Stephanie's jaw dropped slightly, as she took in the information that was
just given to her. She blinked trying to comprehend it all. The woman
standing in front of her was Jessica...the Jessica. It had to be, how many
Jessica's would come to see Chris? Chris had told her that everything that
belonged or reminded him of Jessica had been sold, or put in storage, so
this was the first time she had ever seen her.
Stephanie quickly recomposed herself. She didn't know what to think. Part of her wanted to slap Jessica for leaving Chris, and the other part wanted to thank her for coming back so Chris could be happy. She did know that she had to find Chris. This was major news, and she wondered just how he was going to take it. Stephanie took a deep breath, before speaking.
"I'll tell him that you're here, won't you have a seat?"
"Sure," Jessica said, sitting down. She smoothed her skirt down, and Stephanie thought she was a lot more prim than she had pictured. Stephanie cleared her head of such thoughts. She didn't know all that much about her, except for what Chris told her.
"I'll be right back."
"Fine."
Stephanie walked back into the kitchen and out the back door. She saw Chris brushing Othello, and he looked up when he heard the back door bang. He smiled at Stephanie, and waved her over.
"Hey Steph, I thought you'd still be asleep," he said, kissing her gently.
"Chris, you will not believe what just happened."
"What? Something with your show?"
"Not even close."
"Well, don't keep me in suspense," he said laughing.
"There's someone inside to see you."
"To see me, is it the horse people, they aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow."
"Chris, Jessica is here to see you."
Chris's heart stopped. It literally skipped a beat. His jaw dropped, and he looked at Stephanie in utter disbelief. His mind couldn't process what she had just said, and he stared at her dumbly.
"What did you just say?" he asked, not believing his own ears, or the words that came from Stephanie's lips.
"Jessica is inside, and she's sitting in our living room right now."
"Oh my God," he whispered to himself, "What is she doing here?"
"I don't know," she shrugged, "She wants to see you."
"But-but, I don't know what to say."
"Well, you can start with hello," she said, giving him an encouraging look.
"What if she wants to get back together?"
"Then you get back together. You're in love with her."
"But us, we're engaged," he said, fully intending to keep his promise to Stephanie.
"Chris, this is the woman you love. Are you going to let her slip through your fingers again? As of this moment, we're not engaged."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"Are you ok with this?" he asked, worried about her feelings.
"Chris, we got engaged because we thought that Jessica would never come back. But she's here, she's in the living room. Obviously things change."
"Thank you Stephanie, you are truly the best friend I've ever had in my life," he told her, hugging her tightly. Stephanie returned his enthusiastic embrace.
"I know," she said, kissing him on the cheek, "Now go get the girl."
Stephanie watched as Chris ran into the house. She sighed as she watched him go. As happy as she was for Chris, she was kind of sad for herself. Again, she was left with no one, she was alone again. The funny thing was being left alone by Hunter hadn't even crossed her mind, she was thinking solely about Chris.
Chris raced inside the house, and mentally told himself to calm down. He didn't want to seem too eager in front of Jessica. He calmly walked into the living room, and saw her sitting there, her hands in her lap, and she was looking down at them. His breath caught as he saw her.
She heard him and looked up, uncertainty in her eyes, tempered with joy at seeing him again. She got up off the couch and went to hug him. Chris stood still as she wrapped her arms around her. Then he pulled her tightly against him, and hugged her with all his might.
"I missed you Christopher," she whispered.
"I missed you too."
They pulled away from each other, and Chris led them over to the couch where they sat down. They sat awkwardly for a few moments, not exactly knowing where to start. Not knowing what to say. Jessica broke the silence.
"Your wife is very pretty."
"My wife?" he asked confused.
"Stephanie," she said.
"Oh, Stephanie's not my wife."
"But I saw the wedding band," she told him, as she was now confused.
"Stephanie is a widow, she's my best friend, she lives here with me," Chris said smiling as he thought about Stephanie.
"Oh, so you're not married."
"No, I'm not."
"I'm sorry I left you Christopher, I'm sorry for everything I did to you, you didn't deserve it, any of it," she blurted out.
"Why didn't you give me a chance to answer you Jessi?"
"Because you looked like you had already decided to not forgive me."
"I was going to, I really was, I forgave you years ago."
"You did?"
"Yes, we all make mistakes Jessi, we just need to work past them."
"I'm so sorry I left, to think I missed two years with you."
"I looked for you."
"You did?"
"Yes, I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find you. That's why I moved here, I couldn't stand the house anymore."
"I was in Japan, I asked my company for a transfer."
"Oh."
"I'm so sorry Christopher, will you ever forgive me?"
Chris didn't hesitate to answer, "Of course, I love you so much."
"I love you too."
"Can we start over with each other?"
"I would really like that," she told him.
"Good, now there's something I need to do."
"What?"
"This."
With that Chris took Jessica into his arms, and kissed her passionately. She wrapped her arms around him. They kissed for a while, before pulling away breathlessly. Chris smiled, it was like everything was falling back into place, his life was complete.
"Let's get married Christopher," she said, her eyes gleaming with hope.
Chris was surprised, but not displeased, "You want to marry me?"
"Yes, I do, only if you want to of course."
"Of course I do, I love you so much Jessi."
"I love you too Christopher."
They kissed, and an unsettling thought came over Chris. As he was kissing Jessica, he couldn't help but wonder what Stephanie sounded like when she said 'I love you.' Did she say it airily like she usually talked? Or was she more serious when she said something like that? He couldn't believe he was thinking about it and cleared his head of such thoughts. He chalked it up to simple curiosity, and focused on Jessica.
