Second Chance

Annabelle’s POV

Long fingers running through my hair stir me awake. I open my eyes to find my head resting on a strong chest. I can see little red lines, scratches, that I left behind from our steamy afternoon together. I look up to find the pair of brown eyes that drive me crazy. “Hey” He says in a whisper, still running his fingers through my hair, while the other rubs the arm that I have wrap around his midsection. I smile at him, kissing his jaw before nuzzling on his neck.

“What time is it?” I ask him, my hand caressing his face. I feel him move a bit, probably to take a glance at his watch.

“1:30” He says, adjusting me by his side again. “Why?”

“I have to meet Leana in less than an hour” I say with a sigh. I hear him groan, before him pushing me on my back, hovering over me.

“Who said anything about me letting you go anytime soon?” He says, placing kisses on my neck. I let out a little moan, enjoying his lips on the sensitive spot right behind my ear.

“Brian” I half say, half moan. “I don’t think I can take another round” I say. I feel him smirking at my reply, before his lips come crashing on mine. I pull him down, his whole weight on me now, but it’s not crushing me. I tangle my legs with his as we begin another hot make-out session. I know where this will lead to if I don’t pull apart. Round 6 will be in tow if I don’t put a stop to this before I get too worked up to think clearly. “Seriously” I say through our kiss. He pulls apart & looks at me.

“I’m so tired of this shit” He says, lying next to me. It’s been 3 weeks since Brian & I have been sneaking around, renting hotel rooms so we can be together, lying to our friends about our whereabouts… cheating on our lovers. I let out a big breath & straddle him. He instinctively places his hands on my hips. I run my fingers through his disheveled hair. “We need to tell them” He says, as I lay on top of him, cuddling on his torso.

“I know” I say, tracing his blue blood tattoo with my finger. “It’s just… not that easy” I say. Brian & I have been talking about calling it quits with our couples ever since that night.

“It’s driving me insane not been able to have you whenever I want, to sleep next to you, to hold your hand, to kiss you good morning” He says, running his hand lazily up & down my back. “I don’t want to keep making love to you on a hotel room” He says. “You deserve better” I turn to look at him, mirroring for sure the love in his eyes. “We deserve better, Belle” He says, before kissing me softly on the lips.

“I’m tired of all of that too” I mutter, not breaking our kiss. “That’s why I’m gonna talk to John tonight” I say. He pulls away & stares at me shocked. I’ve been the one procrastinating this moment, too terrified to break John’s heart. He’s such a great guy & he loves me to death. He has even dealt with me being so cold & distant from him ever since that dinner at Papa Gates’. The night that I finally stopped running from my feelings. The night that brought me to Brian… that brought me to be in the arms of the man I love.

“Are you sure, Belle? Cause I can wait ‘til you’re 100% ready. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you to do it” He says in a soft but deep voice, while removing a few strands of hair that are on my face. I nod my head yes & I see a smile slowly adorning his face. “I love you” He says, pulling me for another kiss.

“I love you too… but I have to go” I say, quickly standing up to search for my clothes. I hear a whine come out of his mouth & I giggle. He’s such a kid sometimes.

“5 more minutes… pppppllllleeeeaaaaaassssseeeeee” He whines, making me turn. I see him pouting, his lower half covered by the purple sheet, his arm muscles flex from where he’s leaning. He looks so fuckable right now. & as usual… I give in.

“But only 5 minutes” I say sternly at him, climbing into bed again. He smiles, happy that he won, again. He drags me towards him & starts placing small kisses all over my body. Let’s just say that I stayed longer than 5 minutes.

Leana’s POV

“I’m soooo sorry” Annabelle says, almost collapsing on the chair in front of mine. I’m glaring at her, even when she can’t see it through my sunglasses. 1 hour & 34 minutes I’ve been waiting for her, to be exact. So as you can tell… I’m not happy. “I lost track of time” She says, placing her bag on the chair next to me. I remain silent, not moving an inch. “Le, please say something” She says in a huff.

“You ruined your surprise” I say. I see her brow furrow in confusion.

“What surprise? What are you talking about?” She asks me & I let out big sigh.

“I have something for you. Well… actually, Gena & I have something for you, but since you’re almost 2 hours late & she had to go back to work, she left me this” I say, handing her the fold piece of paper. I see her look at me skeptically then the piece of paper. “Unfold it” I say. She hesitantly reaches for it & the moment her eyes land on the picture, her mouth hangs open. She turns to look at me. “Gena said you loved that dress ever since Michelle was planning her wedding. She kept it in case you needed it. & when we found out you were getting married… well, we thought it would be the perfect dress for you. That is, of course, if you don’t have another dress in mind” I finish. I see her hands trembling & guilt written all over her face. “Anna, are you ok?” I say, reaching for her hand. She looks at me, before gazing at the magazine page.

“I slept with Brian” She says, out of the blue. I’m shocked for a second, not expecting those words to come out of her mouth at this exact moment.

“Sweetie, I know” I say to her, squeezing her hand. “The past is the past. You have John now, stop worrying about Brian” I say, waving her off.

