A faint smile lit up her face as she completed her birthday schedule.She reluctantly paused for a second and looked at the notepad that lay in her hands. “Should I invite Seth?”She kept asking herself the same questions multiple times. Indeed it was painful as if she reopened an old sore but a part of her wanted him to find her happy, to see that she is in love with another man.“No,”Phoebe said loudly, being quiet all the time. She couldn’t invite Seth. It was time for her and she had to concentrate on her happiness this time. Seth would only bring back memories, she did not want to think about the past and she made up her mind to forget them. Her party would be a celebration of her freedom not a depiction of what had been before. She quickly wrote something else on the notepad She had written to remind herself to call for Sarah and ask her to check on the number of guests.Just then her phone beeped which jolted her off her thoughts. It’s a text from Christian.“Pretty excited to s
The tension rose higher and higher and when Christian tried to grab Phoebe’s hand to bring her to him and kiss her maybe to teach Seth a lesson, Seth was right in front of him, his hand outstretched to stop him. “No,” Seth replied in a very low and dangerous tone. His fingers tightened around Christian’s wrist in a way that was unkind and the two men were nose to nose, glaring at each other. Christian’s lips curled into a sneer. ‘Or what?’ He sneered, the fire of defiance burning in his eyes. Seth stared at Christian with fiery eyes. “Or maybe I will tell you to whom she belongs. ” The room stopped for them, the music and voices of people in the background becoming inaudible as the two men glared at each other. Seth’s fingers dug into Christian’s skin for a second before he let go of his wrist and took a step back but kept staring at him. Phoebe was standing between them this time raising both hand sideways l. ‘Enough!’ she yelled, her voice shaking with rage. ”This is not a ba
“This is about you not accepting that I have, you know Seth,” “You cannot just come here and pretend that everything is fine. ” Seth stood his ground and looked right into Phoebe's eyes. “Has it really changed, Phoebe? Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don’t have any feelings when we are this close. ” Phoebe hesitated and her heart was pounding. Even now there was something about him that drew her to him. But she is struggling to carve a new life for herself. She refuses to let herself be bogged down by past emotions and feelings. “Seth, you cannot decide whether I should be happy or not, or where my life is heading to, anymore, I have been hurt by you, by us, for too long. ” Seth’s jaw tightened and his eyes turned into deep black pools. “Do you prefer him? You think that Christian can provide for you the things we used to have?” “What we had is over, Seth,” Phoebe replied angrily, her voice shaking. “You had your chance and you messed it up. You never treated me right Ch
She gasped and felt frozen as she was unable to break away from his stare. His words awakened something in her which she had locked deep down within her for a long time. But then she remembered Christian, the security that he provided, the serenity that she got from him. For her, the war continues within. “Seth,” she said softly after several moments, her voice shaking. “I can’t do this. ” Seth’s eyes begged her to look at him as he waited for her response. “Yes, you can. Just let go, Phoebe. Let go of the fear. You know we belong together. ” Before she could say anything, Christian spoke in a tone that could slice through butter. “Is everything alright?” Phoebe quickly swiveled around to see Christian standing a couple of steps from her, looking at her with a frown of concern and suspicion. He looked at her then at Seth and the tension between them was palpable. “I was just asking Phoebe if she’s happy,” Seth said and although his voice didn’t sound angry, he still didn’t loo
Seth lowered his head and his shoulders contracted for a second as if he was expecting a blow. He, however, looked up with a hint of something that resembled fear in his eyes. “I do not know if I can let you go Phoebe” He made her heart heavy with his words and yet Phoebe could not allow herself to be pulled back into his world again. “You have to, Seth. You have to let me go, for both of us. ”Phoebe stood with her arms folded across her breasts to try and contain herself. “Seth, there is something that you have to know, I don’t want you anymore, whatever we had is over, finished. ” Seth’s jaw clenched but he did not say anything to her. “I can’t keep doing this,” Phoebe went on. “You continue to come around, trying to make me remember the life we had, Seth, but it is unfair to me, it is unfair to Christian and it is even unfair to you too You had your time with me, Seth, and we ended up badly We are over, I have moved on and I am trying to start anew with Christian You have to let
Phoebe laid her head on the chest of Christian, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence. The rhythmical sound of his heartbeat was soothing and she was reminded of the calmness that he introduced in her life. But even as she stood there with her arms around Christian’s neck, a small part of her was still conscious of what had taken place. It was really hard to bid farewell to Seth. He had been a major aspect of her life, the happy and the sad, and this was like setting a book aside when one is not sure whether or not they are ready to part with it.Christian stepped back a little, looking into her face and into the defiance in her eyes. “Are you sure You’re okay?”Phoebe breathed in deeply and then gave her consent. “I am. It was tough but it was inevitable.”“You have been through a lot Phoebe,” Christian whispered gently, touching her cheek with his hand, “And you don’t have to bear all the pain alone anymore.” He was a man with a gentle hand, very comforting.“I know,” she sai
She embraced the feeling of his hand on her, the warmth that he brought her. For the first time in a long time she felt that a light had been switched on in the dark corner of her heart; she felt that she could leave the past behind her and look forward to the future. But as she slid out of Christian’s arms and looked across the room, she saw Seth again. He was standing alone by the bar, his eyes glued to the glass which was in his hand. The boy made her feel something she could not quite place – a twinge of regret, of longing, and some other emotion that was hard to put her finger on. Christian looked at her and followed her line of sight with a small frown on his face. “Would you like to speak to him?” he inquired, and although he was calm, there was worry in his tone. Phoebe paused for a second, feeling the thump of her heart in her chest. “I. .. I think I have to. Only once again. ” Christian only nodded slowly and the stiffness of his body was quite evident. “I will stay her
“I believe you,” Phoebe whispered, she was so emotional that she could barely speak. “But love alone isn’t enough, Seth. We’ve hurt each other in ways that can’t be undone. You didn’t just break my heart; you broke my spirit. And I don’t think I can ever come back from that. ” Seth’s face twisted in agony and his dark eyes were full of suffering. “I know,” he said softly, his voice rough. “I let you down. But I can change. I can be the man you want. ” Phoebe stepped back and shook her head at the same time. “It’s not about being better. It’s about moving on. We’ve tried, Seth. We’ve tried to make this work and we’ve failed. Sometimes, love is not enough to mend what is broken. Sometimes, it is about letting go. ” Steady silence followed them like fog. Seth’s jaw clamped”, his hands were fisted at his sides as if he was on the verge of losing his temper. “Is it Christian?” he asked, almost in a whisper. Phoebe blinked, and felt the pressure of the question that was asked. She had n