Chapter Three

Aiste Regina as Jessica Williams

~Jessica~

Present- January 29th, 2036

Jessica, Jonathan, and I are all sitting in our local cafe. We all agree that we need to have some quality time to hang out and catch up. John is finishing up on his and Abdullah’s adoption with a beautiful, little girl. Her name is Henrietta, and she is turning three years old. She is from Russia, and her parents gave her up when she was an infant. It has been almost three months since he has signed the forms, and he is losing his mind. 

"... I don’t know why it is taking so long. Abdullah and I want her right now. I hope that the forms go through. I’m pretty sure I would rather be pregnant than wait for adoption forms," John finishes as he sips the last of his latte. Jessica keeps quiet as she looks down at her black coffee. She must be rolling her eyes at his statement because he didn't have to go through childbirth. 

"You and Abdullah will get her sooner or later. Both of you deserve her. But always remember to be patient. She will be under your care before you know it," My reassurance seems to be working because John responds with a sweet smile and thanks me.

The thought of us completely changing over a few years puts a smile on my face. 

I can still remember when John didn't want any children. And it only feels like yesterday when Jessica was scared, alone, and pregnant. If only she asked for help back then. But I am glad to have my beautiful little niece and my friends.

We will support Jessica and her daughter no matter what. 

"I mean, you and Stan have been together since-" I stop John before he can finish his sentence. 

"It’s Vittorio and me now. Ever since the beginning of my last trimester, he has been the one by my side. Stan is in the past now; I don’t like reminding you about it, John," I interrupt John with a hard tone. He needs to remember that Stan is out of the picture.

Again.

He should know better than to forget such important information. Considering what we’ve all been through in the past two years.

They know that Vittorio and I hate anything that has to do with Stan. It will only take us back to the dark place again. However, I know that sooner or later, this will be something that we won’t even care about anymore. It’s just an uncomfortable subject to the touch. 

"So Christine, I was wondering how Nathaniel was doing? I haven’t had the time to see him for months." Jessica asked in an attempt to ease my annoyance. It works and I beam at the mention of my son. 

After all that happened between Vittorio and me, my son is the one good thing from the mess. And even though Vittorio was surprised when I told him about my pregnancy. But he still accepts Nathaniel as his own.

I love him so much. 

"Nathaniel is great. He is turning two, and I am excited about his birthday party. I invited both Phillipa and Arabella to his party, and I will appreciate it if you guys can come," Arabella and Phillipa are both Nathaniel’s friends at his daycare. All three of them are glued together. Sometimes they remind me of us right now. 

"Can I invite Adamelia? She will love to play with them and whatnot," Jessica asks. I scoff, that isn't even an option

I give Jessica a small smile before saying yes. She nods with a smile before we continue with our conversation.

Jessica got pregnant around the same time I did. Back then, she thought that Adamelia’s father loved her enough to raise her with Jessica. But, he had his problems, and he couldn’t bear to be with them. So when Jessica told him about their baby, he disappeared as if he never existed in her life.

It had broken Jessica, and she was never able to get over him. But she had to get over it so Jessica can overcome her other obstacle: being a single mother. 

However, when she told me and Johnny about her situation, she didn't have to go through this anymore. She has us as her family. And now, little Adamelia has her uncle Vittorio, uncle Abdullah, uncle Johnathan and me. 

But I know that Jessica is glad that the man gave her a beautiful little girl. Adamelia is her sunshine, and I know that Jessica wouldn’t want it any other way.

Sometimes I look back at what happened. I can’t believe that us being friends will bring us into our position. But I guess everything happens for a reason. If I had the chance to do it all again, then I would. 

And it’s odd to think that this all happened because we all went to some club. I guess fate put us all together like this, and I am glad it did. 

Being with Jessica is excellent. She is kind, sweet, funny, and is truly understanding. But it’s not because she has been my best friend for ten years, it's not because she is very social and it’s not because of her good spirits. 

It is because she is...

[̲̅J][̲̅e][̲̅s][̲̅s][̲̅i][̲̅c][̲̅a][̲̅W][̲̅i][̲̅l][̲̅l][̲̅i][̲̅a][̲̅m][̲̅s]

Past- 23rd July 2032

I had a great dream. It consists of a handsome man with olive skin, silky hair, hazel eyes, and a beautiful smile. It feels so surreal that I never want to wake up.

I groan as I shift in my bed, my ears are assaulted by the alarm. All I want to do is avoid the alarm and sleep. However, today feels different. First, I had a dream. This is weird because I haven’t dreamt since I was a child. Secondly, my bed feels warmer than it usually does. Finally, my lower body feels sore. It's as if I went to the gym. And I haven't gone to the gym since university.