“No, you don’t get it” She says, placing the paper on the table before looking at me. “I slept with Brian… before coming here” She says & I feel my body go stiff. “We’ve been sleeping together for almost a month now” She says, dropping her gaze.

“You’ve been cheating on John with Brian?” I ask her, realizing the obvious answer to my question. “Annabelle, that’s-“

“I know. It’s awful. But I don’t regret it. Cause I’m not marrying John. I love Brian & I’m gonna do everything I can to be with him, Leana” She says in one breath, interrupting me. & one thing I hate is people interrupting me. I open my mouth again, but apparently she isn’t finished. “You can call me a bitch. You can say that I’m selfish & the worst human being ever, but I don’t care. I-“

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, ANNABELLE” I yell, gaining a few looks from the tables near us. “Jesus, woman, shut your mouth for a second” I say, letting out an exasperate sigh. “I don’t think you’re making a huge mistake nor I think you’re an awful selfish person. I actually think it’s great” I say & I see her face go from startled to confuse in a second. “What? Did you forget that I was the one that told you to not let him go ahead with that fucked up marriage he has with Michelle?” I say, leaning forward on the table. “You love him, Annabelle. There’s nothing wrong with that. You 2 might be in a fucked up situation right now, but that can be fixed” I say & I see tears prickling on her eyes. I see how my words affect her. She’s been dealing with her feelings for Brian alone. She hasn’t had anyone to be there for her without making her feel like she’s the biggest whore for sleeping with the guy she loves, for being willing to ruin his wedding day just so they could be together. If anything… she’s the bravest girl I have ever met. Not only was she willing to stand against everything & everyone, give up her dreams, but she was willing to start her life from scratch… just with Brian. & that to me it’s admirable.

“Are you serious? Do you really mean that, Le? You don’t think I’m making a huge mistake?” She says in a trembling voice. I shake my head no.

“He loves you… only you, Anna. It’s your chance to be happy. This is your second chance at that happiness that you crave so much” I say & she lets out a laugh. Weirdly, our phones go off at the same time. We look at the message… Michelle. What could she want now?

“He’s gonna tell her tonight, you know?” She says, fixing her things & grabbing her purse, me doing the same. “I’m gonna call off my engagement tonight too. We don’t want to wait anymore. We’re ready for this. We’re ready for us” She says, seeming happy for the first time in a long time. I hug her waist, since I’m shorter than her & we walk like that towards my car. & even when I feel extremely happy for her… something inside of me is bothering me. It’s like something it’s telling me that all this happiness that she’s experiencing right now is gonna turn into her biggest heartbreak.

Matt’s POV

I walk into Brian’s house, only to find Michelle, Zacky & Val already here. Apparently I wasn’t the only one that got her text. I walk & kiss my wife, before going to sit on the couch with Zacky, picking Pinkly on my way there. I laugh at the fact that she looks so miserable with her little red bow on top of her head. “Hey, man” I say to Zacky. He nods at me. He looks bored beyond belief. “Do you have any idea what this is about?” I say, motioning to the twins that are happily talking by the dinner table. He shrugs & shakes his head no. I let out a big sigh & start playing with Pinkly for who knows how long until everyone started making its way into Brian’s living room. I sit quietly, ignoring all the people around me & fix my eyes on the girl that has been like my little sister since as long as I can remember. Her longer hair makes her look so mature & grown up. Her smile stills screams innocence, even when I know what she & Brian did. I see her sneak a glance towards Brian, who smirks her way, before engaging into his conversation with Jimmy. I know I should be mad at them, & I was… but even a blind man could see how perfect they are for each other. But I can’t admit that… I have to stay loyal to Val. She’s my wife.

“Can you please tell us why you summoned us all here for?” Johnny, being the short shit that he is, asked. I see everyone roll their eyes, although we were all curious as to why we were all here. “I mean, I enjoy hanging out with you guys, but I would love to spend some alone time with my lady” He says, winking at Lacey who blushes like mad.

“Ok, ok. I’ll tell you guys” Michelle starts, but I drown her voice the moment I see Brian inching his way discretely towards Annabelle. He stands right behind her & leans down, whispering something into her ear, making her blush. He places a quick kiss on her cheek, before straightening himself again. I quickly glance around the room & see that no one is paying attention to them, all concentration on the million words that are coming out of Michelle’s mouth. I see Brian grab Anna’s hand in his, lacing their fingers together, Lacey blocking the view for everyone else… but not mine. I smile… because they truthfully look happy. & even when I feel I’m betraying Val with my feelings… I do hope Brian & Annabelle find a way to make it work for them. They are made for each other. “So… that’s why I wanted everyone I care about here with me, so I can tell you guys that we will be welcoming a new member to our extended Avenged family” She says, glancing towards Val who’s grinning like a mad woman. What the fuck did I miss?

“I’m sorry… but I don’t understand. I zoned out since the first 20 seconds” Zacky says. I see everyone nod.

“You guys are assholes” Val says. “She’s pregnant” & in that moment, not a sound was made.