One More Chance by Jaycelle Rodriguez

"Then you will have to work hard on that, Mr. Williams."

"I know, but as | remember | already started last night, didn't I?" | just raised an eyebrow when he flasheda

wicked grin.

"Aren't you going to work?" | asked to change the subject as what we did last night cto my head.

"Yeah, | am, but first | want to drop you off at work and I'll be doing that starting now. | will also wait for you

when you go out, how's that?"

Even though I've already heard those lines from sromantic movies and read from my favorite romance

books before, they still exciteas it's the first t| have heard them from him.

"Alright, you can do that, well except for those times when my friends invitedfor sgirl nights out, you

know," | emphasized the words night out as | started walking towards the stairs leading down to the first floor.

"Night outs?" He repeated with a slight frown as he kept with my pace.

"Yup!" | nodded, suppressing my smile.

"You mean to say clubbing--- date nights with the girls?"

"Uhuh... and | forgot..." | paused. "We sometimes have meetings and unexpected gatherings."

"With the girls?"

"Nope," | stopped to look at him. "It's about business meetings with our business friends and clients."

"Ohh... Okay," He nodded with a smile before taking my hand and lazily walking towards where his car was

parked.

"So, would that be okay?"

"Hmhm..." He hummed as an answer.

"What about the night outs, shopping, and the getaways?"

He stopped from opening the passenger side and turned towith a smile.

"Sam, of course, it's okay," he then cupped my face and said seriously, "You don't have to tellall the things

you do every day or the things you plan to do for the next day. | completely understand. It's not because | don't

want to hear them or | don't want to know where you are, but because | love you and | trust you. And | don't

want to put pressure on you or on what we have right now. | have been waiting for you for so long and | would

never want this relationship to fail just because you are pressured to say all the things you wanted to do. So if

you're askingif it's okay to go out with your friends, of course, it's okay."

Hearing his long speech madesmile and urgeto give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Whoa! And what was that for?" He asked, chuckling.

"For tellingthat you trustand let's just say that it's my way of expressing my appreciation for your long

speech."

He then laughed at me. A kind of laugh that almost made my bones melt with excitement.

"Well, | like your way of appreciating. Don't worry, sweetheart, | promise to give a long speech every day to get

such a wonderful way of appreciation."

"Haha, so funny," | rolled my eyes but he just laughed atagain. "By the way, when you said that | don't have

to inform you about everything | do, does that mean | should expect the sthing from you? | mean, you won't

also informof your whereabouts?" "No," he shook his head. "My case is different, sweetheart, because |

would love to tell you everything that happens toevery day, the places | go, the meetings | have attended,

and the people | meet. | want you to be part of my life and everything in me."

| stared at him for a few seconds as | bit my lower lip.

"If that so, then that means | will becunfair to you."

"No, you're not," He now opened the door and waited forto sit before closing it carefully. And when he was

already seated, he continued what he was saying while | was fastening my seatbelt. "It's still up to you if you

want to tellthe things you do, but just like what I said, | will not force you to do it."

But seeingstruggling in my seat, he took the end of the belt from my hands and buckled it to the other end.

"| just have a favor to ask sweetheart, if it's okay." He said right after he was done.

"Hmm... sure, what is it?" | asked as | straightened my seat and looked at him.

"Will you please tellif ever there are any boys with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is it okay to informif ever you're going out with your guy friends?"

"Ohh... "And that was the t| laughed at him. "And may | know why Mr. Williams?"

| didn't miss how he took a long sigh before he answered my question.

"Just please tell me,"

"Hmm... don't tellyou're jealous?"

"It's not that I'm jealous, | just want to make sure you're safe."

"Hmm... alright," | nodded. "Don't worry, because | only have a very few guy friends here. Most of them are our

employees, second is Caleb, and if you remember Martin." "Martin?" His head snapped at me.

“Yup,”

"Martin as in Martin who was at the counter and flirted with you a few days ago?"

"Huh?" My mouth hung open at what he asked.

"The sMartin who asked you to dance and flirted with you at Dana and Caleb's wedding?"

"Wait---"

"And Martin who kept saying he is your friend but the truth is that he likes you and wanted you to be more than

just his friend?"

"Oh, wow!"

"Am | right? Is he the sMartin--- the only Martin | knew in my whole life who kept visiting you at the coffee

shop?"

-'Oh, my goodness!'- | exclaimed inside my head as | left stunned by all his questions.

"Sam, are we talking about the sMartin?"

"W-Well, y yes, the Martin you're

talking about and the Martin | knew

is the sbut---" | haven't finished

my sentence yet when he cuoff

"I don't like him!"

AQUMS

"What?" | asked a little bit loud with a frown painted on my forehead. "But he's a good man!"

"I don't trust him!" He shrugged.

"Oh, my..."

"And | don't think I ever will!"

"How could you not trust him when he's one of the kindest men | have ever met in my life?"

He didn't answer my question. He just has his eyes on the steering wheel.

And then a mischievous grin curled up on the corner of my lips as an idea appeared in my head. | folded my

arms across my chest and faced him.

"Or... you're just tellingyou don't like him and you don't trust him because you're simply jealous of him?"

He turned towith his eyes widened but | just raised an eyebrow.

"Am | right, Mr. Williams?"

"Whoa! Of course, not!"

| raised my eyebrow again as | tried not to laugh at his reaction because he was quite obvious.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I'm not jealous!"

"Ahh..." | said nodding.

"Why would | be jealous of him?" But he seemed anxious.

"Exactly!"

"I'm not jealous of that Martin guy! Who is he to be jealous of in the first place?" He said, but he couldn't look at

me.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Uhuh!" He spareda quick glance, but then immediately looked away when he noticed my reaction.

"Well, he's kinda handstoo, he's a considerate guy, he also managing his own business and he's---"

"Tss! | don't care! Even if he owns all the companies in the world, | don't care! | don't like him!"

"I think you simply don't like him--- you hate him!"

"And | do!"

"But why?" | asked, still biting my lip.

"Because | don't trust him!"

"Oh, yeah, and because you're not jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" He hardly shook his head.

"Alright, | can clearly see you're not

really jealous." | shrugged as |

started to laugh in my seat. |

couldn't hold it back anymore,

especially when seeing him

struggling to cover his ego.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because | realized how cute and handsyou are, sweetheart, especially when you're not jealous," |

emphasized the word not as | laughed.

He stared atfor a few seconds while | waited for his words, but the only thing | got was a loud, long sigh.

"Shall we go now?" He asked when my laughter died.

"Yes, please," | winked at him and his expression quickly changed from being serious into being in a light again.