Two men in one day. Hmm…
J, I’m so happy you wrote to me again. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you, and for a bit, I was worried, but of course, I know I shouldn’t have been. Between the two of us, you were always the one who could adapt to situations faster. While I try to study and analyze situations, you always dive head first and figure things out later. I always envied you for this, but you know what, just having you as my friend made me braver. I still remember the first time we met, and even though it was the most awful day of my life, it was also the best. Remember how you found me? I was getting beat up at the back of the gym by those kids in my class, and you stepped in. I know it was none of your business, and you could have just ignored them and gone on your way, but you didn’t, and for that, I am thankful. Our other friends always made fun of me and my dorky side, but you always shut them down. You were my hero, and though you said not to call you that, I will always say that you ar
“Marius, can you keep a secret?” Regina had been contemplating the whole day if she should tell Marius what happened last weekend, and several times she shot down the idea, but in the end, thinking about it too much had made her anxious. Working at the hospital left her with no friends. Her best friend and brother, Raffy, would never understand her predicament, so she had to confide in another person. Marius signaled by zipping his mouth and throwing away the key. “Wait, before you tell me anything, I wanted to say that you look very happy today. There’s a glow about you that looks like you got laid. Okay, zipping my mouth again.” “First off, I did not get laid,” she rolled her eyes, “But I went on a date, and ended up with two men confessing their feelings for me.” “Oh my gosh girlfriend, look at you. Men lined up all the way out the door.” “Oh, don’t exaggerate. It’s two guys and I barely know them.” “Still, don’t you feel elated that two men are infatuated with you?” “Oh shu
“Ms. Martin, I think you’re intentionally trying to give me a heart attack. It’s been several weeks, and you seem to get more creative with your attire each time.” “Honestly, I do not see what is wrong with my bathing suit this time.” “The first time I bathed your mother, I was in my underwear, and you specifically told me it should never happen again, but your mother does not want to bathe with the male caregiver. She won’t even let him give her a sponge bath. So what are you going to do with her hygiene?” “I agreed you should be the one to bathe her, which is why we came to a compromise, and you said you’d bring a swimsuit, bathing attire, whatever you want to call it.” “So what is wrong with what I wore?” “The first one was inappropriate. You looked like you were applying as a swimsuit model for a men’s magazine. You had three triangles to cover your private parts and nothing else.” Regina smiled. She did that on purpose. To see if he would say something about it. After their
A few days later, Owen came down for breakfast, and something seemed amiss. The dining table, usually full of food, was empty, and when he called out, none of the household staff came to ask what he needed. He heard laughing and screaming, so he followed the sounds. Several people were outside in the garden, running around excitedly.“What is happening here?” Something darted under his feet, and the maids stood in line and averted their eyes.The culprit barked at Owen and nipped at his slacks playfully. “Come here, you crazy mongrel!” Regina grabbed the ball of fur and hugged it tight. She giggled when the three-month-old golden retriever licked her face.“How am I not surprised you are in the middle of this?”“I asked a friend to bring their puppy for your mom’s mental and emotional health.”“How does a dog feature into that?”“I had a bright idea last night.”“Oh yay, one of those.” Owen expressed sarcastically.“I was thinking some old folk’s homes have animals they use for emoti
The next day, Regina wondered if she should cancel her date with Arthur. The kiss with Owen had been weighing heavily on her mind, and wondered if it affected Owen the same way. She was distracted and worried her date with Arthur would not be enjoyable. But at the last minute, she decided that backing out would make her look bad. Arthur worked for Owen, and she didn’t want it to be awkward between them when they saw each other again. Arthur took Regina to Cherry Blossom Park, knowing she was fond of flowers. Once a year, the flowers bloomed and during that time they covered the entire park in pink petals, falling like snow on a winter’s day. Regina wore a dusty pink sundress with small, white flowers, making her look like she was part of the display, like a fairy or a wood nymph dancing among the trees. “This place is so pretty. I love sitting among the benches out here and just watching the petals falling. Come Art, I know the perfect place.” She pulled his arm and led him to he
That weekend, Regina went home to visit her parents. She was getting overwhelmed with the men in her life that she needed a break.‘Who knew I would come here knowing my mom nags me about getting married constantly? I guess it’s better than thinking about three different guys and comparing them all day.’“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” Regina called out in the living room, but nobody answered. She went to the kitchen, and all the maids were nowhere to be found. So she sent a message to her mom and asked where they were. “We’re at the clubhouse for brunch. I sent all the maids home for the weekend.”“That’s odd. Why would you do that?”“Nobody’s at home these days, dear. They have nothing to do. So at least they get to rest and spend time with their families.”“I’m here, and I’m staying for the weekend. Make me food, Mommy.”“You know the number for the takeout places. Order something.”Regina sent her mother an icon with its tongue out to show her displeasure. “I’m making pancakes and messing
