The Not So Perfect Love Story

40|| Forgiveness and Alternate Universe

A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger that it once was.

- Stephen Richards

40|| Forgiveness and Alternate Universe

The month of October was upon us sooner than we could blink. Or so it seemed as we went about the planning for the wedding while also promoting the dip among other jobs that come with being a CEO.

It was a Saturday exactly two weeks before the wedding when James called me early in the morning and asked me to get breakfast with him. I thought a lot about it before accepting, since I wasn't sure I was free that morning.

Things between us were still in the process of falling into place. The fact that he was so hell bent on taking me back, instead of trying to earn my trust back worsened whatever bit of good feelings I'd had for him.

It's difficult to move on over things even after you forgive the perpetrator. Trusting them to not do something like that again takes a gargantuan amount of effort.

I shook Bash awake and told him I was going out for breakfast and that he should meet me in the café later on so we could go to the caterer. He smiled lazily and nodded before he dozed off. Then he suddenly sat up and asked me if I was confident in meeting James alone and I nodded smiling.

"I know you've forgiven him and we've grown a lot closer in the past months as we planned the wedding. But Ari, what he did on the eve of Mark's wedding is not acceptable." He said.

"I know love. And I promise I'll be careful, but I want to do this. He sounded different, like, I can't explain it but he sounded different in a way and I want to talk to him and find out what's up." I replied and he nodded.

I showered and dressed in jeans and a thin knit sweater on top of a tank top. I made my way out walked my way to the café where James had wanted to meet me. It wasn't super close, but it wasn't all that far either.

"Hey Char!" James called out when I stepped into the place and I made my way over to him.

"Hi James." I smiled.

A waiter came and took our orders before he left and then came back with our drinks, soon. I looked at James as I waited for him to start speaking since he'd been the one to call me.

"So, I wanted to ask if things will always be this weird between us." He whispered.

"Maybe not, eventually." I answered.

"You were a great friend to me, Char. More than anything else, I am happy that I got to spend my childhood with you. Bash sure is a lucky man to have you marrying him." He started and I got a little wary. The waiter brought our food and James stopped speaking.

"I wanted to apologize one final time, with all my heart before I forgave myself for all that I put you through. Because even though I apologized during your engagement party, I felt this need to do it again, separately." He said and I nodded.

"I'm really very sorry that things turned this way between us because of my actions. I fully accept my mistakes and wish to work on them and grow better before I even think of falling in love with someone again. And I am so grateful to have had you and Bash as my friends through thick and thin." He said and I smiled.

"You are forgiven James. For everything, including Mia's rehearsal dinner. And honestly? Bash and I are grateful to have you as a friend too, because no matter what happened between us as lovers, you were and are a great friend. We love you too James." I said and he smiled.

We then finished up our food and drinks before paying the check and leaving a tip.

"I wish we could become closer friends again." He said as we gathered our stuff before getting up.

"We can be friends James. We are friends, just not as close. It will take time but we'll get there eventually. After all we have the rest of our lives to work on it." I replied.

I nearly got off the booth when his question stopped me.

"Do you think we'd have lasted in some alternate universe?" He asked but I kept quiet. "I'd like to think a version of me in some alternate universe did things the right way and we ended up together."

"I don't know James. Maybe we did, maybe we didn't." The bell chimed and I looked up to see Bash entering and a slow smile spread on my lips. "All I really do know is that, in this universe we weren't meant to be James. I was meant to be Bash's, it just took time to bring me to him. And there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

James gave me a bittersweet smile and I shot one at him right back.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry if you're not done yet, but we're sort of getting late for the appointment with the caterer." Bash said, sliding into the booth next to James.

"You came at the right time, we were just finishing up." James answered and his words almost seemed to have a hidden meaning.

Bash smiled at him and helped me out of the booth. He'd placed an order for our coffees to go and we picked it up as we left. He reached and intertwined his fingers with mine and I smiled at him.

"So everything okay?" he asked when we sat in our car; the caterer's was a bit of a drive from our part of the city.

"Everything's more than okay. It's great." I smiled and he smiled back.

"Will I ever know what you both talked about?" He asked, his voice open like he was asking about the weather.

"Maybe someday." I replied.

Everyone keeps saying Bash was a lucky guy to be marrying me, but I couldn't help but think it was the other way around.

I was the lucky one of the two of us.