Second Chance

Annabelle’s POV

I open my eyes to see my clock… 12:43 AM. Ugh… who could be calling at this hour? I turn my lamp on, squinting my eyes at the bright light blinding me. Not the smartest idea. I start feeling for my phone as I try to adjust my sight.

“Hello” I say in a groggy voice. Nothing. “Hello?” I try again & nothing. I give out a sigh, before hearing the dead line from the other end. “Just great” I mutter. Why would someone wake me just to hang up on me? I toss my phone on the bed, before turning the lamp off, but something catches my eye. “What the..?” I mutter to myself, before throwing the sheets away from me, walking towards the light coming from downstairs. I’m pretty sure I turned all the lights off before going to bed. I walk to the railing to see down towards the living room. That’s a good thing about lofts. A lot of open spaces & no walls. & I love my loft.

I see that it looks like the living room light is on, but I can’t see without going down the stairs since my bedroom is located exactly on top of it. I groan, not wanting to go all the way down & turn it off. I even think for a second to leave it on, but the environmentalist in me wins. So I start going down, yawning all the way, and making my eyes watery. When I turn towards the living area, I see a man standing by a window, making me freeze in my movements. I can’t quite distinguish him well since his back is turn to me, but when he looks down & move his face sideways, I see the city lights hit his face in such a soft way, that it was almost poetic. I start to feel my heart rate slow down as I let out the breath that I’ve been holding on. This catches his attention & he turns to me, his eyes a bit red & tired. “John, you scared me” I say, slowly approaching him. He doesn’t say anything, just looks down again, before walking towards me, & before I can react, he grabs both sides of my face with his hands, before leaning down & placing a kiss on my lips. It’s such a delicate, soft yet passionate kiss, that I can’t help but melt into it. I place my hands on his hips, slowly wrapping my arms around him as he runs his fingers through my hair. After a couple of seconds, he pulls away, leaving me breathless, as he places his forehead against mine, before pecking it & wrapping me in a hug. I pull him against me, so close so he won’t go running away from me again. Because, I still love him. It may not be the same kind of love I have towards Brian, but its still love.

“I’m sorry” He whispers in my hair, nuzzling on my neck. “I shouldn’t have walked out on you like that. I should’ve stayed & talked about it” He adds, before pulling slightly away from me & looking at me with his hazel/green eyes. I see the hurt, the truth & the love in them. All of those feelings directed towards me. “I know nothing happened between you & him, Bellie” His voice holding a bit of hesitance in it, more like he was trying to convince himself. “I just… I can’t help it, you know. I don’t know why I get so jealous when you’re near him” He says, dropping his head down, while holding my hands. Since I’m just wearing my pajamas & no shoes, I’m even smaller than him, making it easy for me to cup his cheek & bring his lips to mine, kissing him tenderly.

“You have nothing to worry about, John” I say through kisses. I feel him entwining his fingers with mine, a small-barely-there smile appearing on his face when he feels my engagement ring. “He’s…” I pull my lips away & lock eyes with him. “He’s in the past” I say, & just like him, I’m trying to convince me more.

“That’s the thing… I know he’ll never be in the past, Bellie. You know that, I know you do” He says with a sad smile. “He holds so many things above me when it comes to you, that I can’t help but wonder how much of your heart he holds too” He says in a whisper, making me close my eyes, fighting the tears. Cuz he’s right. Every word coming out of John’s mouth is truth… except for one. Brian doesn’t hold a piece of my heart… he holds my heart completely. A heart that I’ve been giving him over & over again, just for him to break it over & over again. & I don’t want that to happen anymore. I don’t think I can take it.

“Does it really matter, John?” I ask him, so low that it seems like we’re whispering in my empty apartment. I see him nod. “Well, it shouldn’t, cuz I’m with you. You’re the guy I’m planning to spend the rest of my life with… not him. He’s married & he's gonna start a family soon…” I say, dragging down the words as I feel they’re like acid in my mouth, & the tiny amount of beating I need to still be alive stops, making all the pain come back. But I can’t dwell on that… not when I have my fiancé, who loves me more than his life, standing in front of me hurt & heartbroken. “& so are we” I say in a soft voice, looking at his face to see if he heard me. I see his eyes widen with shock.

“What?” He asks in disbelief & I nod. “Are you serious?” He asks, a smile growing in his face & I see how all the hope & happiness return to his eyes, making me smile too. I nod before answering.

“I’m pregnant” I say & he lets out a scream & laugh before wrapping his arms around me, lifting me & starts spinning around like a crazy man. “JOHN” I screech, my laughter joining his. He places me down & looks at me.

“I’m gonna be a father?” He asks me & I nod. “I’M GONNA BE A FATHER” He screams, before placing his lips on mine, kissing me for a minute. “I love you. I love you so much, Bellie” He says, leaving kisses all over my face. “You have no idea how happy you made me” He says, lingering above my lips & staring at me. I laugh when I see him kneed in front of me, placing his hands delicately on my hips. “My baby is in there” He says, caressing my womb. “Our baby is in there, Bellie” He says, looking up at me, smiling. I nod at him, before him placing a kiss there & hugging me. I feel a tear escape my eye, as I quickly wipe it away.

Cuz Brian didn’t have that reaction when Michelle told him she was pregnant, & I feel that was because I stole that from him. I didn’t let him enjoy the news of becoming a father. & I won’t do that to John. I just won’t. I caress his head, running my fingers through his hair as I hear him whispering sweet nothings to our baby, making my tears start streaming down my cheeks freely. Cuz… I won’t be able to destroy his happiness & shatter his heart, if I discover this baby isn’t his. But, no matter what, he will be my husband & this baby will be his. Cuz he’s my future… & Brian is my past.