A,I finally did it. I asked her out. I asked Regina out. I didn’t think she’d say yes, but she did. It was the coolest day of my entire life. I almost screamed for joy when she said yes. Can you believe that there is not a single day that I don’t see her, and it fills my day just to be in her presence? I want us to be together soon, so I can stand beside her, hold her hand, kiss her soft, red lips, and touch her face, but I can hear you telling me to be patient. And I will. I can feel that she’s warming up to me already, giving me those lovely smiles and secret looks. Okay, okay, before you throw a fit, I will tell you about our date. It was perfect. I didn’t think it would happen, but it did, and it was magical. You should have been there. We had so much fun. I can’t tell you enough how smart she is. She knew about every topic I threw at her. It was like we were really in sync with each other. Once again, I will say you are right. She was awesome, and nobody else can replace her. I
Yvan Bennet, the youngest of the brothers, had been a model since he turned 18 seven years ago.His family was shocked when they learned he skipped school to pursue his career. To the detriment of his family, he never finished high school, which is why they gave him a hard time.But as he grew, the importance of education stuck with him. So he took the GED* test to get the equivalent of a high school diploma. But college was still out of the question.People always think modeling is an easy job. Posing and standing around, looking good, couldn’t be that hard, but Yvan was just as dedicated and worked harder than anybody.He put in long hours to catch the correct lighting, jumped into freezing waters in winter just to deliver the perfect shot for the new summer collection, and dealt with people he knew had less than honorable intentions. His hard work had paid off by affording him an apartment in the middle of the city. Nestled among the skyscrapers was his refuge, giving him a scenic
“Regina, are you okay?” Arthur’s softer voice asked from the other side, and she looked up as she wiped her tears away. “I need to tell you something before he comes back. I drugged you the entire time you were with Jacob because he wanted you to cry and scream when he raped you, but he wouldn’t touch a sleeping body. He said it felt like he was fucking the dead. So I made you sleep.” “You what?” “I drugged you, so he couldn’t do anything to you. All the things he told you were lies. None of them happened.” “You did that for me?” she asked, confused about whom to believe. Was this version of Arthur telling the truth, or was it also another lie? “I couldn’t bear the thought that I stood by and watched while he harmed you.” “Why?” “I always loved you, Regina. I always will,” Arthur said before his face changed again. “That stupid shit. What did he tell you?” Armed with the knowledge that nothing happened between them, Regina stood to taunt Jacob. She wanted to get to the bottom o
“I wanted to see.”“And there’s a reason I told you no.”“Babe…”“That guy left me for dead, Regina. Would you like to see a picture of that?”“Yes. I want to understand why a man with a face so kind could be so horrible.”“I will show you the footage from the precinct and how they found out Arthur’s mental illness.” Owen sighed, knowing that keeping the truth from Regina would just give her more reason to sneak around. “Then will you come to bed and forget about this?” She nodded as Owen retrieved a file from his computer and showed her a video of Arthur arguing with himself at the precinct. He was fighting with himself as if there were two people instead of one, and Regina felt unnerved. “The doctors said Jacob was too traumatized by Arthur’s loss that he erased the fact that he was dead. In his grief, he developed the Arthur persona, who was kind and smart, just like the actual person. It was a form of coping mechanism.”“Where is he now?”“In the psychiatric hospital inside the
“YOU KILLED ARTHUR! YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!” It said before images began appearing on the screen. Regina was frozen and horrified because of the text, she was trying to figure out what the images were but Owen closed the lid before she did.“Don’t touch the computer. It was just a virus. I have a friend who can clean this for you.“Who would send such a horrific message? And what is that message about Arthur? Is he dead?”“Yes, no. It’s a long story. Don’t worry about it.” He said as he moved the laptop to his desk.“Don’t lie to me, Owen.” Regina stood up to face him. “We said no secrets. What was that about? And why is there a naked woman on my screen?”“Did you have an affair and not tell me, because gods help me, I am not taking this crap from you.”“No babe, I wouldn’t do that to you. You have to sit while I tell you what that was about.”“I can’t sit. My blood is boiling right now.”“Okay, let’s go to the kitchen, get a glass of water for both of us while I collect my tho
