They say everyone deserves a second chance. Will you give a second chance to love?

 

“I’ll find her and bring her home. I promise” Levi said wiping the tears off Mrs. Fisher’s cheeks. He got on his feet and rushed out of the house. Tightly grabbing the steering wheel, he wondered how she could leave. How she could make a life without the people with whom she had spent whole childhood with, in it?

He reached his house and quickly packing his stuff, made his way to the airport. New York was a big city. How will he find her? But he knew one thing, he needed to get her back. He needed to make amends for whatever he did.

 

“I don’t know anything about that. I want all the things arranged before I enter the office” he heard her from behind the door. He rang the doorbell. She unlocked the door looking stunning in her blue wrap dress. He couldn’t believe that she used to be the sixteen year old who dressed up like boys. Screaming his name in excitement, she hugged him tightly. Pulling back, she asked, “Levi, what a surprise? What made you stop at me house?”

He walked in the apartment as she started cleaning up. She smilingly said, “I am so sorry. I was not expecting anyone”

He shook his head with smile, “No, it is totally fine”

He sat on the couch as she brought glass of water for him. She sat next to him asking, “So, how are you?”

“I am fine” he started circling the rim of the glass. She asked, “What is it? Anything serious?”

He shook his head, “No, nothing like that”

She tilted her head and gave her sweet smile which made his heart skip a beat. She said, “You always start to play with something when you don’t know what to say. Come on, Levi. I know you. I loved…”

She paused for a moment, “Umm, just say it”

He replied, “She wants to see you. I came to take you back, Sia”

She held her hand in air which made him stop. She said, “Levi, you are welcome to stay here for as many days as you want but…I am not coming with you anywhere. I have life here”

He was going to protest but she got up saying, “I have to leave. You can make yourself comfortable here”

She grabbed her bag and walked out of the door. He buried his face in his hands. He could see the wounds of past still fresh in her heart. The way her fake smile hid her tears, he knew it all.

 

Sia was sitting on the stairs sobbing and covering her mouth to not let any voice escape. No matter how much she pretended to be strong in front of her, he makes something in her melt. He was not supposed to come back. Pretending to not care about him had become a habit but seeing his blue eyes, always made her realize, how much she misses him in her life. Wiping her tears, she gathered herself and descended down.

 

“I am happy for you. It had been…what…” he said with his mouth full with diner.

“Five years” she replied. He nodded, “Yeah, five years. You have changed a lot”

Shrugging, she took bite of her food, “People change and move on. They don’t wait for people to come back. That is nature.”

There was silence in the room. She asked, “How is Natalie? And Jay?”

He nodded, “They are fine. You know how it is to convince them for a single thing.”

She nodded, “Yeah, I know the wedding is this month. You should head back soon”

He rolled his eyes, “If you don’t want me here, you can say it. I can stay in a hotel but I am not leaving without you. And I think my sister will want you in her wedding. She loves you.”

She bit her lip. She didn’t how to answer. As much as she wanted him to be gone, she also wanted him to be around her. She got up and went to the kitchen. He yelled, “For God’s sake Sia, your mother needs you”

Sia dropped the plate in sink saying, “Well, she was not there when I needed her. She left me Levi. I grew up on my own. So, I have a right to decide if I ever want her in my life or not. You are the not the one. You don’t have a right”

He walked to her as she burst in tears. She sat on the floor hugging her knees tightly. Sitting next to her, he wrapped his arms around her. Stroking her hair, he said, “I know. I am sorry for yelling at you”

She shook her head as she pulled herself back and wiped her tears, “You don’t have to be sorry. It had been my fault and it was always my fault.”

She went in her room.

“New York is a big city. You will get lost here” she remarked with a smile. He was holding the map of New York in his hand. Putting it on the table, he said, “If I had someone who can guide me around, maybe…I’ll enjoy the city more”

She cocked her head to side saying, “Not a chance. I have work”

He made a pout with his chin resting on his palms. She laughed, “Don’t ever do that. It used to look cute when you were kid. Not now”

He smiled, “So, you coming?”

