A Game Of Secrets And Lies

The next day, Den returned this time with a bouquet of lilies, Julie"s favourite flowers. The two of them drove to a cozy cafe built magnificently in a quiet corner of city. The aroma of freshly brewed tea and cookies filled the air, creating a comfortable and intimate air.

As they sat down at a table by the window, Den, his eyes fixed on Julie took a deep breath and began to speak. “Julie, I know I hurt you. I understand that I"ve no right to ask for your forgiveness, but I want you to know that I"m truly sorry for what I did.”

Julie, still raised a hand to stop him. “Don"t, Den. It doesn"t matter now. We"re different people now. The history is the history.”

Den, his eyes searching, leaned forward. “But the past wasn"t just a mistake, Julie. It was...it was a betrayal. I know that. I"m not trying to excuse myself, but I want you to understand.” He pleaded.

Julie cut him off again, her voice crisp and firm. “Den, stop. We both know what happened. We don"t need to go over it again. It"s over, finished. There"s nothing left to say.” She said firmly.

Den, his shoulders rising with disappointment, sighed. He knew she wasn"t ready to talk about it. She was right, of course. The past was a dangerous place, filled with pain and remorse. He didn"t want to readdress it, but he had to try to explain, to make her see that he had changed, that he was a different person now.

“I know, Julie.” he said painfully. “I understand. But I just want you to know that I"m...I"m different now. I"ve changed. The last time you saw me, I was lost, confused, and hysterical. I didn"t know what I wanted, and I didn"t know how to say it. I made some bad choices, and I hurt you in the process. But that was also. This is now.” He said pleadingly.

He paused, taking a sip from his tea. He could see the flicker of curiosity in Julie"s eyes, but he could also see the reservations. It was a battle between past pain and the possibility of a future.

“I know I don"t deserve a second chance.” he continued, his voice low. “But I want you to know that I"m not the same person I was before. I"ve had time to think, to grow and to learn from my mistakes . I...I want to make things right, if you"ll let me.” He said sadly. His eyes registering the plea that had built up in him.

Julie, her eyes fixed on the swirling tea in her mug, eventually looked up at him. “Den, you said that you"ve changed. But how can I be sure? How can I conceivably trust you after what happened?”

Den, his heart sinking, realized that he had to be honest with her. He had to tell her about the last night, about the foolish, impulsive passion that had brought them back together, about the ghost of a love that had no way truly faded.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke. “Julie, I know this is..this is presumably the last thing you want to hear, but but I can"t pretend that last night meant nothing to me. It was...it was foolish, yes. I know that. But it was also...it was real. It felt like..

like a chance to to start over.” He said hopefully.

Julie, taken aback suddenly by his honesty looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. “Den, what are you saying? Are you trying to tell me that that you want to to be with me again?” She asked.

Den, his eyes filled with a craving that he"d tried to suppress for years, nodded. “Yes, Julie. I am. I know it"s a long shot, but I... I can not help but feel that there is something between us, something that we have not relatively finished. perhaps it was just a mistake, a one night stand, but it felt like something more. It felt like a chance to..to revitalize what we had, to try again, to see if if we could make it work this time.” He said.

Julie, her heart pounding in her chest, felt torn between her desire to believe him and her fear of being hurt again. She had spent years trying to forget him, to move on, to rebuild her life. Now, he was back, offering her a chance to rewrite their history and to write their future.

She knew that she couldn"t ignore the passions that had resurfaced within her, passions that were as strong and inarguable as they had been years ago. But she was afraid, afraid of being hurt again, and of falling for him only to have her heart shattered again.

As they sat there, lost in their thoughts their silence broken only by the clinking of cups and the soft murmur of discussion around them, a young woman approached their table. She was tall and beautiful, with long flowing golden hair and piercing blue eyes. She was dressed perfectly, in a satiny black dress that hugged her angles. She radiated an air of confidence and complication that was insolvable to ignore.

She stopped in front of their table, her eyes fixed on Den. She wrapped her arms around his body, her touch jealous and leaned in her lips brushing against his cheeks. “Den, darling, I thought you wouldn"t be back until later. What are you doing there?” She asked.

Den, startled by her appearance, he glanced at Julie, his face filled with guilt and confusion. Julie, her heart sinking, looked at the woman, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“I.. I was just having tea with Julie.” Den stammered, his voice slightly above a whisper.

The woman, her smile turning cold and devious at once like hard light, turned to Julie. “You are Julie? I"m Angela. Den"s fiancee.” She declared matter of factly.

Julie was surprised at the turn of events. What game was Den playing here? He had brought her all the way from home to this place begging only for a second chance only to be met with this? Her eyes locked with Den"s and she asked. "What"s going on Den?