Chapter 21: Letting Go

Charisma ran at Dave and began punching him solidly in the chest. The more she hit him, the more emotional she became. Dave allowed her to take her pain and heartache out on him. After all, he now knew that he was the reason why. Dave just held her close, but not too tight, to him while she sobbed and screamed into his chest until she was about to collapse.

"It's my fault, baby, it's all my fault. I know." Dave whispered softly against Charisma's hair.

Dave picked Charisma's limp and exhausted body in his arms and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. He laid her down on the soft comforter and laid down beside her. Not wanting to let her go, he scooped her body into his arms and watched and listened to her.

"Why would you hurt me like this, Dave?"

Not answering her, Dave kept his steady pace of cradling her body close to him. Between the anxiety she felt and Dave's smooth swaying of her body, Charisma soon fell off to sleep. Realizing that she was asleep, Dave slowly and cautiously crept off the bed to take off his shirt. After he did, Dave returned to his position - beside her. Wrapping his arms around her, he felt her move and begin to shiver. So he grabbed the blanket that was beside him and wrapped them both in it. Dave just watched Charisma contentedly. Having her in his arms was enough for him. Before he drifted off to sleep with Charisma, Dave caressed her sleeping face and made a solemn and sincere vow to her. "I promise baby, with everything I am, I'm gonna fix this and make it right for you - and for me."

The next morning...

Charisma woke up to Dave's arms wrapped around her. She slowly turned her head and looked at him. Even after he was so sweet to her, she still couldn't help but feel anger, confusion, and most of all hurt. She had given herself to him and this was how he showed his love to her in return? She continued looking at him and tried to feel something different, but she couldn't. She scrambled around until she wriggled her body out of his clutches. There were various emotions and feelings running through her as she frantically searched his face for something to help her understand why her world was crashing around her. Wondering why she allowed him to come into her life in the first place was the one of the questions pining around in her mind. Not to mention the fact that he knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved him. And that's what hurt her most of all - knowing that she did love him, with all her heart.

With all this surfacing within her, Charisma felt tears sting her eyes again. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She swallowed the lump in her throat and opened her eyes. Without another thought, she woke Dave.

Dave groggily opened his eyes and realized that Charisma was not lying beside him, instead she was standing over him.

"Hi, sweetheart."

"I want you to go."

Dave sat up. "Charisma, we need to talk."

"No we don't." Charisma stated. "You need to talk to your wife."

Dave stood up and placed his hands on Charisma's shoulders. Even though she was steaming mad at him, she still could not deny how his touch made her feel. No matter how good his touch felt to her, she was still mad at him. She abruptly moved his arms off her. Charisma walked toward the door and began to walk out when Dave walked in front of her, seeming a bit agitated. "Okay, I've allowed you to throw your tantrums, and hit me - the least you can do now is listen to me."

With Dave's body framing the door, and nowhere else to go, Charisma sat down on the bed. "Fine, I'm listening."

Dave walked toward her and crouched down in front of her. "Alright, yes, Sharon was my wife. But we are not married anymore..."

Charisma started to talk, but Dave placed his finger on her lips to hush her, and continued. "I don't know what she told you, but whatever it was, it's not the truth. But what is the truth is that you have lost focus of the one thing that should matter most, and that's us."

Charisma put her face in her hands and started to cry again before she responded to him. "Then why would she tell me that she is still married to you?"

Dave looked at her. "Frankly, baby, I don't know."

You are lying through your beautiful white teeth. "Well, she told me you were still married to her. And I can't be with a married man."

Dave moved closer to her, and placed her hands in his. "I don't expect you to, but Chris, you have to believe me. I'm telling you the truth. I love you and nothing else means more to me than you. Since I met you, I've wanted no one else."

Charisma looked into his eyes. Up until now, anytime Dave told her that he loved her, she believed him. She had no doubts in her mind or her heart. But now, things were different. And there were some unanswered questions. "If its true what you are telling me, and you are not still married to her, why would she wait until now to get you back?"

"Baby, I don't know. I wish I had some answers to your questions, but I'm sorry... I don't. I don't know why she would lie to you like this. All I do know is, I love you and you mean the world to me and I don't want to lose you."

Charisma looked deep into Dave's chocolate brown eyes, searching for some hint of truth. She wanted to believe and trust him, but she didn't know if she should. She didn't want to find herself falling into a false sense of security----even though, she knew she already did. All the time they had spent together in the past few months seemed like a total blur to her. When she looked at him, she didn't see the Dave she fell in love with. She saw Sharon's husband, and that fact alone hurt her more than anything else in the world.

"Dave, I want to believe you, but I can't right now. I just need some time to think and reevaluate things." Charisma began to cry. "Can you please just give me that?"

Sighing reluctantly, Dave responded to her. "I will if you promise me something..." Dave started.

"What?"

"If you promise not to close the door on us. And keep the love we share and me...right here." Dave placed a finger on Charisma's chest, pointing to her heart. "I'm not going anywhere, so I'll be here. But make me this promise, please."

Listening to his words and reading his face, Charisma knew the unmistakable answer to his request. "Alright, but don't rush me, I need time."

Feeling a hint of relief, Dave kissed the back of her hand. "Okay, I'll give you that."

Dave stood up and walked downstairs with Charisma following him. He opened the door and began to walk out. Knowing that after what they both said to each other, Dave knew this was probably going to be the last time he was going to see her for a while, he decided to make the best of it. Dave slowly turned around, cupped her face in his hands, looked into her eyes and kissed her. A kiss so slow, but yet full of love and a heated passion that Charisma was taken by complete surprise. After the kiss, Dave looked into her eyes. "I love you."