29. Once upon a time...

"Where in the world did you disappear to Van., I looked everywhere for you.. I mean a minute you were behind me, and the next you were not... Where did you go to, I was starting to get worried... Jenny said when Vanessa finally walked into the house...

" I mean a minute you were standing right behind me, and the next you were not.. Where did you go to?Jenny questioned her like she was a teenager who had stayed out too late... "Em's dad was here, and he waited for a long time to see you but you were no where to be found..

" I'm sorry Jen, I didn't mean to worry you.. I just went out for some fresh air... Was all Vanessa could say. She was not ready to tell Jenny that the Nathan that had saved her life., was also the Nathan that was a preacher and the father of her little comforter...

"As long as you're back safe and sound, everything is fine... Margaret said wanting to save Vanessa from Jenny's questions. Would you like some apple pie, my neighbor Lisa gave it to me..

" oh no aunt Margaret, my stomach is still filled with the chicken I had for lunch, so I'm not sure I can even eat dinner.. Maybe some other time. For now, I just want to have a warm bath and go to bed... Vanessa said, really grateful that aunt Margaret saved her from Jenny's questions. At least for now...

"Well alright dear., I'll keep some for you and you can have them later... You can wash up and go to bed... Margaret said with a sweet smile., giving Vanessa the permission to leave... But somebody was not happy about this...

" you can run for now Vanessa., but you can't hide forever... I will let you rest for now, but tomorrow you will tell me where you went to...

" Yes Boss., I'll see you in the morning.. I'm really tired now.. Vanessa said as she ran up the wooden stairs that led to her room...

She got into the room, slammed the door behind her like she was previously being chased by someone or something. She sat on the floor with her back to the door, her heart was still beating fast. It's been almost thirty minutes since she watched him leave the house with Em., and yet she could not shake of this weird feeling from her body...

When he walked out of the door, he carried his daughter in his arms. He was obviously tired, but yet he still carried her. They looked sincerely happy together... Seeing them together like that made her wonder how it would have been if she had a child with Mark as she had dreamed, Mark would probably hold their daughter the same way this man was, he would probably love their daughter the way this man does..

But all this was wishful thinking... There was no perfect picture anywhere anymore for she and Mark.. Her hopes and dreams were all shattered... Thinking of this brought fresh pain to her heart, and she could not hold back the sobs and tears that came out on their own...

Mark who was once the source of her laughter, was now the reason for her constant tears.. And she felt like her tears were not going to end anytime soon... Every single thing she did, reminded her of him. He had become a deep wound that hurt badly... A wound that she was not sure was ever going to heal...

When she and Jenny had gone out that evening, they had passed a Cafe.. 'REMEMBER COFFEE' .. It was at this place that Vanessa got her first kiss... The memories came flowing back to her like it was just yesterday... She remembered every little detail clearly.. It was during their summer vacation..

He had been asking her out for months, but she refused... Not because she didn't like him then, but because according to her, he was too good looking, and every girl in the school probably wanted to date him.. So if she agreed, it would probably make her the enemy of a lot of people... Well that was her crazy reason, and then Mark could not just understand it.

The three of them including Jenny worked at the Cafe during their summer break...

"Hey., Van!!!... The young cute Mark poked her shoulder...

" What Mark??... Vanessa answered almost emotionlessly...

"I just wanted to say....

" No... Jenny suddenly interrupted him...

"What do you mean No" Mark asked confused... "I mean the answer to whatever you are going to say is No... Jenny said as she picked up some plates and wiped the empty table with a napkin..

" Why would you say that, you don't even know what I want to say yet... Mark said irritated.. Vanessa saw the look on his face, and it made her just smile.. He was really cute like this...

" I don't need to know the question to know that the answer is always a big No.. So I'm just telling you to not waste your time and energy and just face your work... Jenny says laughing.. But it was not funny to Mark., he felt like tying her down to a chair., hands and legs tied firmly, and lips taped so tight that a squeak will not be heard., and then lock her up in a dark room and throw away the keys... Vanessa saw the look on his face, and it was like she could see right through him...

"stop thinking of kidnapping my friend... She said to him smiling..." but she's always bugging me ".. He said in his defense like a child reporting to his mother about a bad older sibling.

" And besides that's not the way you treat the birthday boy".. He added...

"oh the birthday boy should just..., then the words suddenly hit her BIRTHDAY... It's your birthday?? She asked surprised

" well yes., and I was going to ask you to at least go out with me even if it was just for today., but someone ruined it... He threw deadly glances at Jenny., and she just runs to the store room for safety... Also to pick up a mop to clean the mess a customer had made all over the floor...

"oh Mark, I'm so sorry.. I had no idea it was your birthday.. Happy birthday Mark... I'm sorry I didn't get you anything..

" that's okay... But since you did not give me anything, what do you say to that date huh, just for today... Pleaseeee... He was just too cute to say no to. Especially on his birthday..

" Okay fine... Was her reply.. It was short and audible, and was definitely not expected...

" come on please it's just.... Wait what... Did you just say yes... His head suddenly worked properly...

"yeah I did... She assured him again...

" oh my God Van., oh my God I promise you will not regret this.. Thank you so much.. Thank you... He said happily as he unconsciously ran over to her and hugged her tight... It was like the best moment of his life. He had not expected that she would agree to this... But she did.. He was beyond happy...

He broke the hug and that was when he realized that he was so close to her, her face was looking more radiant now that they were so close to each other., he was now realizing that she had really long eye lashes., and her Grey eyes that were looking straight into his., were mesmerizing... Then his eyes feel on upon her lips... His finger unconsciously moved, tracing the edges of her lips.., feeling the softness...

Vanessa on the other hand was like frozen to the spot.. His sudden hug had freezed her, she had no sense of what was happening anymore... All she knew was that in a minute they were talking, and in the next...,

Hot wanting lips covered hers... It wasn't a rough kiss., it was like he was waiting for her response., and well she responded, as she also kissed him back...

And then a birthday date, turned into more dates., and years passed., and eventually, even though he promised she would not regret it., she was in serious regret now... He had caused more pain in a short while that it had covered up all the good memories they had together....

She just laid there in her room., crying as she reminisced of the old times...

She wished she had not given in back then..

She wished she had not let him into her life...

But mostly she wished and hoped that one day, she would be able to think of him and not shed tears...