Connecting

Chapter 32

"Blake. Blake Jenner." Melissa sighed and closed her eyes, suddenly remember all the hurt and pain he brought to her. Chris rubbed her back to comfort her.

"Thank you," David smiled. "What he did seems like a sensitive topic for you. I don't know the details but I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you, not as a supervisor, a mentor, or a director but as a father figure. Your father told me to take care of you before he went in to do his mission. He knows there is a possibility of dying once he suggested that to you. I know his plans and I know that all that, he did it for you, for his family."

Tears started streaming down Melissa's eyes. "He talked to you before all that? Why didn't you stop him?"

"I tried," David shook his head. "I really did. But he's a smart man, he said he knows what he is doing, he knows what will happen and he said he just wants to get back to you, he wants to show you that he's changed. Fortunately, he was right but you realized that when he's gone."

"Why didn't you tell me about him? Before all these, he's been trying to connect to me and all I did was push him away. My mom even accepted him yet I didn't. Why did no one tell me?"

Chris is just trying to comfort her by being by her side but when he noticed it isn't working anymore, he spoke, "Maybe because all of them wanted you to realize it yourself, Mel. You didn't push him away, you thought he was someone else... that he was that bad father you've always knew. The father that left you. What you didn't know was the reason behind everything. Maybe they didn't tell you that he changed is because they think, including your father, that it will be better if he is the one who should speak to you."

After a few moments of silence and Melissa quietly crying, she spoke, "I understand. Thank you for clearing things up, director. I really appreciate it. I will help you with this case, even if it's that monster who we are against. I know I am in the right team, a team that will help me and guide me. Thank you."

---

Once they reached the department, David immediately instructed the other agents and oriented them. The director asked the two agents, Melissa and Chris to help them in planning. They have decided to wait for his next move and investigate more about him or if he has some allies. Once done, David dismissed everyone. Melissa and Chris made their way outside and to the parking area.

Melissa tugged Chris' shirt. "Hey."

"Hey," Chris smiled. "You good?"

"Yeah, now, I'm fine," Melissa said with a small smile. "Thanks to you. Anyway, I am wondering if it will be fine for you to stay over my place tonight? I wouldn't be able to sleep alone and to stay alone tonight. You know... because of what happened, the memories came back."

Chris nodded happily. "I would love to stay with you. But I'll get my clothes first, is it alright?"

Melissa nodded and they went inside Chris's car. They first went to Chris's house to get his clothes for tonight and his uniform for tomorrow's work. After that, they drove their way to Melissa's house. Once inside the house, Chris looked around in awe. It is not huge as a mansion but it is pretty in the inside and the outside.

"You've got a beautiful house." he complimented.

"Thanks. My mom helped me in deciding the designs for the inside while my sisters helped the outside. It's a family tradition when someone gets a house, there should be a contribution for each member." Melissa replied, she went up the stairs, to the rooms. "If you want to sleep in the guest room, feel free to use it. No one uses that unless my mom comes over which is rare because I usually go to the ancestral house, not the other way around."

"You said you might not be able to sleep alone," Chris started. "So, I'll just stay with you. If it's okay."

Melissa nodded. Both of them made their way to her room. Her room has a beautiful white wall, designed with different polaroid pictures around and some painting. In the middle is a queen-sized bed with clean and organized white sheets and pillows. On the left side is a couch that overlooks the beautiful sky. On the right side are some of the pictures in frames, a closet, and her desk. It is a simple room but it looks beautiful.

"I could sleep here," Chris said sitting on the couch by the window.

"We lived with each other for a month or more, I don't really know. We slept on the same bed all those days and we were literally just a strangers and now that we're on a getting-to-know stage which is literally one step away from dating stage and two steps away from a relationship stage, you don't want to sleep on the bed?" Melissa ranted, chuckling.

"Oh so we have a chance to go to the serious relationship stage?" Chris asked, smirking.

"Sure, we do. But not until you tell me about YOUR story. I've been here telling all about me and my story, you learning everything about me, but you never told me yours."

Chris sat on the couch, looking at the sky. Stars. "I actually did. When we were in the hideout, I told you about my ex girlfriend who cheated on me, don't you remember? When I said I need to badly open up to someone. Then you just listened to me, joining me. Then you watched me sleep but I wasn't really asleep and I heard you. I heard you say that I am a good man."

Melissa suddenly remembered. About his ex-girlfriend that he was supposed to marry but instead he was surprised to see a man's shoe when he's about to surprise her about a marriage proposal. Then he saw them in the bed together.

Chris looked at Melissa. "There is one thing I didn't tell you though. She's married now. And they have a family. I mean, I am happy for her but the fact that she never even broke up with me or say sorry. She knows that I saw them even if she pretended to be sleeping at that time. I wasn't able to confront her because I just can't."

"So we're really both came from a broken relationship, didn't we?" Melissa said, smiling bitterly.

"We do. That is why we are meant to be. We have each other's back now, Mel. We will never be alone again. I love you."