Professor Bryant's Second Chance

Chapter Nine

Dylan



“Sir, your guests have arrived,” the lady at the front informed me.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

I hung up the phone with the biggest smile that I’ve had in months. After all this planning, it was finally here. This was my chance to get her back, and I would do whatever I needed to in order to make it happen. At this point, I could care less if she was with Justin or not. If it meant that I had to break them up to get her back, I would. I know that that was selfish of me, but I don’t care. Riley belonged to me. It took me too long to see how much she had changed my life for the better. Now that I do, I don’t want to let her go. From this moment forward, no more lies, no more secrets, only honesty. That is the only way that I would win her back.

When I peeked out my window, I could see Riley entering the hut directly across from me. Her mouth was hung wide open, mesmerized by the presence of this place. It was beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as her.

“I want to go swimming!” I heard Nora yell as she raced off toward Riley’s hut.

Please do. I will sit here and watch, waiting for the right time to show myself. It would be hard to convince Riley that this was all just a coincidence. She was brilliant, and I knew how her mind worked, constantly overthinking things. If I would have guessed, she has been questioning everything from the time they won. Riley had to know that their answer was completely wrong. The city in Europe that is located in two countries is not Madrid, though it is a great place to visit. The answer was Istanbul, and I’m pretty sure that the wheels in Riley’s head are still turning over that one.

I picked up the phone, dialing the front again as I worked through the rest of my plan. It was my plan to give Riley at least a day before seeing me, but after watching her through my window, I couldn’t wait anymore. “Bryant. Please invite our guests to the show tonight. Sit them at the table closest to the stage, please.”

After ending the call, I went to my closet to pick out something appropriate for this evening. There was a show that was taking place right in front of the resort. They had a big stage outlooking the ocean, making it the perfect setting. There would be food, dancing, fire breathing, and of course, a Tahitian show. It would be a night to remember for all of us.

**

Once the sunset, the gathering for the show had begun. I dressed in a nice white buttoned shirt with some shorts that I hardly ever wore. It was hot this time of year here, so pants were out of the question.

As I made my way to the front of the resort, I could see Riley and her group of friends slightly in front of me. My heart started racing, caused by being so close to her. Only Riley could give my body this kind of response. Her hair was flowing down her back, and she wore short shorts with a tank top. From the looks of it, her bikini was underneath.

“What do you think this show is all about?” She asked Justin, who was walking close beside her.

I was never a jealous man until I met Riley. Justin was a good-looking guy, and it was obvious that Riley had an attraction to him. I still can’t seem to forget the night she had her panic attack after I walked in and found her with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body. I’m such an i***t. The horrible things that I said to her that night will haunt me forever.

Justin shrugged and bumped his shoulder into hers. “I’m not sure, but I think it will be a lot of fun, a chance for us to unwind a bit.” He cupped her chin, knocking all the breath away from me. “I’m glad that I’m here with you.”

She leaned into him, snuggling her head against his shoulder. “Me too. I told you before that there is no one that I would rather be here with right now.”

Really? I had least thought that I could possibly still be in the running for her heart. Yeah, I hurt her, but I didn’t hide the fact that I was married because I was still in love with Veronica. I did it to bide myself some time to explain to Riley in a way that didn’t make me look like an asshole. I’m still madly in love with Riley, and if Justin wants to compete for her heart, we will.

We all sat down at different tables just as the show began. I was sitting directly across from Riley’s table, but she hadn’t noticed me yet. I tried to not look in her direction. If I did, it would make it obvious that this was my plan all along. I wanted her to think that this was a coincidence until I came clean about everything, but that would only happen once we were able to sit down and talk.

I sipped on my champagne, watching the show and pretending like I was interested in it. Hopefully, Riley will look over here soon. Being so close to her without talking to her was torture. There were so many things that I wanted to say to her.