She nodded before making a call at her office.

 

“So, let me get this straight. We are eating ice-cream in this chilling winter because it is the best ice-cream I’ll have?” he asked. She nodded licking her ice-cream. Sitting on the bench in Central Park, they were watching people pass by. She said, “Let’s play that game”

He shook his head, “No, it would be embarrassing”

She nudged his arm before turning her attention to one the babies in a stroller. She started, “I think he’ll become a successful musician. The way he is crying in tunes”

He laughed, “You are crazy. How can you know that he is crying in tunes?”

She shrugged, “Just by listening to the way he is crying”

He turned his attention to a toddler, “She will be a model who is secretly very smart and nerdy but pretends to be dumb.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “You think I am dumb”

He held his hands in air for defense, “I was saying in general. No need to take it personally”

She rolled her eyes and looked at an old couple. Smilingly she said, “Married for years, crazy in love and been best-friends ever since they met”

He was staring at the couple too. She snorted, “Well, sometimes, it is not advisable to fall for your best-friend”

She had finished her ice-cream but she was still staring her hands. He murmured, “I am sorry, Sia. I know I shouldn’t have behaved like that”

She laughed, “Yeah, I know. But I think I lost my best-friend the day I confessed my feelings for him”

He shook his head, “No, it is not like that. We can be friends”

She shook her head, “No, it is not that simple, Levi”

She got and was walking away when he caught up with her saying, “You can’t just walk away like that from me. I know you loved me and it broke your heart when I said I didn’t. But what you don’t know is that I missed my best-friend too. You were not there when I need to share with you my secrets, my sadness, my joys, everything”

She rolled her eyes hiding her tears perfectly, “You can share that with your girlfriend too”

“She doesn’t know me that way you do”

“Yeah, I know you very well. I know that…nothing can happen between us. I also know the fact that if I go back to being best-friends with you again, I’ll die from inside again”

She took a deep breath, “Levi, my world had taken a good turn. Please don’t ruin this by coming back. I don’t think I am ready to go through that again”

“So, you’ll not come back?”

She shook her head. He asked, “You’ll not come back for her biggest day? She doesn’t deserve the happiness?”

Sia looked up, “She deserves all the happiness but she will not deserve my forgiveness. We both lost the person we love the most and what she did? She ran away. She was my mother, Levi. She was supposed to take care of me not run away from me”

He held her hand but she jerked it away. She continued, “When you said you would bring me back, did you not get the images of me crying in library or me getting called orphan?”

“I think you are doing the same thing. She needs you back in her life and you are running away from her. You are no good than your mother”

Smiling through her tears, she said, “Yeah, I learned that lesson by heart from her. I have a different life here and I don’t need my past to ruin my present”

“You think me coming to get you is ruining your present?”

“Well, it is not making my days bright and shiny”

He didn’t answer instead he kicked the rock on the side in anger. She said, “Don’t pretend you care about me after all these years. You didn’t even call”

He turned to her saying, “I didn’t know what to say. You told me about your feelings but I…”

“But you made a joke of me. Yes, Levi I know. I was there. I know I was not the girl any guy would fall for but… you could have at least had the guts to tell me to face rather than making a big joke of me”

He was going to hold her but she stepped back. She shook her head, “Don’t. Just don’t”

Saying this, she walked away.

 

Sitting on the couch, in the dark, he kept wondering about what changed his feelings for her. He had a crush on her ever since the day they met but what changed the day she got on her knees and confessed her feelings for him. He got up and walked in her. She was asleep quietly in her bed hugging her bear, Hopkins. He smiled seeing the same Sia that he knew five years ago. Hopkins had been there whenever she was unable to sleep because of nightmares. She moved a little hugging Hopkins more tightly. He sat by her bed and watched her sleep.

Suddenly, she jumped after a nightmare. He asked, “Are you okay?”

