The second chance

Chapter 25

Erick was golden. In those first days after Hunter's death, he was a huge support to me and tried in every possible and impossible way to get me out of the gloomy mood. He texted or called me several times a day to ask how I was doing. He would come to my house after work, bring me flowers or chocolate, and sometimes stay the night. He didn't rush into sex, but I didn't even want it. I was grateful for his presence and his comforting hugs.

He was more attentive to me than ever before. He listened to me with interest, asked how my day was, about my patients, in the evenings he invited me for walks or for a drink at the bar Lewis, where his friends Paige and Alexa worked, who also helped me come up with other ideas.

Alexa and Paige were fun. You couldn't be sad with them, and after visiting them, I always returned home with a smile on my face and the thought that life is worth it.

I became surprisingly close to Paige. I liked her from the very beginning, but I honestly didn't expect her to become my good friend. Maybe it was because we were both madly in love and a bit insecure about our love, but on the other hand we were quite similar in character.

We are both of a calm and deliberate nature, we took things more seriously than necessary, but we also knew how to untie and relax, while Alexa was a proper element. Sometimes she reminded me of an enraged tornado that took everything around it, without even thinking about the devastation it left behind. But I got used to her and took her as she was. We weren't the best of friends, but our relationship got better. There was no longer the initial dislike between us, but something in between. We still had a lot to work on.

Alexa was always in a good mood, relaxed, herself, and nothing could easily upset her. She never worried about little things, she looked at problems with an open mind, and actually, if I'm honest, she probably didn't even see any problems anywhere. More than once, I envied her the ease with which she went through life.

I had more to say to Paige because she could always understand me. Even though she never gave me useless advice, at least she didn't judge and condemn me like Sam used to, and that's why I always breathed easier after talking to her.

Paige had a similar calming effect on me as Hunter. I could confide in her about anything and I knew it would stay between us. I have confessed to her more than once about my feelings for Erick and the fear of whether he feels the same way. I was a little scared that he only stayed with me because of Hunter's death, and that deep down he was just waiting for that moment until I was visibly over his loss.

Paige understood me. She was also fumbling in a relationship in which she was unsure of anything. She always complimented her boyfriend Nick on what a perfect gentleman he is, how he goes to her place for breakfast together in the morning, since her work does not allow her to see him in the evening. I never met him in person, but from her descriptions, he seemed to be a good and sincere person who respected her immensely.

But I still had the feeling that Paige was hiding something from me, that she wasn't telling me everything. I didn't begrudge her because I didn't tell her everything either. The dark dust of the past, which spread over our heads and families, I kept hiding from her inside me. I wasn't sure if I could say this secret that didn't just belong to me out loud.

Although her romance was fresh, it was intense. She and Nick had only known each other for a few weeks, and while it didn't seem like they were taking it slow, I was rooting for them. Sometimes I was afraid that she had jumped headlong into a relationship with a complete stranger, but every time I saw her standing behind the bar so happy, I wished her so. I really wanted her to be happy.

I had the evening off today because Erick wasn't here. He flew to New York in the early hours of this morning to attend a conference on some sort of digital investment promotion summit or something. The name was too complicated even for me, so I couldn't remember it exactly.