He was happy again.
Stephanie quickly recomposed herself. She didn't know what to think. Part of her wanted to slap Jessica for leaving Chris, and the other part wanted to thank her for coming back so Chris could be happy. She did know that she had to find Chris. This was major news, and she wondered just how he was going to take it. Stephanie took a deep breath, before speaking.
"I'll tell him that you're here, won't you have a seat?"
"Sure," Jessica said, sitting down. She smoothed her skirt down, and Stephanie thought she was a lot more prim than she had pictured. Stephanie cleared her head of such thoughts. She didn't know all that much about her, except for what Chris told her.
"I'll be right back."
"Fine."
Stephanie walked back into the kitchen and out the back door. She saw Chris brushing Othello, and he looked up when he heard the back door bang. He smiled at Stephanie, and waved her over.
"Hey Steph, I thought you'd still be asleep," he said, kissing her gently.
"Chris, you will not believe what just happened."
"What? Something with your show?"
"Not even close."
"Well, don't keep me in suspense," he said laughing.
"There's someone inside to see you."
"To see me, is it the horse people, they aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow."
"Chris, Jessica is here to see you."
Chris's heart stopped. It literally skipped a beat. His jaw dropped, and he looked at Stephanie in utter disbelief. His mind couldn't process what she had just said, and he stared at her dumbly.
"What did you just say?" he asked, not believing his own ears, or the words that came from Stephanie's lips.
"Jessica is inside, and she's sitting in our living room right now."
"Oh my God," he whispered to himself, "What is she doing here?"
"I don't know," she shrugged, "She wants to see you."
"But-but, I don't know what to say."
"Well, you can start with hello," she said, giving him an encouraging look.
"What if she wants to get back together?"
"Then you get back together. You're in love with her."
"But us, we're engaged," he said, fully intending to keep his promise to Stephanie.
"Chris, this is the woman you love. Are you going to let her slip through your fingers again? As of this moment, we're not engaged."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"Are you ok with this?" he asked, worried about her feelings.
"Chris, we got engaged because we thought that Jessica would never come back. But she's here, she's in the living room. Obviously things change."
"Thank you Stephanie, you are truly the best friend I've ever had in my life," he told her, hugging her tightly. Stephanie returned his enthusiastic embrace.
"I know," she said, kissing him on the cheek, "Now go get the girl."
Stephanie watched as Chris ran into the house. She sighed as she watched him go. As happy as she was for Chris, she was kind of sad for herself. Again, she was left with no one, she was alone again. The funny thing was being left alone by Hunter hadn't even crossed her mind, she was thinking solely about Chris.
Chris raced inside the house, and mentally told himself to calm down. He didn't want to seem too eager in front of Jessica. He calmly walked into the living room, and saw her sitting there, her hands in her lap, and she was looking down at them. His breath caught as he saw her.
She heard him and looked up, uncertainty in her eyes, tempered with joy at seeing him again. She got up off the couch and went to hug him. Chris stood still as she wrapped her arms around her. Then he pulled her tightly against him, and hugged her with all his might.
"I missed you Christopher," she whispered.
"I missed you too."
They pulled away from each other, and Chris led them over to the couch where they sat down. They sat awkwardly for a few moments, not exactly knowing where to start. Not knowing what to say. Jessica broke the silence.
"Your wife is very pretty."
"My wife?" he asked confused.
"Stephanie," she said.
"Oh, Stephanie's not my wife."
"But I saw the wedding band," she told him, as she was now confused.
"Stephanie is a widow, she's my best friend, she lives here with me," Chris said smiling as he thought about Stephanie.
"Oh, so you're not married."
"No, I'm not."
"I'm sorry I left you Christopher, I'm sorry for everything I did to you, you didn't deserve it, any of it," she blurted out.
"Why didn't you give me a chance to answer you Jessi?"
"Because you looked like you had already decided to not forgive me."
"I was going to, I really was, I forgave you years ago."
"You did?"
"Yes, we all make mistakes Jessi, we just need to work past them."
"I'm so sorry I left, to think I missed two years with you."
"I looked for you."
"You did?"
"Yes, I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find you. That's why I moved here, I couldn't stand the house anymore."
"I was in Japan, I asked my company for a transfer."
"Oh."
"I'm so sorry Christopher, will you ever forgive me?"
Chris didn't hesitate to answer, "Of course, I love you so much."
"I love you too."
"Can we start over with each other?"
"I would really like that," she told him.
"Good, now there's something I need to do."
"What?"
"This."
With that Chris took Jessica into his arms, and kissed her passionately. She wrapped her arms around him. They kissed for a while, before pulling away breathlessly. Chris smiled, it was like everything was falling back into place, his life was complete.
"Let's get married Christopher," she said, her eyes gleaming with hope.
Chris was surprised, but not displeased, "You want to marry me?"
"Yes, I do, only if you want to of course."
"Of course I do, I love you so much Jessi."
"I love you too Christopher."
They kissed, and an unsettling thought came over Chris. As he was kissing Jessica, he couldn't help but wonder what Stephanie sounded like when she said 'I love you.' Did she say it airily like she usually talked? Or was she more serious when she said something like that? He couldn't believe he was thinking about it and cleared his head of such thoughts. He chalked it up to simple curiosity, and focused on Jessica.
He was happy again.
