Chapter One Hundred and twenty one

Ariana's POV;

"A trip?" I dropped the shirt I was folding on the bed and turned to face him squarely. I let out a displeased puff of air.

"Damien you just got back to work a week ago? Why are you going on a trip so soon?"

"Babe, the CEO of Schneider group of companies wants to see me and I have to go with Cheryl."

"With Cheryl?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, the CEO is her father and,"

"Her father?! You did not mention this earlier." I cut his statement, walking over to stand in front of him.

"Are you sure I didn't?" His eyelids came so close, his grey orbs vanished and the way his head bent backwards, gave me almost enough reason to doubt what I was very sure of.

"You didn't and you didn't even tell me the whole story concerning your relationship with her."

"Babe," he groaned, dunking his head dramatically.

"I'll tell you when I get back."

"Who says you're going?" I blinked rapidly, surprised that he even thought about me letting him go just like that.

"Ariana this is important work, I have to go."

My eyes narrowed at his choice of words, moreso the lack of endearment when he referred to me.

"Oh so I'm not 'babe' anymore?" I had my arms folded across my chest as I glared at him.

"I simply called you by your name, is that something to be mad about?" His eyes innocently met mine in askance.

I let out a wry chuckle accompanied by a stiff nod.

"You'll know soon enough. Anyhow, you're not going on that trip."

"Ari, I have to go with Cheryl to have business talks with her father, I'm not going on a vacation." He said, picking one after word like he was speaking to a child while he rocked me by my arms gently.

"You're going to be on the same flight as her all alone!"

"What does that matter?"

"It matters because you're married," I poked at his chest.

"And?"

"She's single." I said.

"So?" His brows raised in question.

"She's your ex, you're her first love and a woman's feelings for her first love never dies!" I exclaimed, wondering how he could not catch on to that.

He chuckled like I said something funny.

"Cheryl knows I'm off the market and that's enough reason to steer clear from me."

I scoffed, throwing my head back in both disbelief and exhaustion.

"That didn't stop Aleena, so why do you think it's going to be different now?"

"Because she's Cheryl, I know her, she wouldn't stoop so low."

"You seem so confident about this ex girlfriend of yours." I noted watchfully.

"And you're just being paranoid babe. There's nothing to be worried about." He said with a blitheful shrug.

"Just a business trip, he said and next thing we all knew someone popped up with a baby bump." I threw my arms out of his grip and walked slightly farther away as we spoke.

"Ariana it's unfair to bring that up. That's in the past, let's leave it that way." He sounded really offended and when I looked up, his face did not state otherwise.

I sighed.

"I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean to upset you. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." I apologized with all sincerity.

"But I'm worried, I don't want anything to go wrong again. I don't want anyone coming between us again."

His ears perked up at my string of words.

"And why is that?" He asked, slowly bringing me closer to him.

"I, er, I don't know." I cleared my throat looking away from him intense gaze.

There was a way my heart beat whenever I got close and even thought about him. There was something about the way his touch felt more meaningful to me than every physical pleasure I derived. The way he looked at me made my insides topple over in excitement. The thought of him always brought a smile to my face and dampness between my thighs.

"Let me help you figure it out." His pushed my head closer to his and gradually put his his lips on mine. He soon turned me over and had me seated on our bed. He hovered over me for a while, slowly unbuttoning his black shirt, while his lips were still pressed on mine.

My shirt had a zipper in the middle of it and he was about to bring it down when the door burst open.

"Damien, you-, oh my goodness!" Ma Rosa exclaimed, shutting her eyes immediately.

I scrambled around for my shirt and realized that I still had it on. I heaved a relieved sigh.

"Ma Rosa you can open your eyes now, we aren't naked." Damien sounded frustrated as he got off me.

"Put a shirt on, silly!" She scolded.

He begrudgingly put his shirt back on but left it unbuttoned.

"Ma Rosa why didn't you knock?" He questioned.

"You called for me to help you pack for a trip, I had no idea you two were about to do nasty stuff." She scowled.

