One Last Time

Chapter 6

Abe

I stared at the cell on the table, contemplating.

To call, or not to call.

It was already the day after Brooklyn ran from me at the bar. I had wanted to chase after her, but with her smaller body, going through the crowd was easier, and I lost her quickly. By the time I made it out, she'd probably found a cab and left already, because even after waiting there for a while, I didn't see her come out. I had felt regret, but not at kissing her. My regret was solely because I actually just let her go again.

Careless.

The whole thing last night had been careless, and I couldn't even blame it on the drink, since it was exactly what I'd called her out for. And she'd ordered, so how could I have possibly gotten something non-alcoholic? And could I really have stopped myself from kissing her, slightly drunk or not, especially knowing she was about to get married? Whether I had doubts about it or not.

I knew the answer to that, and it made me, a bastard. I sighed and leaned back in my seat.

"Would you at least pay attention to me if you're going to sit there and eat with me? You've been treating me like air since we sat down!"

I blinked my eyes and looked up. The words didn't completely surprise me, but my sister was right, I'd forgotten she was there. She was the one that had invited me out to lunch, and since it was a Saturday, I didn't need to put in a full day at work, so I didn't object.

"Sorry," I muttered, looking down at my cell again.

"You're not eating, either. The food's been on the table for nearly ten minutes and you look like you're world's away. You didn't even see when it arrived here."

I gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, Maria. You're right, I am a bit preoccupied."

I looked at the plate that had been set beside my cell. How could I not have seen that there? I picked up my fork to taste the food. It was a simple spaghetti dish with a cheese layer and cut up peperoni slices. It tasted delicious, if a little warm since I'd neglected it for a while. I almost wanted to ask for it to be warmed for me, but I didn't really care about the taste that much. My mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of Brooklyn and out kiss, that I went all absent minded again.

She tasted exactly like I remembered. Although, it might be more accurate to say she tasted better. My memory wasn't terrible, but it wasn't perfect, either. And it had been so long already since I last kissed her. Last night, her reaction had been so much more than before, she'd been a lot more sensitive, and it made me wonder some things.

Supposedly, she was about to get married, but what if...over the past half a dozen years, she didn't actually date anyone after me?

The thought filled my chest with extreme satisfaction, not to mention determination to see this through. I had Brooklyn in my sights again after so long, I was going to at least try and fix things between us. If it wasn't what she wanted, she could tell me and I would back off. I didn't think she would, though. Or at least, really hoped so.

A heavy sigh made me look up at my sister, who was now glaring at me.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly.

She waved a hand at me. "Whatever. Why don't tell me what it is that's on your mind? It seems anything else I say will go in one ear and out the other, so you can talk."

"What were you talking about before?" I asked guiltily.

"My upcoming wedding with Chris," she said bluntly.

That killed any guilt I felt. She already knew, even though I was willingly giving my support now, I didn't want this arrangement. I hadn't seen the guy she was going to marry more than a few times, and every single one of those times, I didn't particularly like him. But I was chalking it up to a big brother's protectiveness over his little sister, and so was she, so it was easy for her to persuade me to go along with her. As long as it made her happy, I wasn't going to raise any objections.

"Let's not talk about Chris right now," I said. What I didn't say, was that it would just ruin my mood.

Maria shrugged. "Fine with me. So, what do you want to talk about? Are you really going to tell me what has you in such a good mood?"

"I'm in a good mood?" I asked, surprised.

She nodded slowly. "I'm pretty sure. Though you have been distracted, you definitely look like you're not unhappy."

I bit my lip. I hadn't realized that was what showed on my face. In reality, my mood was complicated, I didn't even have words for it.

This was Maria, though, and she and I were close enough to talk about anything. So, after some hesitation, I decided to tell her.

"Do you remember back in college, there was a woman I dated?"

"Brooklyn?" she said with surprise. "How could I forget her? She was a nice. And then, you broke her heart." She scowled at me.

I said nervously, "Yeah, well...when you sent me out to get that appointment from you, I happen to run into her on the way. She was busy, so I got her number and asked her out to drinks last night. She hasn't talked to me since, though." I deliberately didn't tell her about us meeting inside the bridal store.

She looked at me in surprise. "Seriously? So she's the reason you've been looking at your cell like you're waiting for her to call or text or something? Abe, you can't do that!"

I was a bit surprised at her vehemence, my eyebrows jumping up. I looked carefully at my sister. As far as I knew, I didn't think she disliked Brooklyn.

"Why?" I asked, curious about her answer.

"How can you ask me why?" she hissed back. "I told you already, she was nice. I didn't have much of an impression about her, because you didn't let us meet that often, but I didn't particularly dislike her. Still, you can't commit to her, Abe, and you know it. It's the reason you broke that poor girl's heart before, so please don't do it again or that just makes you an asshole."