“Dad, thank you for giving me the extended leave. France has inspired me a lot with my artistic side. Did you see my paintings?”“Yeah, I have a few of them put up in the hospital and around the house already. Is that what you want to do now? Paint?”“Oh no, that’s just my side hobby. I was inspired by the nursing home in France and wanted to build a non-profit nursing home as a branch of our hospital.”“That sounds like a good idea. I think someone suggested that before and we just didn’t have time to look into it. Talk to the project manager so we can get this started. Which wing do you want it in?”“Well, that’s the thing. I want it to be separate from the hospital, in a more scenic setting so we can usher the old people to rest peacefully. I don’t want them to feel like they’re in the hospital all the time.”“Are you willing to put in work for this project? This will be a lot of work, starting with finding available properties. You can’t just quit mid-way because it’s too hard.”R
“What are you telling them?”“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I have everything in control.” He said confidently as they walked to his mother’s room.“Mom? Are you awake?” Owen asked. Myles was reading her a book Regina sent from France, and the scenes were getting steamy, so he was glad that his mother’s attention got diverted to the guests. “Look who’s here?”He stepped aside, and Regina softly exclaimed, “Surprise!”Mrs. Bennet stared at Regina, wondering who she was, and then it clicked. “Mandy? Oh, I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve missed you so.” She grew emotional as Regina sat on the bed and hugged her.“So did I Mrs. Bennet. I am glad to see that you are better.” Regina touched her forehead to get the temperature and her wrist to check how fast her pulse rate was.“Oh, it was nothing. They just worry too much. Now I’m in the hospital when all I want to do is see that dog.” Bella had been constant in her life, and like Regina, not having seen her for a few days, threw everything out o
News of Owen’s mystery woman spread throughout the nation as pictures of the couple were shared across every website on the internet. “Owen, what are we going to do? Can we hire someone to delete the pictures?” Regina asked as the car sped away. He smirked, “No.” “No? But your reputation?” “I’m a single man in a relationship with a beautiful woman, so I don’t care about the pictures.” “But the paparazzi, they’ll know.” “We’re not hiding our relationship, my love. Unless you want to.” “I don’t.” “I know you don’t want your face in the media, so we won’t tell them who you are. Let them find out on their own.” “I don’t care if they find out. I’m through hiding. It didn’t do me any good, anyway. I kept lying to people I really liked. I just hope they could forgive me,” she said, leaning back into the seat, more relaxed. “Well then, that’s settled,” Owen smiled and leaned over to nuzzle her ear. “You know they’ll be at my apartment waiting. What do you say we go to yours and lock
Regina asked how they all knew each other, and the three men regaled her with stories of when they met while re-constructing the apartment she was staying in.“So I have a question. If Owen owns the complex, then why do I have a small apartment?”Caelan and François both laughed and teased Owen.“Well, I didn’t want you to get suspicious about paying such a small price for an enormous apartment, so we gave you the smallest unit. It was Caelan’s place.”“Aww…” Regina looked at Caelan, “You gave it up for me? I’m sorry if I brought in mismatched furniture in there.”“Don’t feel sorry for him. He got a bigger apartment out of the deal, so he’s happy about that.” Owen butted in, and Regina laughed.“I don’t mind how you decorated the place. I like it and will keep most of the furniture,” Caelan replied.“So I heard Owen hired you to follow me around and disrupt my dates with Jason. Is that true?”“Well—I—He—Yes, it’s true,” Caelan could not defend himself, so he admitted the truth.“So th
The sun was peeking through the horizon by the time the couple fell asleep, satiated and full of love. Neither wanted to sleep lest everything was just a dream. Regina woke up first, staring at the sleeping man beside her, waiting for him to awaken. “What are you doing?” Owen asked, his voice husky from sleep.She blushed that she got caught running her finger down his chest, tracing the lines of his abdomen. “Waking you. Did it work?”“It did.” He grabbed her waist, pulling her toward him. He hooked his legs around hers and kissed her neck. “I missed you so much that when you stopped sending me messages, it made me go crazy.”“I’m sorry. I was so ashamed about what happened that I did not know how to handle the situation. How could I not know anything about my body?”“There were a lot of things happening during that time. Stop blaming yourself. We’re here now, where we should be. Just don’t shut me out again.”“I promise I won’t.” Owen nibbled her neck, and her body came alive. “W
“I had a baby—”“I know.”Regina scrunched her brows in shock. “But I never told you. The diary said you didn’t know.”“The baby was ours,” he said, holding her gaze. If her mouth wasn’t hanging open before, it was now.“How—”“How did I know? I have the same tracker app you do, and they were synched together so I could watch your cycle. I wanted to know when it would be safe because we were having unprotected sex. We needed to take extra precautions to prevent having an accident.”“But we still did.”“It doesn’t make a difference. I still love you.” “You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”“I was waiting for you to share your troubles, so I gave you the space you needed, but you just distanced yourself from me. I didn’t want to nag you because you’ve been through so much already. So I waited.”“The diary said I couldn’t tell you because I felt guilty.”“I know.”“But I didn’t tell you…”“You said it in the letter that you sent me.”“The letter that you keep talking about?”“Yes, do you w