Unexpected Encounter: A Second Chance at Love

[Downstairs]

When George came home, the first person he bumped into at the entrance was Emma.

"Hey—" he smiled as he gently pinched her arm. He had a very bad and rough day in the office and his mood was incredibly sour the entire day. But after seeing her, his mood immediately brightened up.

When he greeted her, George was expecting a smile or even better, a hug but to his surprise, Emma glared at him and walked away.

"What's wrong?" He grabbed her hand and waited for her reply. "Did something happen?" He did not remember doing anything that would upset or make her mad.

After the conversation they shared about their feelings a while ago, both of them were taking things slow. Though they hadn't made anything official yet, they were well aware of each other's feelings.

George liked the way things were now between the two of them. Since they were not in a relationship, things were much easier and less complicated. But little did he know, Emma wasn't completely okay with the arrangement.

"Let go."

He tightened his grip around her hand and frowned, "If you don't tell me, how will I know?"

"Well, just like how I found out you went on a date with a woman last Saturday even though you did not tell me." She jerked his hand away. "Oh and I also have some good news for you. Your sweetheart Arina will be staying here for a few weeks."

Emma smiled and patted his shoulder. "Your stars must be in the correct place these days, how lucky."

When she tried to walk away, he stopped her again. "Wait—I don't know who told you about it but it wasn't a date. Mom kept forcing me to see her so—"

"You were forced?" She placed her hand on her chest and sighed, "That's so sad, you must have suffered a lot."

"Emma, will you stop being so unreasonable?" He wasn't liking the sarcastic tone she was using. "I told you it wasn't a date."

Why would he go on a date when he already had her?

"I am being unreasonable?" Emma scoffed.

Without waiting for his reply, she added, "If that's the case then let me not be unreasonable anymore. Dad has been literally nagging me to meet a guy for the past few weeks. I had been turning him down because—"

"Well, now that I know we are seeing other people too, I know what to do," she stated.

George gritted his teeth and pulled her closer. "You are not going on a date."

"And who do you think you are to stop me?" she questioned him. "My boyfriend? My partner or my husband?"

When he did not say anything, she mockingly smirked, "Let me answer that question on your behalf, you are no one. You are just my best friend's brother whom I have known for a long time. That's the tag you hold in my life."

"Hey Em, should we call Rachael—" Tina stopped midway when she saw George and Emma together.

"Woahhh, what happened?" Tina inquired. When they did not say anything, she added, "Are you two fighting again?"

"No—" Emma removed his hand from hers. "Let's go."

Without looking at him, she walked away with Tina.

George pursed his lips as he watched her disappearing back. With Emma's temperament, he knew she would definitely go on the date her father had arranged for her.

It would be a lie if he said it didn't bother him but at the same time, he knew he couldn't stop her.

…..

[Inside, Kitchen]

"Are you making food for Andrew?"

Rachael nodded as she blanched the spinach. "Hmm, he came directly from the airport. I am sure he didn't eat anything."

"So should I assume that everything is okay between you two now?" Reeta inquired.

Keeping quiet for a while, she said, "Mom, Oliver is back in town and I met him the other day." Rachael hadn't told her parents about the meeting because she was too busy dealing with things going on between her and Andrew. But now that everything was stable, she decided to tell her mother about it. She didn't wish to hide it from them since they had been through everything together.

"I know he is back in town." When she gave her a confused look, Reeta explained, "He came here a few days back."

"What?" Rachael frowned. She had no idea Oliver had visited her parents.

"He came here to apologize. Luckily your father and George weren't at home so I sent him away and told him not to come back," Reeta sighed. "The way he was behaving, I had a feeling he would approach you but then I thought after whatever happened, he wouldn't dare."

Placing her hand on Rachael's arm, she inquired, "Was Andrew mad because you met him?"

"He thought I agreed to meet him because I still have feelings for him."

"Well, we can't really blame him for thinking that way. If I was in Andrew's place, I would have thought the same way," Reeta remarked. "The way he treats you, I can say that he adores you a lot. I am sure he was just afraid of losing you."

"Don't take his side mom, he gave me a really hard time," Rachael pouted.

"Is it?" Reeta chuckled. "That's a good thing too. If he wasn't bothered or cared about you meeting your ex-fiance, that would have been very questionable."

"When a man is jealous, it shows that he cares." She gave Rachael a side hug. "Your husband cares for you a lot. But since he gave you a hard time, you should do the same but don't stretch it for too long."

Rachael smiled and nodded. She wasn't planning to give him a hard time but she would definitely make him suffer for a few days.

"Before I forget again—" Reeta looked at her. "George told me you and Andrew haven't done it yet, is that true?"

Rachael: " "

….