"Damien's not going on the trip anymore!" I piped up knowing he wouldn't want us arguing in front of someone.

Ma Rosa heaved a content sigh, placing her palm over her chest.

"Oh that's good, I was worried that he would start his usual lifestyle so soon after the accident."

"I'll leave you too to continue whatever it was you were doing." Her eyes twinkled in mischief and I giggled.

Damien said nothing, he had his eyes on me and did not utter a word until she was long gone.

"Ariana." His brows went as high as the ceiling just as his eyes questioned me.

"Don't tell me you thought I was going to allow you journey off with someone just like that." I said as my hands went up to tie my hair, which he had set free in a passion filled haze, with a scrunchie.

"Oh dear God." He heaved an exhausted sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut and raised towards the heavens.

"How about I invite Cheryl over to dinner so you can meet her and see that there's nothing to worry about?" He offered.

I thought about it for a second. Meeting her would give me a chance to thoroughly assess her and would greatly stir my decision hopefully to his favor, if it all turned out well.

But, if I still felt unsettled after the dinner, there were two options for him; either he's going to send a representative to go to Germany or I go with him. Simple as ABC.

"Okay then, invite her to dinner tommorow night. She shouldn't be late." I said with a smile.

"Thank you." He sighed.

***

"Damien says we're having a guest tonight, who is it?" Mom asked, rubbing her hands through my thick mane of hair.

We were all gathered by the poolside which was our usual spot for lady talks whenever all the men were absent.

"Yeah, she's a business partner in the making." I said, picking up a grape.

"It's a she?" Fiona asked.

"Yeah. Her name is Cheryl Schneider."

"Cheryl?!" Mom and a heavily pregnant Tracy exclaimed in unison.

"Who's Cheryl?" Amy questioned looking clueless.

"Yeah, who is she?" That was Fiona.

"Uhmm sweetie, are you aware of his relationship with her?" She asked, taking a seat next to me.

"Yeah mom, he told me she's his ex from ten years ago." I answered her.

"Ooohhh." Amy dragged out in realization.

"Did he tell you the whole story?" Tracy questioned.

I gave then a rundown of what he told me.

"Hmmm."

"What is it mom?"

"They ended pretty badly. Cheryl did not take it well at all."

"It's been ten years so I'm sure she's moved on, mommy." Tracy said with a yawn as she cradled her bump.

"A woman's feelings for first love never truly dies." Mom said.

Her words worried me greatly and surely my facial expression gave me away because she soon tried to placate me with her words.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, she must have moved on and is probably in a stable relationship right now." She rubbed on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile.

"Hmm sure." I said absentmindedly and soon excused myself.

As I walked through the house heading to no place in particular, I couldn't help but think; What if this was another test of fate? What if it was actually the universe giving me another sign that Damien and I weren't meant to be? Because, why on earth did these things keep happening?

If Cheryl and Damien were each other's first love, did it mean there was a high possibility of them rekindling that flame? But why now that my heart had started to beat for him? Why now when my mind only thought of him? Now that I just started to realize what I felt for him?

"I love him." My voice came out in a silent whisper even as my eyes stretched wide as they could in realization.

I'm in love with this man. I had fallen for him and now.

No wonder I couldn't bear the thought of losing him no matter how much I believed our paths weren't meant to cross but maybe it was the universe's plan for us to be together right from the onset and I had been running away from it.

This was no longer about the kisses and cuddles, it wasn't about the orgasms I got from the little foreplay we had engaged in and halted before taking things to the topmost top. This was so much more.

Love was the reason why I made the maddening dash down to LA when I thought I was about to lose him. It wasn't guilt. If it was, I would have left sooner than this. I kept forgiving every mistake, not because people advised me to but because I've always had a soft for this man whom I thought was only going to hurt me. I blindly followed him in spite of his undoings. Love is a powerful thing after all.

I slowly walked over to stare at the wedding portrait hanging on the wall above our bed.

"I love you. I have for a very long time, I just didn't realize it until now babe."