It's Sad to Belong

It's Sad to Belong || Tension for Dinner

Chapter Fourteen

James and Nadine return to the office after the incident outside the restaurant.

Neither of them spoke in the car on their drive back, both scared of where all this could lead.

Nadine's main fear is for their affair to end, but James's fears are far worse.

After months of fooling around, now is the only time that he really thought about the possible repercussions of his actions.

Now is the only time that he realizes what he could lose. He knows no matter what, he will have to make a choice and he will end up losing someone.

He is afraid to lose his wife, his marriage and most importantly, his child.

But he is also afraid to lose Nadine, whom he learned to love and care about genuinely.

They both enter his office and he quickly shuts the door behind them. He begins to pace back and forth in the room.

"I don't know what to do," he finally speaks. "If my wife finds out, she'll file an annulment and take Sibelle," he says nervously.

Nadine sits there, not sure on what to say.

She, too, is worried. "Maybe she won't tell her. Maybe she's just psyching you out."

"She will. I know Julia. She won't hesitate to tell Ericka," he says, smashing his hands on the desk.

"Fuck! What have I gotten myself into?" he mumbles, sounding more regretful than intended.

He immediately realizes what he just said and turns to Nadine. He sees her looking straight at him with so much pain in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't know what else to say," she says, voice cracking.

She gets up and prepares to leave, but James grabs her by the waist and buries his face on the back of her neck.

"Don't leave, please," he pleads. "I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I just don't know what to do, Nadine."

"Do you regret everything that happened between us? Do you regret us?" she asks, tears begin to fall.

"No. No," he says, shaking his head. He turns her around and grabs her face with both hands.

He kisses her, "No, never. I love you, Nadine. I don't regret anything. I don't want to lose you."

Nadine kisses him back, "I don't want to lose you either, James. I can't," she says crying.

James kisses her again and wipes the tears off her face. "Shhh. You're not going to lose me, do you hear me? We'll figure something out."

"Don't leave me, James," she pleads.

"Don't leave me."

He holds her tightly and kisses her forehead. "I'm not. I'm not," he assures her.

He lifts her chin and kisses her passionately. He wants to take all her worries and pain away.

He is hoping that this kiss will give her the reassurance that she needs and looks for.

She kisses him back, deepening the kiss in no time. They do not know what tomorrow holds, but right now, they are in each other's arms and that is all that matters.

***

It's been almost a week since James ran into Julia. He's been a wreck for days, thinking of a way out.

But he knows that there is no way out. Sooner or later, the truth will come out.

One way or another, Erick will learn the truth about the affair; about Nadine.