A New Life, Part 2 (COMPLETED)

Chapter 28

Austin tossed and turned unable to sleep he decided to head to the kitchen for a drink. Grabbing a beer from the fridge he stood in front of the sink as he popped off the top. Not trusting his eyes as he looked out the window, he squinted a bit, focusing on a light. The light in the front room of Chance's house. Dropping the bottle in the sink, he rushed through the back door, sprinting across the back lot. His heart pounding as he swung open the front door, 'could it be he'd come home' he thought as he entered the house. Soon his excitement, his hope faded as he found Jenika sitting in the corner looking through albums of pictures and yearbooks of happier times.

Austin slowly walked to her so as not to scare her, catching his breath he sat down in front of her. "Jen, what are you doing here" he asked quietly.

Jenika looked up, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "I...I needed to.." she sniffled.

Austin moved to sit next to her, placing his arm around her as she explained through her tears how she needed to see the pictures, the yearbooks, the life that once was shared by two friends. Austin tried his best to console her, he was as frightened as she was, but in a different personal way. "Show me these" he said lifting the yearbooks to his lap, smiling slightly "show me the Chance I have yet to know" he told her as she opened the books.

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Tim lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, still unable to bring himself to read the journal. He picked up his phone, scrolling through pictures he smiled, oh how he missed the beautiful blonde woman on the screen before him.

Jenika had slipped into one of Tim's tee shirts before crawling into bed. She wrapped her arms around his pillow, taking in the manly scent that was only his, bringing forth comfort that only he could give her whenever he was away. She missed him so much, needed his touch, his reassurance that everything would be alright. As the tears fell, staining his pillow, her phone buzzed, his photo splashing across the screen.

"Hello" she answered softly.

"Hey....did I wake you" he asked.

"No..." she replied, trying to hide her emotions.

"Darlin..have you been crying" he asked, hearing the muffled sniffle.

Jenika hesitated at first, trying desperately not to let onto the truth "baby, I miss you so much" she replied softly.

Tim's heart sank at the sound of his wife's voice, missing her just as much. "Darlin, I miss you and love you with all my heart. I'm so sorry I'm not there with you, it was selfish of me to leave you alone".

Jenika told him she totally understood why and that it was just one more reason why she loved him so much. He coaxed her to tell him about what she and the guys had been doing, hoping to take both their minds off the loneliness they shared. They talked for well over an hour before it was obvious both were having a hard time staying awake.

"Darlin, try to get some rest, ok. Know that I'm with you even if we're miles away and that I love you so very much. I'll call you tomorrow, ok" he spoke softly to her.

"You too, baby. Please be careful, I love you so much" she replied stifling a yawn.

Tim smiled a bit, knowing how hard she tried to stay awake. "I will, Goodnight my love"