Unexpected Encounter: A Second Chance at Love

"It can happen anytime with anyone." She sat next to him and gently caressed his arm. "And most of the time, it happens with someone you had least expected. It's a little weird but also very beautiful."

When he did not say anything, Reeta smiled, "Emma is a nice girl, I like her."

"How did you—?" George widened his eyes in shock. He didn't expect his mother to find out something neither him nor Emma had discussed with anyone.

"I am your mother," she pinched his cheeks. "You can't hide anything from me."

"I didn't wanna hide anything but—" he sighed. "It's a little complicated, mom." Not little, it was very complicated.

"What is complicated?" She inquired. "Does Emma not like you?"

When he did not say anything, Reeta sighed, "It's alright, I didn't like your father when I first met him as well."

"No, it's not like that. She likes me and I like her too but—"

When he hesitated to complete his sentence, Reeta remarked, "Okay so you both are confused?"

Without waiting for his reply, she added, "Well, you both have always shared a very weird kind of relationship. In fact, I think you have had more fights with Emma than Rachael. I always thought you both low-key hated each other."

Keeping quiet for a while, he remarked, "I am not confused mom, I know I like her. She is so different from all the women I have ever met."

"Then what is the problem?"

"I-I just don't wanna ruin the relationship we share." He had always valued his relationship with Emma since a very young age. He was worried that if they took their relationship to the next level and things didn't work out, he would end up losing one of the most important people in his life. And he didn't want that, he didn't wanna lose her.

"And how are you so sure that it will ruin everything?" Before he could answer, she threw another question at him. "And how sure are you that whatever you are doing now is benefiting your relationship with her and not ruining it?"

When George looked at her, Reeta placed her hand on his shoulder. "Son, each and every relationship in this world has a chance of falling apart. Nothing is permanent but that doesn't mean we shouldn't give it a shot. If you keep holding yourself back just because you think things won't work out, your life will never move forward."

"You like her and she likes you too—I don't see any valid point for you to hold back your feelings and suffer in silence when you are clearly burning in jealousy because she is meeting another man," she added.

Pausing for a while, she remarked, "What if the man she is meeting turns out to be a perfect one? What if they click and end up getting together? What if they get married and you have to attend their wedding?"

"Will that make you feel good? Will you be happy?" she raised her brows.

"Mom, why are you scaring me?" George gulped in nervously. The mere thought of something like that happening gave him goosebumps.

"I am not scaring you, that can really happen if you are sitting here doing nothing," she remarked.

"What can I do? She is out for the date already and I don't even know where she is going?" He sighed and slumped on the bed. "There is nothing I can do mommy, your son is gonna die single in this room."

"Are you telling me that if you find out where she is, you will go there and tell her how you feel?"

George widened his eyes in shock and quickly got up. "Can you find out?"

Thinking for a while, Reeta got up. "Give me five minutes." She then walked out of the room.

While she was gone, George impatiently waited for her to come back. If his mother really managed to find out Emma's location, he would rush there and take her away with him and make sure she never goes on a date with some other man.

After some time, Reeta entered the room again.

"Mom, did you find out?" he rushed towards her.

​ "What do you think?" Reeta grinned. "Millennials cafe."

"Mom, you are the best." He gave her a tight hug as he cried the non-existing tears of joy.

"Alright alright, stop being so melodramatic," she chuckled. "Go there and do what you are supposed to."

"Yes—" He quickly grabbed his phone and keys before rushing out of the room.

...

[Millennials Cafe]

"Will you judge me if I tell you that I didn't expect you to show up?" Carl smiled.

"Why?"

"Well—" he shrugged his shoulders. "You have turned me down so many times, I just figured out you might not be interested."

Carl Begos was Emma's father's best friend's only son. Her father had been trying to set them up for a really long time but she kept turning him down because of George.

Now that she had understood nothing could ever happen between them, she decided to give her dad some face and meet the guy once.

"I wasn't looking for anything serious or something so—"

Cutting her off, he remarked, "So are you telling me that you are now looking for something serious?"

"Not really—" She answered honestly.

"That's fine, we can work on that later," he smiled. "So, why don't we start by—"

"Oh my God, I cannot believe you really did this." When Emma and Carl looked at him, George scoffed, "I know you are mad but don't you think this is too much?"

Emma frowned and quickly got up when George approached her. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" he scoffed again. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?"

Without waiting for her reply, he looked at Carl who looked very confused at the moment. "One time….I don't agree to make love with her because I was very tired, she gets mad and agrees to go on a date with a guy she barely knows."

"You—" Emma widened her eyes in shock. "W-What are you saying?"

…