Beta's Second Chance

Cheater

Iris parked her car as she arrived outside her apartment complex. She was afraid that her now ex-fiance would arrive, but she hoped it wouldn't come to it. Iris walked to the entrance gate, where Jessica was holding folded boxes. "Jessica."

Jessica saw Iris; she dropped the folded boxes, ran to her best friend, and hugged her. "Iris, I'm so sorry that this happened! I was worried sick about you!" The two separated from the hug. "Come on, let's start packing." The friends entered the apartment; everything was in its place. They started with Iris' room and packed her clothes, bedsheets, and other objects. An hour later, they went to the kitchen and packed the cooking utensils, pots, and pans. "I'm going to have to call a storage company to help me move my bigger furniture to storage."

"Say no more, girl! I have a cousin who just got a job with a storage company. I can call him, and he could help us with the furniture tomorrow."

"I would appreciate that." The friends continued packing until they heard a knock on the door; they stilled. There was another knock. "Iris, please open the door. I know you're in there."

Iris felt as if her heart was going to sink. Jessica noticed her friend's horrified look; she angrily marched to the door and opened it. A man stood five feet and ten inches tall; his skin was light olive with a nicely shaven beard. His raven hair was slicked back; his eyes were hazel, and under his left eye was a faint scar. He was slightly muscular and wore clothes that clung to his body; he had an aura of vanity that took pride in his appearance. "Derek, you have a lot of nerve to show your face here!"

He ignored Jessica as he saw Iris in the kitchen. He tried to enter, but Jessica stopped him as she roughly put her hands on his chest. "Iris, I called you numerous times. I-I was worried that-"

"The hell you were worried! You weren't worried when you put your stick in her sister's keyhole!" Jessica then walked backward to prevent him from looking at Iris. "If she hasn't answered your calls, that should be a sign that she doesn't want to talk to you!"

Iris didn't answer or look at Derek. Just hearing his voice was too painful for her. The image of seeing him and her sister together clouded her mind. "Iris, please let me explain! It was a huge mistake! Your sister came onto me, and I tried telling her to get away from me!"

"You're pathetic! I always knew that you were bad news! You could have told Iris that her sister was coming to you! You didn't, you selfish crap!" Derek was then pushed away from the doorway. "You five seconds to leave, or I will call the cops to take your ass out!"

"Iris, please know that your sister meant nothing to me! She was nothing more than a druggie whore! Please know that I will do anything to have you back!" When he still didn't get a response, he scoffed and decided to leave.

Jessica stood outside to ensure that he had left. She walked back inside and closed the door. "That ass! He had the nerve to show his face!" Jessica noticed Iris standing still; she went to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry you had to see him so soon. It will take time to heal, girl, but I know you will overcome this. You have me to help you out."

Tears formed in Iris's eyes, but she wiped them away and smiled at Jessica. "Thanks for standing up for me."

Jessica let her go and smiled. "Hey, we're more like sisters. I won't let that clink clank ding dong get close to you."

Suddenly, Iris's phone vibrated; she looked at her phone.

"Who is it? Don't tell me-"

"It's a guy I met at a park."

This surprised Jessica, and curiosity got the best of her. "Woah, you met another guy already? You are slicker than Speedy Gonzalez. Explain."

"I went to a park to process what I saw between Derek and my sister. I saw this guy at the park, and he was trying to commit suicide."

Jessica gasped as she felt a shiver go down her spine. "N-No way! Then what!?"

"I stopped him before he pulled the trigger; he broke down. He told me that he lost his wife and unborn child. I never met such a broken man. However, his friend came by and took him, but not before we exchanged phone numbers."

"Wow, you saved a man's life. What's his name?"

"Maverick."

The two read the text.

"Good morning, Iris. Thank you for the text and your concern; it's much appreciated. I am doing better today. My friend convinced me to get some help which I decided to take. I was wondering if we could meet for coffee."

Iris felt relief that Maverick was doing better. However, she didn't know whether it would be a good idea to go out for coffee with a man who tried to commit suicide. "What do you think?"

Jessica looked intrigued and had an amused smile on her lips. "Go out with him. I mean, you two went through heartbreaks. It would be nice to have more support systems. This guy seems genuine."

"But, I am slowly trying to cooperate myself after being cheated. I-"

"Girl, you will eventually have to move on. You will go through many painful events in life, but life is a lesson. Besides, this guy also went through heartbreak." Jessica then wiggled her eyebrows. Who knows, maybe you two can heal each other's hearts." Iris blushed as she looked at the message. She sighed and pushed the call button. "Woah, you're calling him. You go, girl!"

Meanwhile, at their insistence, Maverick was still staying with Alpha Matthias and his family. He was in Matthias's gym, lifting weights while Matthias was on the running machine. Maverick was about to switch music from his phone when he saw his phone ring. He turned off the running machine and then his music. Matthias stopped lifting weights as he stood close to Maverick. 

Maverick answered his phone. "H-Hello."

"H-Hi Maverick, it's Iris. I-I'm happy you answered my text and are okay."

Maverick was breathing heavily and tried to calm himself down. "Y-Yeah. S-Sorry that you had to see that side of me. I-I wasn't in my right state of mind."

"It's okay. If I had to be honest, I wasn't in the right state of mind that day either. Anyway, I saw your message, and I-I would be happy to meet you for coffee."

The Beta smiled and was happy that Iris accepted his invitation. "I-I'm glad. Would you like to go out tonight? I can pick you up." Iris was silent at the other end. Maverick wanted to facepalm himself, thinking that he was going too fast.

"That would be fine, but I can meet you at the coffee shop. Have you ever tried Tierra Mia coffee?"

"No, I never heard or tried it."

"Well, they have delicious Mexican-style coffee and drinks that I think you might like."

Matthias looked on with anticipation and motioned his Beta to accept. "That sounds good. We can meet at 7 p.m. Do you have the address?"

"I do. I will text it to you right now. I'll see you later." 

The two hung up; Maverick noticed Matthias smiling. "Well, that went well. That woman sounds like she has a good heart."

Maverick looked at his phone and received the text with the address. "It sounds like she does. I-I feel that everything is going so fast."

"I know, my friend. However, you have been living in pain for far too long. I'm glad that you are taking the first step. It's what Ofelia wanted. Anyway, you need to plan what you're going to wear." Maverick couldn't help but chuckle.