For me, my soul was connected to her in a way. Like a missing piece in a puzzle, she completed me, and I completed her.

It may not have been my first kiss, but it was the most genuine kiss I've ever had, and I loved it. There is no feeling like any other, being with the person you love most. At that moment, she was the one I loved. "I love you, Bryan," she said to me. "I love you too." She got tired soon after so I asked her if she wanted to go home. She would deny any sign of tiredness but I could see it in her eyes that she was tired. I finally convinced her and I took my bag and walked towards the car. She laid her head on my shoulder and I held her hand in mine. It felt like walking through the red carpet, only ten times better. We got to the car and I opened the car door for her and she stepped inside. I turned on the heater, it wasn't necessarily cold but I wanted her to feel warm and comfortable. It took around half an hour to get to her house. She was about half asleep but she tried waking herself up by squinting her eyes hard or tapping her hand on the car window. We finally arrived home and I opened the car door for her and together we walked up to the doorstep. The only illuminating light came from the living room window so I figured everyone was asleep. I knocked about once or twice before Jade's father opened the door and let us in. "I'll give you two a moment to say goodbye," he said. He left towards the kitchen and now it was just me and Jade in the room. "I had a good time," she said. "I hope we can do this again soon." She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "Goodnight Bryan. Drive safe," she said softly. She made her way up to her room. Her father came to say goodbye as well. I showed myself out and made my way to the car. I looked up at the stars for a brief moment. "Thank you," I said to the sky.

I turned on the radio and got out of the driveway. It was going to be a long ride home. Traffic was short that night so I didn't deal with too much chaos. I finally made it home and parked myself in the driveway. I got my bag from the backseat and shut the door so I wouldn't wake up anybody. All the lights were off, not one single light was on. I opened the door quietly and made my way to my room. I climbed onto the bed and looked up, like if I was staring at the sky once again. I couldn't sleep that night. I couldn't stop thinking about her. It's like she made her way into my mind and had it under her spell. It took me a while to finally fall asleep and when I did, I woke up early. I didn't sleep much that night either but I had enough energy like I would have if I slept for a day. It was all because of her. I checked my phone to see what time it was. 6:42 a.m. I got up, put on my cleats, and ran. I ran to the mailbox in seconds this time. It felt like an adrenaline rush but I knew it wasn't that. I trained for more than 6 hours that day. It was around 1 o'clock when I heard my phone buzz. It was her. I quickly answered it and responded. "Hey, last night was amazing thank you. Sorry, I fell asleep but I'll make it up to you." I had a confused look on my face. Make it up to me? "I have to go but I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, love you," she said. "I almost forgot. Tomorrow we go back to the cathedral," I said to myself. We went every month now since it was far but I didn't complain anymore. Now I had more than enough reasons to be there.

Before I knew it, it was morning again. This time I was the first one ready. I had worn something more professional than I did last time. "Sweater and jeans, what was I thinking?" I said to myself. This time I wore something similar to a suit and I liked it. I hope she would too. The girls, as always, took forever to get ready. I had turned on the car and everything was ready, except for them. I was practically rushing them, not paying attention to the mockery they made of me. After a few minutes, everyone got into the car and we left for the Cathedral. It's only been a day since I last saw her but I missed her already. I guess that's what happened when you're in love right? I spent the car ride there texting her. She was almost there and we were on our way so we thought we'd arrive at around the same time. At least we hoped we would. It was about half an hour or so until we got there. I was the first one out of the car and everyone else spilled out. We made our way into the Cathedral and there she was.

But this time it was everybody. Her parents, her sisters, her little brother, the entire family were here. I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't nervous but I didn't want to come off as rude so I counted to three and made my way to them. Jade offered me to come to sit with them and I accepted. I told my parents about it and they nodded their heads in agreement. I went back to where they were at and stood in the main entrance, waiting for the doors to open. A few seconds later they opened and everyone spilled put from inside like last time, the only difference was that this time I was with Jade. She turned to look at me and reached for my hand. She squeezed it tightly as if she was trying to let everyone know that I was hers and hers only. Hand in hand, we walked into the church and made our way to where Jade sat the last time I saw her. Her family followed behind us quietly, observing us. Matthew did too, I was surprised. He liked to talk and ask questions but I figured their parents had enough of it last time I came. We sat down and waited for the priest to start. Shortly after, the same man came in with a cross and the priest followed shortly behind. I turned to look at Jade who had a small smile on her face. I turned back towards the priest and mass began.

He began to talk about love. Love and devotion to one person. In this case God. "Love is a strong feeling. A strong emotion that can be shown to anyone, your parents, your partner, and God. No matter who the person may be, you must treat them with respect and admiration as if they are the only people you have left," he said loudly. he turned to a page in the Bible and began to read. "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." I turned to look at Jade and she turned to look at me. I knew there was nothing to worry about.

Mass ended and we were all on our way out. Matthew ran quickly to the exit while his sisters and his parents tried to stop him. Stop him from embarrassing them or him running away I don't know. Jade and I were still in the back. She wanted to leave an offering in the basket upfront so I stood with her. "I loved what he said. About the love thing," she said. "It was nice," I responded. "Thank you, you know, for everything," she said. She leaned in and hugged me tightly. It was just us and the air around us now. "No, thank you. For letting me have a chance."

We walked out and everyone was already speaking to each other. My sisters and Jade's siblings hit it off pretty well and our parents seemed to have enjoyed themselves as well. We looked at each other and smiled. Jade reached into her pocket. "Is it another sticky note?" I asked jokingly. She shook her head. "I told you I'd make it up to you right?" She pulled out something small and shiny and handed it to me. I looked down at it and looked back up at her. "J-Jade, thank you," I said trying to hold back the flood of water that was about to unleash from my eyes. I hugged her tightly and held her in my arms. "I love you," we whispered to each other.