I flattened my lips and leaned back in my chair, frowning at my sister. Her words were completely reasonable. Actually, I hadn't realized she knew so many details about the whole thing. The family had come down to California a few times while I was in USC and that was when Maria had met Brooklyn, but it had only been a few times, and each for a short amount of time. Not to mention my sister had only been sixteen then and going through puberty.

"What do you expect me to have done?" I asked. "Ignore her when we both saw each other?"

"Yes," she said bluntly. "You should have completely ignored her instead of immediately trying to get close to her, how could that not be worse? Or better yet, you should have apologized to that poor woman then left her the f**k alone."

"She's doing well," I muttered, feeling a little bitter.

"Then good for her. Don't tell me you expected her to be like you? Unable to hold a relationship because you're living in the past. Wouldn't that be too painful for her? You're my brother, Abe, but I am not going to be on your side with this."

I arched an eyebrow at her, feeling like this conversation was very ironic. It wasn't quite the same as it was now, but the gist of it was much the same as when she'd told me about Chris, after I'd met him a couple times when he was still her boyfriend. I didn't like it, but she managed to talk me into it. I had no intention of talking my sister into going along with my decisions. She was my little sister, and besides my mom, one of the important women still in my life, but she didn't rule my decisions.

"She might not see me again after yesterday," I said nonchalantly with a shrug. "So you don't have to worry yourself so needlessly."

"Did you do something to her?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at me.

"I didn't," I said with a helpless shrug, ignoring the thin string of guilt that tugged in my chest. "We really only went for drinks, and then she got in a cab. I'm not sure she got back okay, but I couldn't exactly follow her."

More like I wanted to follow her, but she was entirely too quick and I didn't know where she was staying while in the city. I didn't think it was with Nora, so maybe a hotel?

What would I have done if I could have followed her?

My thoughts ran wild. Would I...have followed her to her room and invited myself in? Probably. I would have tried to continue what I started at the club, and I wondered if Brooklyn would have objected or not. I would have peeled off her jacket, then that red dress that clung deliciously to her curves, and taken her to bed...

My body heated up as the fantasy continued. I picked up a glass of wine that had been poured for me already and took a sip. Brooklyn wasn't the only one still sensitive. From just a kiss, she had left me half hard in my pants. I had tried dating a few times since we broke up, but I could never stand the women my mom tried to set me up with, and I never even attempted to touch them. So, I'd grown intimate with my right hand over the last few years to deal with my frustration and I soon grew bored of one-night stands and wanted a little more connection to come. Like f*****g close my eyes and blink a few times and have a relief that would blow my mind. No one. No woman had ever done that for me. But just because I got myself off often didn't mean I was pent up. Feeling her soft, warm body pressed against me, her taste on my tongue, and her scent in my nose... It was exactly what I'd been waiting for.

"Abe, I hope you're listening to me," Maria said warningly.

I looked up at her, pushing away those fantasies. I felt a little uncomfortable, shifting, only to hold still when it made my pants at my crotch tighten up even more. I was feeling a bit aghast at my lack of control. What exactly was I thinking in front of my little sister?

"I heard you properly this time, Maria," I reassured her. "But there's no need for you to worry."

She narrowed her eyes, not looking reassured at all. "You're still planning on seeing her, aren't you?"

"If I can, I'm not going to give up the chance," I said honestly. "I know what happened before a lot better than you do, Maria. Maybe I've changed."

I wasn't entirely sure about that, but the one thing I was definitely sure of, was how Brooklyn made me feel, and how she was one of a kind. Getting into other relationships always felt like I was just trying to replace her, and every single time it didn't work out, anyway.

"Listen to me, Abe," Maria said, abandoning her food and leaning back in her chair like I was, crossing her arms over her chest. "When I met Chris, I never thought we would get so close so quickly."

I frowned, wondering why she was suddenly talking about him. I opened my mouth to object, but she held a hand up and stopped me.

"Now Chris is the kind of man that knows what he wants and goes for it without hesitation. He's the kind of man that is committed, the kind that a lot of women would want simply for that quality alone. Do you know what he said to me when he proposed to me? That he was sure he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Can you compare that to yourself?"

I rolled my eyes at my sister's naiveté. I didn't doubt that Chris was committed, but I was sure he was only after one thing, and that was our family's money. While I didn't know what he did, and he did seem to have some funds, his level was nowhere near our family's.

Still, as I thought of how quickly he moved, I couldn't help feeling some disappointment in myself. He looked older than I had been back then - another reason I didn't particularly like him for my twenty-one- year-old sister - and he had made the decision for marriage so quickly. Whatever he was really after, he wasn't the kind of man that hesitated, that was for sure.

Yet I strung Brooklyn along for three years, and she must have thought we would end up married, only for the end result to end in the way it did. I should have handled things better back then, I knew. But, that didn't mean I was going to stay away from Brooklyn completely now.

This time, I was determined not to give up so easily. I wasn't just going ahead mindlessly, impulsively. Every moment since I saw her, I'd been thinking about it, and I wondered why we couldn't work something out.