Twists Of Fate

CHAPTER EIGHT

“I was in a relationship once,” he began, his gaze distant. “She was amazing, but our paths diverged due to my ambitions. It ended on good terms, but it was a sacrifice I had to make for my career.”

Marcus and I found ourselves together again at my hotel, having a wonderful conversation.

I must confess, I enjoy talking with him.

Is there really a good way to end a relationship? I doubt it. One person would definitely be hurt. So his statement was a fallacy to me.

I listened closely, putting myself in his shoes and understanding the difficult decisions he faced. Success frequently demanded sacrifices, a reality I was familiar with.

“Balancing love and ambition is a delicate act,” he continued. “You don’t want to compromise on either, but sometimes life forces you to make tough decisions.”

“Uhn.” His words struck a chord within me, echoing my own internal struggle.

My heart yearned for connection and love, but past experiences had left their mark, making me cautious about trusting once more.

I wished to express how much I treasured our conversations, and how I hoped we could continue talking. I wanted to tell him I liked him.

Yeah, ‘like’, because since Aiden, I can only like, my heart is not permitted by me to ‘love’.

“You seem like a very determined person,” I commented, trying to steer the conversation toward a more positive note.

He smiled, the warmth returning to his eyes. “I believe in giving my all to what I love. That’s how I’ve achieved what I have so far.”

“This man!!! I exclaimed to myself.

Don’t do this to me! My heart is skipping beats. It better not be love. I'd prefer heart issues so I can walk damn into the hospital and get treated.”

“You should have been able to balance your love life with your ambitions by doing that, you can say you believe in giving your all to what you love. Or maybe you never loved her. Or maybe the timing was off, and you weren’t ready to fully embrace love back then.” I tried to weave off what I felt.

Despite his inspiring words, my mind kept battling against the whirlpool of emotions.

A part of me wanted to embrace this budding connection, to allow myself to be vulnerable once more. But another part, scared and cautious, held me back.

“I’ve been here before,” the voice in my head whispered, a painful reminder of past heartbreaks with Aiden.

At that moment, my feelings were a tangled web of attraction, fear, and uncertainty.

Marcus must have sensed my inner turmoil. He reached across the table, his hand gentle as it rested on mine. His touch sent shivers down my spine, calming my nerves and easing the storm within.

“You can take your time, Emily,” he said softly, his eyes locked onto mine. “We both carry our pasts with us, but we also have the power to create something beautiful in the present.”

For the first time in a long time, I felt a glimmer of hope, a flicker of warmth in my heart.

***

"He's completely different from Aiden, Emily, can't you see that?" Aviva chimed in.

"What if he's exactly like Aiden?" I countered. "Honestly, I can't risk my heart again. Right now, my main focus is on how to turn around the hotel's situation. Pouring my heart into reviving it is all I can afford." Even as I said this, a small part of me longed for those butterflies, for a chance at something new.

“Don’t you ever feel horny?” Aviva asked, coming closer to me.

“Here we go again! I implored, trying to distance myself. “I’ve locked up the moment I opened up and was dumped! Do you know what that feels like?”

I lied, I feel horny especially while with Marcus and that’s exactly the problem because I felt the same way the first time I met Aiden. All of these felt like history repeating itself.

“I have an anonymous person sending me messages, and there’s the hotel demanding my attention. I have a lot on my plate,” I deflected, avoiding the deeper conversation about my conflicted emotions.

“When will you get over Aiden? That b*****d!!!”

“Maybe you should give him a chance,” Aviva said.

“I agree with her. He seemed like a cool guy.” Kylie added.

“You guys don’t know him. He chose his career over his ex-girlfriend!!” I said hoping they’d reason with me.

Aviva scoffed, “Like you wouldn’t do the same. We have distinct priorities and that’s fine. He loves career and he chose it over love, it’s perfectly fine because that’s exactly what you would have done.”

“Maybe you guys never really know me,” I admitted, shaking my head. I’ve always been a loved-soaked puppy. You can call me a hopeless romantic. I used my career to cover up that vulnerable part of me.

Kylie playfully teased, “And that makes you both a perfect match. He loves career, you love career. Perfect! There wouldn’t be any loophole.”

“I’m not feeling it.” That’s a lie! I’m feeling it. I felt a butterfly whooping in my belly. Butterflies were doing somersaults in my belly.

This was the same feeling I felt with Aiden. My stomach did its thing again- it’s little dance.

Yet, something was different. I mean in what I feel. Still, you know what is good? That I’m finally able to feel butterflies again.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from the hotel manager.

My heart sank as I read the words:

"Ma, urgent! The hotel is in significant debt."

At that moment, all my thoughts about love and personal struggles were eclipsed by the looming crisis. The hotel, my anchor, and my newfound purpose were at risk. The uncertainty of what lay ahead gripped me, leaving our budding connection hanging in the balance.