Author Note – just a quick (short) update on Spencer, while I'm working on that sin to win weekend at the moment. Thank you for all of your lovely comments; let me know what you think.

Second Chances – chapter sixteen

June 2014

"How's Spencer doing?" Emily asked.

"He's good; he started going back to the park to play chess." Morgan told her.

"That's good. The group session are helping?"

Morgan smiled as he answered. "Yeah, they're helping a lot. He still thinks about her. But she no longer haunts his nightmares."

He sat watching the others, predicting their moves. His hands itched to make the right moves when theirs made the wrong ones. But for the moment, he observed, learning their strategy, doing the same thing he'd been doing for four months.

Last week he'd watched his former chess student, Eric, beat one of the older, more experienced players. The opponent had left and Eric looked at him expectantly, wanting to see if his success could be replicated against Spencer. Spencer had approached from where he was leaning on the railing, his hand touching the back of the chair before he had turned and walked away.

He felt the bench beside him creek and he turned to see his former student sit next to him. They sat in silence for nearly half an hour, watching the other players.

"Why did you stop coming?" Eric asked quietly.

Spencer looked at his clasped hands for a moment, closing them as he spoke quietly. "I used to have a routine on Sundays. I would talk to a friend on the phone," his lips quirked into a smile. "We would talk about everything; books, friends, families, our lives. I was more intimate with her in that small amount of time on Sunday mornings than I had ever been with anyone. After talking to her, I would come here to play."

Going to the group sessions helped him to be honest with others about his inner most feelings and secrets, it was part of the pact he made with the rest of his group. The young man beside him had sought Spencer out, wanting to learn from him. Spencer hoped that his admission would help him in some way, someday, even if it was to tell people who were close to him how he felt.

"She died and I never got the chance to tell her that I loved her. I associated my Sunday routine with her, and I wanted to forget for a while." His breath was ragged. "It's taken me a while to realise that she would want me to continue living my life. I've been taking small steps to start doing the things I stopped doing after her death."

His student nodded along with him, sympathising with his friend's situation. Their attention returned to the games being played. Eventually one of the tables became free, and the student asked, "Do you want to play?" Spencer nodded, and his friend offered him a small smile in reassurance as he led the way to the table.

As the other man set up the game, Spencer glanced around; the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He could feel the eyes on him. Glancing around at the observers, he saw a woman about his age, with mousey brown hair watching him intently. Their gazes locked for a moment, and her eyes widened, before she ducked her head for a moment. She shyly raised hers eyes to his after taking a deep breath, and he gave her a small smile, which she returned as he sat opposite his friend to start the game.

Six months later, she would approach his table after his opponent left, to play her first game.

"Hi, my name is Helen, can I sit here?"