Second Chance

DISCLAIMER

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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I hugged myself as I felt the icy breeze brush by me. It's freezing outside and my scarf is the last thing I should forget during the winter.

When I felt like I was about to sneeze, I hurriedly grabbed a tissue from my bag. During my hurried action, my wallet and the lucky charm that was given to me by my ex-boyfriend fell. I quickly bent down to pick everything up.

"You never changed. Still always forgetting things you need and still clumsy as ever."

I froze as I heard someone speak behind me. Even without looking at him, I immediately recognized his voice. The voice that I can never forget and wanted to hear for years. Hearing it still gives me butterflies in my stomach. But it was also the voice that I didn't want to hear of the pain it caused me.

I took a deep breath and gathered my courage to turn around and face him. As our eyes met, he gave me the sweetest smile he can give.

Meeting him right now made me feel like I was back in the past. It was the same smile that made me fall for him repeatedly, but his younger self was nowhere to be seen now. He is now more mature and good-looking than before.

I tried my best to keep my composure and rolled my eyes at him. How can he nonchalantly smile at me right now? It was as if our breakup never happened.

"I can't say the same to you." His facial expression never changed, but sadness was visible in his eyes.

"Bub, can we please talk?" he asked pleadingly. I shivered when I heard our endearment in the past come out of his mouth. Why is he still calling me that? We have already broken up.

"Okay," I answered him with a grimace shown in my face and went with him to a nearby cafe. We had to wait for almost five minutes for a seat. The place was so crowded since its winter and Christmas seasons. After finding a seat and finally sitting down, I then corrected him for what he called me earlier. "By the way, Ryan. It's Faye for you, not Bub."

He ignored what I said and called the server to order some snacks and drinks for us. "We'll have two chocolate cakes, one affogato, and one espresso."

It looks like he didn't forget my favorite drink and cake.

"What do you want to talk about?" He looked down and asked me back. "How are you? Have you been doing well?" I feel my eyes twitch at his question.

"I'm okay." My voice trembled as I lied to him. I wanted to add more words to say just to make him believe that I didn't care about him anymore, but I suddenly lost my voice.

"I see." The sadness in his voice is audible to me.

"How about you?" I tried asking him back. He should be fine, right? He was the one who left me.

"I missed you so much, Bub. I have always been thinking of you. Missing you became a habit of mine while I was in the US." I looked at him with disgust shown in my face.

Is he joking with me?

He kept his head low and never tried to look up at me or try to peek at my reaction. I guess he knows that what he said makes little sense to me.

"Don't fuck with me, Ryan," I said with gritted teeth. Anger was evident in my voice. I tried to calm myself, but remembering his words made me even angrier.