TWO MONTHS EARLIER
Corey couldn't believe it. Over the years he had thought a lot about Rosa. He wondered how she would look and where she would be in life. Now she was standing right in front of him with that cute smile that put her dimples on display.
"Rosa? Wow," he said.
"Hi, Corey," she said.
"It's really you. I can't believe it. Oh my god. How are you?" He asked.
"Can we go somewhere to talk?" She asked.
He looked behind him into the lobby of the hotel. He scratched his neck and looked back at her. He couldn't take her to his room. He shared a room with Carmella like always. It was as if she read his mind.
"We can go to my room if that's okay," she said.
"Yes, that's okay," he smiled. "Lead the way."
He couldn't take his eyes off her as they rode up to the fourth floor. Suddenly he was inside her hotel room, and all he wanted to do was be with her like he used to be. All sanity went out the window. He grabbed her and kissed her as if they hadn't been apart for years. He backed her to the bed but didn't push her down on it. He broke the kiss and wasn't sure what do say or do.
"I'm married," she said.
"I have a girlfriend," he said.
"I know. She's pretty," she said. "You should probably leave."
"Yeah, I probably should," he said.
He kissed her again instead of leaving, and she didn't stop him. They tumbled down on the bed, tearing each other's clothes off and exploring each other's bodies like they used to. They were like moths drawn to the flame, and neither of them cared about getting burned.
"Okay, you never told me that," Baron chuckled.
"I know. I had to keep it a secret. I cheated on Carmella," Corey said.
"Do you regret it?" Baron asked.
"Yes and no," Corey sighed. "I never meant to hurt Carmella, but we're talking about Rosa. The only woman I ever truly wanted. Everyone after her was just a rebound no matter how long I was with them. Rosa was always the one."
They were walking towards Baron's car. Corey had said his goodbye to Rosa at the grave. Baron was sure Corey would come back here again and again. Alone. Without Baron or anyone else. It was alright. If Corey needed to come here in the future, Baron understood. Meanwhile he was happy that Corey chose to open up and share the secret he had been keeping for the last two months.
"We saw each other as often as we could. Carmella never caught on," Corey said.
"No one did. You fooled me too. You've never done that before," Baron said.
"Little by little she told me about her husband. He would always bring her down and belittle her. The things he called her, Baron. You won't believe it. I swear that if I ever meet him face to face, I'm gonna knock his teeth down his throat. He didn't deserve her. He broke her," Corey said.
"So how did we go from her finding you again to here?" Baron asked.
Corey stopped. Baron turned to look at his friend. Corey was crying again. Baron didn't blame Corey for that. He was sure Corey would share many more tears before the day was over.
"She said she would leave him," Corey said.
"So why didn't she?" Baron asked.
"No, you don't understand," Corey's lip quivered. "She said she would leave him for me."