Played Affair

Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

                           Three Weeks Later

       Faith wiped down the table scrubbing a stain on the table hard only seeming to concentrate on that. She finally stopped and sighed. She wasn’t worried about this damn table.

       Three days.

       How could she focus on anything else entirely knowing the love of her life was marrying someone else in three days? Faith was now asking herself why she agreed to attend the wedding. She would have to deal with the possible media there. And the family. And Melissa. And Alex.

       Her and Alex had been speaking on the phone daily for the past three weeks and all he did was complain about Melissa whenever they spoke about the marriage.

       Why was he marrying her? Didn’t he see that Melissa wasn’t the right one for him? Then again, she had no room to judge. She cheated.

       Melissa didn’t.

       She had twins.

       Melissa didn’t.

       Melissa and Faith were two different personalities and people. But that didn’t change Faith’s thoughts. She loves Alex. So much that she’ll suffer through the wedding with a fake smile.

       “Faith?”

       “Huh?” Faith turned around and saw Alex standing up behind her. “Alex, what the hell did I tell you about surprises?” Faith didn’t really care that he was here, it was just the fact she looked rough as hell.

       “You off the clock yet?”

       “Yeah um…Yeah. Why?”

       “Can I take you out to the park tonight?”

       __________________________

       Alex and Faith stood side by side walking past the Centennial Olympic Park’s Fountain of Rings looking everywhere but each other’s eyes.

       “So you’re having second thoughts?”

       “It’s not like I don’t want to marry Melissa…”

       “But?”

       “I’m losing interest in her more each day. I just don’t know what to do.”

       Faith sighed and stopped and sat on the bricks, Alex sitting next to her. “Why do you think you’re losing interest?”

       “Love,” Alex simply replied looking down at the Fountain of Rings.

       “Love? I thought you loved her?”

       “Faith, there is a difference between love and being in love. Love is when you really care for the person more than really close friends. Being in love is having those compulsive thoughts about that person and you feel that you can literally get ill not being around them. I don’t have that feeling for her. I love her…but I’m not in love with her.”

       “I see,” Faith looked down at the Fountain of Rings shooting up the water gracefully with lights surrounding it. She finally stood up and grabbed Alex and walked down the park stairs.

       “What’s wrong?”

       “Don’t think negatively, Alex. You get stressed when you do.” Faith pulled him in the direct center of the fountain waiting on the water to shoot up.

       “Faith…”

       “Trust ME!” The water shot up quickly immediately soaking them both. They started laughing and pushing each other into the individual shooters. “ALEX!”

       “I did nothing!” Alex laughed while running away from Faith as she tried to get him back for splashing her. She finally caught him and grabbed him from the front.

       “You play too much!” She laughed as she held onto Alex’s shirt and his arms on hers.

       “Do I?”

       “Yes!”

       Their laugher settled down as they looked at each other closely for the first time in years. The water splashed up around them but neither seemed to be phased by it as they started communicating with their eyes. Faith kissed Alex on impulse but quickly stopped walking away back to the steps.

       Alex ran after her and looked at her.“Faith-”

       “No, Alex. It was my fault, I’m sor-“

       Alex grabbed Faith’s face and kissed her like he never would see her again. The sounds of downtown Atlanta faded away as their passion filled kiss carried on.

       “Alex…I’m sorry for everything I ever did.”

       He looked down at Faith’s soaking wet face with a small smirk. “It’s okay. I already forgave you.” Alex leaned in for another kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Faith, remember when I told you how I felt about Melissa?”

       “Yeah?”

       “The reason I’m losing interest in Melissa and can’t force myself to be in love with her is because of you.” Faith looked up at Alex astonished. “Faith, I’m in love with you. I have always been but couldn’t bring myself to say so.”

       “Alex, I don’t know what to say…”

       “Say it back. I know you heard what I told Nathanial. You don’t have to be afraid of anything.”

       “But…Melissa…”

       “Isn’t you. Just say it. That’s all I’ve wanted to hear in the past few weeks from you.”

       Faith looked down holding back tears. She knew it was true. She loved Alex. She was in love with him.

       “I’m in love with you Alex. I love you so much I sometimes have to fantasize it’s me you’re getting married to,” she said in tears.

       “Being in love is having those compulsive thoughts about that person and you feel that you can literally get ill not being around them. I don’t have that feeling for Melissa. I have it for you, Faith Jackson.”

       “What do we do now?”

       “I…I don’t know.”

       “I should be getting home to the kids and you to Melissa.”

       Alex looked at Faith and sighed. “Yeah.”

       He wanted to be with Faith and he knew she wanted to be with him but it wasn’t possible. He had near 48 hours to decide on what to do.

       And he had to do it in the secrecy of his own mind.