“Good evening, everyone! We have a special night lined up for you all. First, let’s eat some of the island’s best cuisines. We will start out with some sushi. Your main course dish will be Mahi Mahi, and we will finish it with a popular dessert, Tahitian Vanilla Panna Cotta. Dig in and enjoy! After dinner, we will bring the Tahitian dancers to the stage for your entertainment.”

As delicious as the food sounded, the only thing on the menu for me was Riley. Of course, I would have to take things slow with her, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the taste of her.

As the food dishes started to arrive, I heard a loud audible gasp. I lifted my head from my plate, looking around as if I didn’t know where the sound was coming from. When my eyes landed on Riley’s and hers on mine, it felt like everyone else drifted off until it was just us.

She kicked out her chair and stomped over to me. I had to hide the laughter threatening to pour out of my mouth. It was so damn cute when she did that.

“Dylan? What are you doing here?!”

“Wow. Riley, you look stunning.” I cleared my throat as the air seemed to grow thicker between us. “I’m here on business. I arrived yesterday evening. Out of all the people I expected to see, you were not one of them. What are you doing here? Don’t you have classes?”

I seemed to be talking myself out of this, hopefully. Eventually, I would tell her that I planned all this, but my plan sort of required me to play the part for now. Luckily for me, even as skeptical as Riley was, she seemed to believe me a little.

Surprising me, she took a seat across the table from me. “Nora and I won a trip on the radio. I’m not sure if win is the correct term, though. Ever since we ‘won,’ I feel strange, like it was all a misunderstanding or a trick. I’m not going to tell them that, though. They are all too excited about this trip for me to ruin it for them. You are also the last person I expected to see, and I do have classes, but I think it was time for me to get away from all the drama back home.”

Damn, I felt so guilty. Everything that has negatively happened in Riley’s life has been directly caused by me, and I’ve nothing to help ease that off her. “I’m sorry. I got your email, by the way.”

“You did?”

I nodded. “Sure did. Did you read what I wrote back?”

When she shook her head, I was a little disappointed, but I couldn’t say that I blamed her. “Well, that’s alright. It was basically along the lines of me apologizing. I’ve been an asshole about this whole thing, but I figured you would want me to stay away and give you space and time. Trust me, I wanted to be right there beside you, begging you to forgive me. What I did was inexcusable, but everything I felt for you or said to you wasn’t a lie.”

“Then why not tell me that you were married to Veronica? I felt like I deserved to know that I was sleeping with a married man.”

The way she said that nearly broke my heart. Riley sounded defeated and shameful for it all, but she had nothing to feel shame for. “I hadn’t been with Veronica for months before meeting you. I wanted to tell you, but I was trying to find a way to do it that made sense. If I had told you I was married, you would have left me on the spot, much like how it turned out. I wanted to show you proof that she and I were no longer together, that we have been separated for a while now. Veronica would have used that to manipulate you, which is why I needed proof.”

Her mouth hung open for a minute before she muttered, “oh.” Riley looked back at her friends, who were practically killing me with their gaze. “I should get back over there. Coming over here was a mistake.”

She stood up to leave, but I grabbed her wrist before she did. A shock of electricity seemed to pass through us, reminding us that our connection was very much still there. I felt it travel all the way between my legs, begging for us to not break this connection.

“Wait. Don’t go. Dine with me tonight. I know that I don’t deserve it, but I would like to at least explain my side of things. Maybe we become at least friends.”

Tears pooled in her eyes as she stared at me. “We can’t be friends, Dylan. You hurt me, and I can’t forgive you for that. I want to, but I can’t. Too much hurt has been caused, and a whole lot of damage is left in its wake. You were the most important person to me at one point in my life. Now you are a reminder of all the bad s**t that has happened in my life after finding out you lied to me. I’m sorry. Have a good rest of your night, professor.”

When she walked away, it was like all the air inside my lungs had been sucked out, leaving me gasping. However, I wouldn’t give up. One rejection was not going to stop me. I’ve given up on too many things in my life, but I refuse to give up on Riley.