As I get out of my bed to turn off the alarm, I feel something in my bed. This immediately scares me and I pull down the new covers. I realize that the thing in the bed is the same guy in my dream. He isn't wearing anything on. And when I look down, I am also naked. Now I am panicking. I rapid look around and find that these aren’t my covers, and this isn’t my bedroom.

I now remember the previous events that happened last night. I grab my hair as I hyperventilate. How can I be so stupid and do something as childish and idiotic? I shake the stranger as I try to gather my thoughts. My goal to save until marriage has been tarnished. And I can never get that back.

I lost my virtue to a fucking stranger. 

When I see him finally wake up, the confusion on his face is expected. What I don't expect is the sultry, accented voice to come out of his mouth.  

"Um... what are you doing in my house?" He asks cautiously. My previous plan to yell at him flies out the window. I remember my nudity and cover my top half. 

I blush because he is still naked. But I try keeping my composure.

"Look, there isn't much that I can say. But I think we slept together. But I don't remember because I was drunk." I try explaining without bursting into tears. This is something that I NEVER thought that I'd do. 

I can see the shock and confusion on his face. He keeps quiet for a while as he sweeps his long hair behind his head. Then he gets up and walks to the adjacent bathroom. I can hear him slightly swear under his breath.

He comes back out and sits on the bed to face. 

“Well, I'd like to apologize. I was under the influence of party pills. Plus, this is quite a shock to wake up to. But I have had worse happen to me. I know that we can settle this. First, I'd like to know your name,” His voice is calm and sincere. I expected him to kick me out of his home. This is probably not his first time. 

"My name is Christine, what about your name?" I ask. He has a small smile before answering. 

“My name is Stan, Stan Lucassen,” 

I nod as we get out of his bed. The silence is awkward as we both dress up. I have never been so dirty in my life. 

All this is all Jessica’s fault. She had the nerve to get mad at me and left me in some club by myself. As soon as I find Jessica, I am going to destroy her. And thanks to her, I have to pay for the consequences.

"Since you can’t remember what happened last night, how do you know that we slept together?" I want to laugh at his situation. If you have a naked stranger on your bed, then you probably have had sex with them.

"Well, I put the pieces together. If wake up, naked, see you naked, and feel sore, the chances of us having sex is pretty likely," I explain as I clip on my bra. Stan seems like the distant kind. Relationships don't suit him, so he looks the type to sleep around. I guess that I am no different from his other flings.

"Well, are you clean? It's a bit rude to ask, but I never had sex before and I don't want any diseases," He replies. I look at him, surprised. He doesn't look inexperienced. He seems to deal with the situation well. I don't know why, but it's comforting that he's in a similar position to me. 

"This was my first time as well, so I am also clean," My answer surprises Stan. It looks like he had his assumptions of me too. 

Before I could more questions, his phone starts ringing. He gives me an apologetic smile before walking away to answer it.

“Hello? …What do you mean you can’t make it? … But the reservation has to be canceled three days in advance… Thanks for letting me know … We will have another meeting next week at… I’ll see you later,” Stan hangs up with an exasperated sigh. 

“Are you okay? Did something happen?” I ask. He looks up and points at his phone. 

“Uh, I'm not really okay. My potential business partner told me he can't meet me at our meeting at restaurant. But I made reservations for two.” He explains with mild frustration.

“Oh, that doesn’t sound good,” This didn’t seem to be a good day for him. He sleeps with a random stranger, and now he has a reservation that he can’t cancel. I’m just glad that I didn’t have to worry about these problems. But then his eyes light up. 

“Wait, since I have this open reservation, why don’t I take you out? To say sorry for this happening to you.” His offer is straightforward. I say yes because it isn't going to get any worse.

He smiles at me and tells me to get ready at around eight pm.

I wasn’t this excited ever since I had my first date with my ex. 

;’;’;’;’;’;’;’

I have been trying to adjust my dress for almost an hour now. I want to make a good impression with Stan. He is a handsome, mature man, and I want to know more about him. I am back in my bedroom getting ready for a date. 

I start pacing back and forth, contemplating how the date will go. What if it gets awkward between us? And what if he thinks that I’m boring? Just as I am spiraling out of control, the doorbell rings. When I open the door, I don't prepare myself for what is I see. 