She nodded brushing her hair back. He said, “I was just…”

Before he could complete, she interrupted, “Can you just stay here for tonight? Hopkins is really not helping”

He bit his upper lip and nodded. Settling next to her with his arm around her shoulders, he said, “It is funny that you still sleep with Hopkins”

She giggled, “Yeah, he loves me more than any guy I have met”

He replied quickly, “Hey, I love you more than him”

She was shocked. Turning to him and getting on her elbows she asked, “What?”

He asked, “What?”

“What did you say? You love me?”

“Umm, yeah, I think”

She raised her eyebrows, “You think?”

He sighed, “Well, yeah”

She sat up asking, “What do you mean you think? I need the clarity in this. You love me as your best-friend or you love me as in “love me”. What is it?”

He shrugged, “I think I love you and that is the reason I came to get you back. I think I love you and that is the reason I miss you each and every day in my life. I think I love you and that is the reason I keep finding you in each and every girl that I meet. So, yeah. I think I love you”

She lowered her head, “Just leave right now”

“What?” he asked. She yelled, “I said just get out my apartment”

“But I…” she interrupted, “No, no buts. You can’t just come back after five years and say that you love me and make everything go back to normal. You can’t. So, just get out.”

He climbed down the bed saying, “I think you are kicking me out because you are afraid of love. You have always lost the people that you loved and that is the reason, you don’t want anyone to be in your life anymore. Sia, I know you are afraid of losing people but pushing them away will make you all alone”

She shook her head as he walked out of the door. He was right but she didn’t want to admit that. Hugging Hopkins, she lied on the bed, crying.

 

Sia was walking down the street drinking coffee. She had got her photo-shoot cancelled a few minutes ago. She had checked with her agent about any other projects but was informed that she is free today. Suddenly, she got a call.

“Hello”

“Sia?”

“Yeah”

“Hi honey”

“I told your messenger that I am not coming back. So, what is it?”

“He said maybe I should I come to you”

Sia was confused, “What?”

“Turn around”

Sia swirled on her heels to find her mother standing on the other side of the road. Mrs. Fisher walked to her and hugged her. Sia was shocked. She asked, “Why did you come here?”

She held her hand, “I came here to spend some time with my daughter”

Jerking her hand off, she said, “No, you can’t just come here saying you want to spend time with me and make everything right. You can just go around the world, sleeping with every other guy you come across…oh wait you are marrying one. You never needed me but I needed my mother. Where were you then? You came here to take me to your wedding so that you can show-off that you have a perfect relationship with me. It is not like that, MOM. No, we are not good”

Mrs. Fisher had tears in her eyes, “I guess I deserve your hate. I know I can’t bring the time back but what I really came here is to make-up. Don’t you think I deserve a second chance?”

Sia was trying to hold her tears but soon a drop escaped her eye. She looked at her mother who hugged her. She hugged her back tightly. Pulling back, Mrs. Fisher asked, “So, I am going to start by spending today with you. What shall we do? How about you tell me about your life? I heard you travel a lot. I think we should start by your adventures”

Sia wiped her tears and smiled, “I got my travel instincts from you. I love travelling like you”

Mrs. Fisher nodded, “Yeah, but first you”

They started walking side by side as Sia started narrating her trips to Milan, Paris, Amsterdam and other places where she had her photo-shoots and fashion shows. That day, Mrs. Fisher got to know her daughter, the way she never did before. She observed that Sia was her own reflection.

 

Sia stood there smiling at her mother as her mother walked down the aisle in enchanting white dress. Tossing a smile at her, Mrs. Fisher turned her gaze to Richard. Sia met Richard few days ago but had already started liking him. In her heart, she knew Richard could never take her dad’s place. He told her, “I am not going to take his place but can you give a small place in your heart?”

He had a very convincing smile. Sia saw Richard who was watching her mother with same look that her dad used to have. She smiled to herself thinking, finally her mother got happiness that she longed for after her dad’s death. The ceremony ended on a happy note

 

Levi nudged her arm asking, “So, you finally came?”

