Sugar sugar baby

[35] A second chance

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, and I was deep in my work, sitting at the kitchen table in my parents' house. I'd been crashing with them ever since coming back from Milan, trying to save money while I worked on my new business. Things had been going pretty well. I was focused, grinding, and—most importantly—I'd been moving on.

That is, until my mom poked her head into the kitchen, a confused look on her face.

"Tristan," she said, her voice laced with surprise. "There's a car parked in front of the yard. A really... fancy one. I think you should take a look."

I frowned, pushing my laptop aside. "A fancy car? What are you talking about?"

My mom shrugged, giving me that mom-look that said I don't know, but you'd better check it out. "Just go see. It's not something you see every day."

Curious, I stood up and walked to the front door. As I stepped outside, I froze in my tracks. I couldn't believe my eyes. Parked in front of the house, gleaming under the afternoon sun, was Vanessa's red Ferrari. The same car she'd had in Milan.

"What the fuck..." I muttered, my heart pounding in my chest.

For a moment, I thought I was seeing things. Maybe I'd been working too hard. Maybe I was hallucinating. But then the driver's door opened, and Vanessa stepped out, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders like it always did. She was dressed in a sleek black outfit, perfectly tailored, and her eyes locked onto mine with an intensity I hadn't seen in a long time.

I blinked, completely stunned. This wasn't real. It couldn't be.

"Vanessa?" I said, my voice shaky, disbelief hanging in the air.

She closed the car door and walked toward me, her heels clicking softly on the pavement. There was something different about her—something softer, more uncertain. I could see it in her eyes, the way she looked at me with a mix of hesitation and determination.

When she reached me, she stopped just a few feet away, her expression serious. "Tristan," she began, her voice low but steady, "I've been thinking. A lot."

I swallowed, my mind racing. "What are you doing here? I mean... how did you even find me?"

She sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It wasn't hard. I knew you'd come back to LA. And I needed to see you."

I shook my head, still trying to process what was happening. "Why? After everything that happened... why now?"

Vanessa looked down for a moment, her hands clenched at her sides. Then she looked back up at me, her eyes filled with something that looked like regret. "Maybe I was too hasty with my decision last time. I... I didn't give you the chance to explain. I was hurt, and I reacted without thinking it through."

I stared at her, stunned. This was not the Vanessa I knew—the Vanessa who always had everything under control, who never second-guessed herself. This was a different side of her, a vulnerable side, and it threw me off completely.

"I blocked you," she continued, her voice softening. "I didn't want to hear your side because I was convinced I knew the truth. But the more time passed, the more I realized that maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should have listened."

I felt a lump forming in my throat, but I didn't say anything. I just stood there, trying to keep my emotions in check.

Vanessa took a step closer, her eyes searching mine. "I'm sorry, Tristan. I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. I know now that I was too quick to judge. And... I want to give us another chance. If you're willing."

The air between us felt heavy with the weight of her words. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. For weeks, I'd been killing myself trying to move on, trying to accept that Vanessa was gone from my life for good. And now, here she was, standing in front of me, asking for another chance.