Stan is wearing a plain suit and has his hair tied into a messy bun. Even though he isn't wearing anything extravagant, I am still in awe of Stan's natural beauty. And so is Stan, because as soon as he sees me, his mouth was open, and he keeps staring at me. I start chuckling as he begins to blush. It's cute. You wouldn't expect a man of his looks to be cute.

"Shall we go?" I ask as I step out of my home and close the door behind me. Stan seems to finally come out of his trance. 

"Yes," He answers with a beautiful smile. 

We both get into his car and he drives us to George's restaurant. When we get out of the car, we walk towards the waiter. He signs out the reservation and takes us to the Eliot Room. There, we sit down and finally get to know each other.

"So, what do you do for a living?" When he asks that question, I smile before I answer.

"Well, I am a writer and was able to make a few bestsellers. One of them is ’Live your life,’" Stan’s expression light up the moment I mention my book.

"Wait, you were the writer of ’Live your life?’ That book was a philosophical breakthrough; it was able to speak the truth about the flaws of our society. It was a real eye-opener. I am a big fan," His confession makes me gleam. I didn't even know that he's a reader of my books. 

"Why, thank you. People always got angry at me because of how ’contradicting’ it was because I am a Christian," I explain. 

"Wow,"

"Yeah,"

"That’s amazing," Stan's response surprises me. I have never had my readers say that to me. 

"Wait, you don’t care?" I confirm. He chuckles and shakes his head. 

"No. You don’t care about what others think. Your book has made a lot of controversies, but it shows an outside perspective. Your religion doesn’t hinder your opinions; instead, it encouraged them. You even have a section in the book where you point out particular flaws between the versions of the Bible. You are the only person so far that has to reveal the flaws of your religion without censorship. And I think that is very courageous," Stan's honesty makes me smile was spread from ear to ear. After this moment, I feel closer to him. I finally found someone that sees that I don't let my religion identify who I am.

The only people that don't let my religion define me in real life are Jessica and John. And they are the people that I can only count on, and vice versa. Now, I finally relate to someone else about these topics.

My parents still think that publishing that book was a mistake. I try not to let it get into my head, but it hurts knowing that they believe that I am going against God. They would always tell me to speak the truth and never to lie. But as soon as I publish my book, it was an abomination against our God.

“Thanks. This is the first time that a reader of mine understands what I am trying to convey. Most people have used it as a weapon to harm other people, and I hate that. Sometimes, I think that it would’ve been better if I didn’t get my book published.” Stan lays a hand onto mine with understanding eyes. He doesn't need to say anything for me to know. I just know. I clear my throat before continuing

"I also have two close friends. They are called Jessica and Johnathan. Jessica used to be a Catholic before becoming an atheist. Johnathan is my childhood best friend from Israel and is gay.

My parents are called George and Pamela. I also have an older brother named Calvin. He's the CEO of a very important company in the United States. I am also writing a romance book but it’s not going so well,"

We are so focused on our conversation that we don't even notice the waitress coming over to bring our food. But when she informs us that the entrées are here, we just take them and eat quickly. After we finish eating, we keep talking for what seems like hours.

"I was born and lived in a rural part of Italy with my mother. My father was a man that would sell fruits in the market, and my mother would stay at home to look after me. 

The last time I saw my father was when I was eight. He told me that he had to protect my mother and that I had to be strong for both of them, he then left, and I never saw him again. 

I then focused on school and became one of the top students. I finished high school at the age of sixteen and finished university at twenty-two with a Bachelor of Business. And now I run a moderate business in Italy." I stared at Stan in awe. Stan is such a fascinating man. I have never been more intrigued by anyone in my life. Talking to him felt so natural, it’s as if I’ve known him for years.

We leave the restaurant, drive back to my place, and walk to my front door. I don't want Stan to go, and it looks like he doesn’t want to leave either.

"I had an enjoyable time tonight, Christine. You are an incredible woman, and an even better conversationalist," Stan's compliments make my cheeks heat up. I never felt such a desire for anyone in my life. 

"I know. Even though today started terrible, talking to you made me feel better," I say, gazing into his eyes. I couldn’t stop staring into his beautiful hazel eyes. His eyes were just like in my dream; they were always so hypnotizing. I just wanted to stare into them forever.

I didn’t even realize that our faces were getting closer until our lips were connected. I was a bit surprised when our lips met, but I closed my eyes as the kiss slowly deepened. It didn’t take long for the sweet kiss to transform into a passionate tongue battle. We wanted to keep going, but both of us were running out of breath, so we broke the kiss.

"Do you want to come inside my house?" I whisper into his ear. I can feel such a sensual heat come over me. When he gave me his answer, I opened my door and pulled him inside.