One More Time

“Of course. You can come over now if you want. I’ll text you my address.”

“Really? Okay. I’ll do that, then,” she said.

“I’m sending it over now.”

I sent her a text message with my address, and then the two of us said goodbye. My hands were shaking, and my mind had been stunned to a halt. Suddenly, the doors of hope had opened for me. I went from not knowing how to contact Chanel at all to giving her my address, so she could come over. How had she gotten my number? Did Ana give it to her? Did Chanel ask Ana to get it from Tommy? That was the only thing that made sense because I knew Tommy. I knew he would never give out my information like that without being prompted.

If Tommy had given Ana my number to pass on, I needed to get him a present, a fucking lifetime gift certificate to his favorite bar or something.

I ran around my apartment, trying to clean it up as best as I could. I didn't want Chanel walking into a place that was dirty and strewn about with things I hadn't bothered to pick up the past week. I didn't want to show her how badly I had fallen after the cruise and how low I had sunk knowing I was never going to be able to see her again. I didn't know what she wanted to talk about, but I knew one thing for sure; I didn't want to risk jeopardizing the topic of conversation because I didn't know how to pull myself together.

Thirty minutes later, a knock came at my door, and my heart began to slam in my chest. I walked over and put my hand on the doorknob, drawing a deep breath through my nose. This was it. This was the chance I had to tell Chanel what I knew. I had no idea if she was going to believe me, and I had no idea what I was going to do if she didn't, but I knew I had to try. I knew I would never be able to live with myself ever again if I didn't try.

I opened the door and took in the beauty of her presence as a small smile played across her cheeks.

But then, she did something I didn’t expect.

She reached for my shirt and pulled me against her body.

Our lips connected, and fire burst in my gut. I felt her lips moving against mine, the contact too much for her to handle. I wrapped my arms around her and dragged her into the apartment, slamming the door shut with her back against it. Her hands were roaming my body, tugging at my shirt as she ripped it over my head. Her purse dropped to the floor as she kicked off her shoes, and in a mindless haze, my lips traveled down her neck.

“I’m so sorry,” Chanel said breathlessly.

Her words stopped me in my tracks.

“For what?” I asked.

“For everything.”

I lifted my eyes to connect with hers as her fingertips played along the muscles of my chest. Her eyes were full of regret and sorrow, and I could feel her body quaking. I slid my hands along her waist, taking in her gorgeous curves before I progressed the conversation. Her touch felt so good against me, but I couldn't have this. I couldn’t have her apologizing for something that wasn’t her fault.

Especially if she was talking about what I thought she was.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I said.

“But I do. I ran into Evelyn as Ana and I were getting off the ship. Rhett, she told me everything.”

“She did?” I asked.

“Yes. About Luke and the money. I know she went to prom with him and drugged you and followed you out to your car, and it was this whole plan Luke had devised to get me alone with him so he could do fuck-knows-what that night to me. She told me all of it. Every part.”

My eyes danced between hers as I wrapped my hands around her wrists. She cupped my cheeks with her hands, pulling my face closer to hers. Our lips connected again but this time softer. Her touch was warm, welcoming, pulling me into her and making me believe that everything really was going to be alright.

“I believe that you didn’t cheat on me,” she whispered.

Relief coursed through my body as I pressed myself along her curves.

“I know you didn’t cheat, Rhett. And I’m sorry for not giving you the chance to tell me about it. I’m sorry I didn’t listen back then, and I’m sorry I was too blind to see it now. I’m sorry that I held that hurt so close that it caused a rift between us again. You did nothing, and you’ve been paying for it for years.”

/> “So, have you,” I said as our foreheads connected. “So, have you.”

“I didn’t know how to reach out to you to tell you until Ana broke the news to me that she and Tommy were going on dates,” she said.

“Did it shock you like it shocked me?” I asked.

“Not really. I saw how she was with him on the cruise, but I asked her to get your number from Tommy. I couldn't think of any other way to contact you.”

“I’m glad you did,” I said with a smile. “Really glad.”