Second Chance Ch. 02

"Donna, that's not necessary. You don't owe them anything. I already told them that things were all right between us." Tim paused, realizing by her tone that her mind was made up. "I should at least be there with you."

"Tim," she sighed, "your friends invited me into their lives when we were together. I liked them very much and they treated me like family. It's important that I clear the air with them. I need to do this and get it behind me."

Tim couldn't fathom her reasoning, but it seemed pointless to argue. He arrived when she requested and went to the bar while scanning the room for them. All three were seated in a booth at the far side of the restaurant, but Donna was doing most of the talking. The odd thing was that Pete seemed to be looking at her sympathetically and Tim could swear that Trisha looked like she was about to cry. He wondered exactly what she could say to elicit that kind of reaction.

Whatever was going on was still obviously in progress, so he ordered a beer while he waited. When he turned back toward their table, Trisha and Donna had stood up and were hugging. Tim watched in fascination as they finished and Donna went in the direction of the ladies room.

He assumed that it was the right time to say hi, so he grabbed his drink and headed toward their table. Trisha saw him first and got up, throwing her arms around him.

"So what was that all about?" he asked. "It seemed to be pretty intense over here."

They looked at each other uncomfortably, then Pete spoke. "We were just catching up on things. You should really ask Donna later."

Tim nodded his head slightly to acknowledge the point, then picked up the menu.

Just as he set it down, Donna made her way back toward them. Tim greeted her with a hug, letting it linger for a few seconds and even rocking her gently, knowing that the conversation must have been very tough on her.

He felt her squeeze a little tighter, and she whispered, "Thank you." Tim marveled at how they effortlessly seemed to be able to interpret each other's thoughts over the last few days.

The rest of the evening consisted of them laughing about things that had happened in the last year, usually at Tim's expense. At least Pete did make sure to point out how far he had come at work and how much respect he had earned there, as well.

Tim noticed Donna smiling often, seemingly impressed with Pete's kind words and even felt her squeeze his arm encouragingly several times. The rest of the dinner went off without a hitch. They went dancing afterwards, where he was finally able to unleash his "surprise".

"Wow," she marveled, coming off the dance floor after several songs. "You got a lot better!"

Tim beamed with pride as he described the lessons he'd been taking. He decided not to admit it had been Trisha's suggestion after she witnessed his clumsy attempts one night when they all went out. She had come by work the next day with a card from a local dance academy where she had already purchased a month of lessons for him.

Although it was a little embarrassing, he understood she had done it because she cared, so went to the lessons with minimal grumbling. He found them very enjoyable and had continued, even though he hadn't had much of an opportunity to use his newfound skills except with Trisha when they all went out.

When the band played one of his favorite Stevie Wonder songs, Tim tried to pull Donna back onto the dance floor, but she begged off saying she needed a break. She turned to Trisha and insisted she join him instead. The older woman gleefully accepted and followed him to the dance floor, where people cleared a path for them.

Trisha was a beautiful woman and an amazing dancer, so they quickly became the center of attention. When the song ended, it seemed like as many people were clapping for the two friends as were applauding the band. They immediately went into a slow number and she pulled him close.

She was about Tim's height, so he leaned his cheek against hers and started swaying to the beat. Looking over at Donna, he saw that she continued talking to Pete while never taking her eyes off of him. She had an enthusiastic smile and Tim couldn't help but return it. He felt Trisha turn to see what he was looking at, then resume her position against him.

"You know she's crazy about you, right?" she whispered.

It almost caused a wreck on the dance floor as he suddenly forgot how to move his feet. Trisha got him started again, and he tried to appear nonchalant as he looked into her eyes.

"That's ridiculous. We don't even know each other anymore." He wondered if he sounded any more convincing than he felt.

She shook her head slowly, a bemused expression on her face. "You can't be that blind."

Tim looked back toward Donna, who had turned away as she talked to Pete. He couldn't help noticing the way the dress she was wearing hugged her body. Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, a beautiful contrast to her fair skin. She shook her head as she laughed at some private joke between them. The grace she displayed amazed him. He could remember it from college, but felt such a greater appreciation now of exactly how exquisite she really was.

It reminded him of the night by the pool. The way the shadows played across her figure, the elegant way she moved, how her sleek muscles flexed as she strode toward the pool...

Trisha leaned back into him "Is that for her or do I need to talk to my husband."

Tim was horrified to realize that he was now sporting an uncomfortable erection and had nowhere to hide. "Trisha, I'm so sorry," he started to apologize.

"Don't worry about it Tiger," she chuckled. "It'll be our little secret." She glanced down quickly, "Well, maybe not so little." At this point, Tim was bright red with embarrassment and was looking for a hole to crawl into.

"Just think about my husband sitting there and what he would do to you if he knew, that should do the trick." Tim laughed at the image and managed to gain control over himself. When the song ended, they walked off the dance floor. He got curious looks from both Pete and Donna. Before he had the chance to stick his foot in his mouth, Trisha came to the rescue.

She shrugged. "All I said to him was that if he didn't stop dancing like that, I might have to ask Pete to go home without me." She gave her husband a wink, then turned back to Tim. He looked at her gratefully and tried to immediately change the subject.

The rest of the night Tim couldn't stop thinking about what Trisha had said. Sure, part of him was excited to be around Donna again. She was a beautiful woman and he had a number of wonderful memories with her. At the same time, putting aside the horrific breakup, he barely knew this woman. She had changed so much, how could he be sure of anything?

After another hour, they all decided to head home. Trisha gave Tim a hug and a peck on the cheek. He reacted awkwardly, still feeling embarrassed over his earlier indiscretion. She gave him a knowing smile and then moved on to Donna. The two embraced and talked quietly while he and Pete said goodbye.

They got into their car and pulled away, leaving the young couple to say their private goodnights. Tim walked Donna to her car where she gave him a long hug, followed by another quick kiss on the cheek.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," she said softly. "Thank you." Her eyes locked onto his. "You are a wonderful man." She rested her head against his chest.

Trisha's words were ringing in his ears, making him unsure of what to say. He'd been lying to himself for a week and he knew it. Now he wondered if he was that transparent to everyone. Finally he knew he had to take a chance.

"Would you like to go out for a nightcap?" he asked tentatively. She waited a few moments before answering. "I'm a little tired, could we do something tomorrow instead?" She had a pleading expression on her face. Tim wasn't sure why she wanted to end the night now, but decided that an extra night to think things over might be just what I needed also.

"Sure. Why don't I call you after noon, and we'll do something then."

An uncomfortable expression passed across her face. "I have something that I have to do early, could I call you when I get back? It shouldn't be later than four o'clock."

Something about that look bothered him, but the night had been so perfect he couldn't bring himself to ask. "Just call me when you're done. I don't have any plans for the day. If I leave, I'll have my cell on."

They shared another quick hug, then Tim watched her get into her car and pull away. He shook his head wearily, knowing that he had a long night of thinking ahead of him. Even if Trisha was right, did it really change anything? As much as he had tried to keep his memories separate from their conversations, was he really starting to care about this Donna, or was it just leftover emotions from the past? Was it worth it to take such a huge chance with the only woman that he knew could hurt him?

As he climbed into the car, he thought about watching Donna from the dance floor and knew without a doubt that it was.

~~~~~

This story is submitted in LW because the last two chapters are about a husband and wife concerning the choices they make. I don't believe in splitting up stories into multiple categories (unless they are in a series or chain story), so I picked the one that best represented the theme of the story in it's entirety. There is still a lot of story left, and a lot of questions that will be answered. Trust me....