Sia snubbed him and moved ahead to her table. He followed her and sat beside her. She asked, “Why are you following me? I think I gave you your answer”

He replied, “This is my table too”

“Well, then don’t talk to me” she warned him. He asked, “You didn’t bring any date?”

She took a sip of her wine saying, “None of your business. Just shut up, will you?”

“So, you don’t like someone?”

“No”

“Who do you like?”

“I said I like no one. There is no one”

He asked again, “Who do you like?”

She turned to him, “I said no one. Can’t you hear that?”

He smiled, “So, who do you like?”

She got irritated, “How many times are you going to ask that?”

“As many times as it takes for you to take my name”

She rolled her eyes, “I like no one. And you…I hate you. No, let me rephrase that. I am not worthy of you. I am not of your standard”

He leaned closer, “Hey, past is past. Can’t you forgive me?”

She shook her head, “Levi, she is my mother. Sooner or later, I would have forgiven her but you…you don’t deserve second chance. You were the reason I have trust issues. You were the reason I don’t have friends anymore. So, no you don’t deserve a second chance.”

He held her hand saying, “Fine, don’t give me second chance but tell me one thing, if you would not have been sick, we would have had chance?”

Her eyes widen in shock. She asked, “How do you know about that? I haven’t told anyone”

He said, “Sia, I stayed in that apartment with you for a week. One day, when I was searching for a pair of scissors, I found some reports. I got a little curious and I opened it. Sorry for that by the way. So, that is how I got to know.”

She squinted, “So that I love you was a pity one? You knew I was sick and that is why you said that. How pathetic!”

She walked out of the hall.

 

He found her in garden sobbing. Wiping her tears, she said, “You didn’t have to do that. Why play with a sick person’s feelings?”

He replied, “I didn’t confess because you were sick. I confessed because I was afraid of losing you. I thought we wouldn’t have much time left with us. So, I confessed.”

“I didn’t tell her”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to ruin her day. I thought if she knew about me, she’ll cancel the wedding. I see how happy she is.”

He smiled, “I told you she would be really happy to see you”

“Also, I didn’t turn you down because I am sick. I honestly think you deserve someone better than me. I am a rag”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders saying, “That is up to me to decide.”

Her gaze went up saying, “Umm, we should head back”

He held her arm as she got up to stand, “Why do you always have to run away?”

She shrugged with a smile, “A habit”

He stood up, close to her, “Then maybe I need to get a new habit. Catching you at every point”

She chuckled, “Yeah, better luck for that”

He pulled her closer with his arm around her waist, he kissed her. She pulled back, “You genuinely like me?”

He smiled, “I can sign a contract of that too”

She laughed, “There is no contract like that”

 

“Hey mom” she murmured as she saw her mother sitting by her side. She had been admitted to hospital last week when Levi noticed her coughing blood every minute. She protested but Levi was persistent to get her admitted.

Her mother had her hand in hers. She kissed the back of her hand and said, “You are going to be fine, baby”

She replied, “I know mom. They said it is minor stage. I’ll be cured”

Her mother was crying. Sia smiled, “Mum, hey. Chill. I am fine”

Levi entered the room with coffee cups. He said, “Julie, please don’t cry. She will get her head in clouds. She is already getting breakfast in bed”

Sia protested, “That is not breakfast. That is poison. I don’t like the food here”

He was going to answer but doctor entered the room. He greeted everyone. He said, “Sia, your reports came in and there is a good news. You are absolutely fine now”

Sia had a big smile on her face, “I have been telling that to everyone. They are getting worried, I don’t know why”

Julie kissed her daughter’s cheek and went to doctor to talk about something. Levi sat next to her with a smile, “Oh no, now I am stuck with you”

She nodded, “Yeah, bad luck”

He kissed her and said, “Life gave you a second chance too”

She nodded.