Chapter 48: Chapter 48

I push the thought out of my mind and proceed to the nursery to check on the young girl. "Would you like to take her in your arms?" Abby has a question as she is looking to me for direction.

She said, "Well, of course I do," to his question. I am going to propose that we make an effort to get in touch with the tiny angel. I take her in my arms and give her a sweet kiss on the sweetest part of her lovely head before setting her back down. "She is such a dollop of sugar. " What I mean is, don't take your eyes off of her when she's asleep. "Hey Lexi, you can call me Auntie Alyanna, or Riri, or maybe even simply auntie." I continue to kiss the top of her head, and as I do so, I lower my voice.

"You're a natural." My dad says. I turn around so that I am facing him, and I smile at him as I do so. After that, I shift my focus to Mark, who is looking at me in an extremely direct manner. It's possible that my imagination is playing tricks on me, but it seems like I can see love in his eyes. I'm not sure which it is. It's possible that my mind is pulling a trick on me, but I can't be certain either way. And not just a little bit; rather, they are so filled with love that it is bursting at the seams. I genuinely hope that the same can be said for you.

I attempt to hide my embarrassment by turning my back on him. "Perhaps after all of this has been over, it'll be your turn," the narrator says. Abby mumbles while she is still only partially awake. When Mark is having a conversation with Maddy, I can't help but give him a sideways peek every so then.

"Maybe." The very concept makes me laugh out loud. The discussion had held, and going forward, it will be vital for us to be involved. There is always a reason to have positive expectations.

While I drive Mark to his physical therapy sessions, the car audio plays a selection of music for us to enjoy. The song starts off with the lyrics, "So dear, bring me closer in the backseat of your Rover." If I may add, Mark has a soothing voice, and his singing is absolutely pitch perfect, both in terms of harmony and key.

"I just can't get over the fact that you have such a wonderful singing voice." I say abruptly.

"What?" Mark inquires while maintaining a jovial tone in his tone of voice.

"I suppose that I don't really loathe that thing. I just envy it. I can only imagine what it would be like to have a voice like that." I put on a mocking smile to show my disdain.

Mark just giggles some more. You have a pleasant singing voice; however, the issue is that you don't sing nearly as often as you should. He says attempting to make me feel better.

You stated that "being the center of attention is not something that I enjoy doing" and I agree with you completely. I say pulling in.

"That's going to be difficult." Even though he is speaking to himself in a low voice, I can make out what he is saying.

What exactly did you mean by that? Inquiry is made with a sneaky grin plastered across one's face.

She responded with "Oh nothing" Even if he gives off the impression of being careless, I can still make out a hint of redness in his ears.

After the car has come to a complete halt, I get out of it. The temperature is significantly lower today. At the moment, I am wearing a hoodie that belonged to Mark along with leggings that are warm and knitted in black. The fact that they are warm and comfortable is not under my control in any way. It would appear that Mark is completely uninterested in the matter.

I'm going to go to the pool area and sit on one of the bleachers there while Mark is in the dressing room. The pool is split in half along its length, or "hotdog style," as the name that my prior teachers gave to the configuration of the pool was. The section that is located on the right side of the pool is where the swimming lessons for the children are being held. While the older children advance into the deeper water and attempt to get halfway across it, the smaller children will stay in the shallow end on kickboards, and the instructor will continue to hold onto them. The older children will then move toward the deeper water. I can't help but smile to myself whenever I consider the prospect of coming here in the future with one of my children to pay them a visit because of the chance of seeing them.

"Long time no saw." I am able to pick up a voice that seems extremely familiar saying something right next to me, and I am overhearing it. My reflex is to jump at the sound of the voice. The person who was speaking apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you." As he explains it.

As I finally turned my head to look at Zach, the first thing I said to him was, "Zach?"

"Hi Alyanna." He does it while maintaining the smirk that is exclusively his.

Throughout his junior year, his senior year, and his sophomore year, Zach was the top player at the school. He would flirt with any girl in a grade higher than ours or in the freshman class below us if she was attractive enough. It was anticipated of him that he would have a date with someone on every Friday evening. If he didn't, it signified that he was either sick or had already passed away. If he didn't, it meant that he was dead. There were only two times in which something like to that had actually taken occurred. Throughout the course of one of his years at school, he came down with chicken pox; however, his date ended up paying him a visit to assist him in getting better. The week after that, she became ill with chicken pox and was forced to stay in bed. Another time, he got sick after eating at a brand-new Chinese restaurant that his parents made him try the night before it opened. His parents wanted him to be one of the first customers there. In a statement that he posted on Instagram, he conveyed his sorrow and assured her that he would make amends to her over the next seven days. He did.

He was a really great person despite the fact that he was a player and never committed to a relationship with a girl for more than a week at a time. His longest commitment to a relationship was seven days. Not only the girls, but he helped everyone who required aid after dropping their books in the hallway. He didn't simply help the girls. He did not conform to the mold of the usual bully-for-pleasure athlete who also had trouble in the classroom. He kept an impeccable grade point average while also acting as an advocate for others who were victimized by a particular group of jocks.

Over the entirety of his first year of college, he had a propensity to be a hopeless romantic. How do I know? During that time, he was dating my best friend. Flowers or chocolate were his go-to gifts for me on holidays and special events like Valentine's Day and my birthday, respectively. Not only did he give me items for Christmas, but he also took me to fancy places. He was concerned about my health and inquired how I was doing, which shows his level of concern. To put it more succinctly, he was an excellent human being in every respect. Together, we went to see scary movies, and while we were there, we watched with our eyes wide open and a sensation of expectancy. He did not lavish me with his love or lavish me with gifts. He was caught off guard when I told him that I would need his assistance around the clock, seven days a week. In every sense, he exemplified the perfect partner for a boyfriend. I strongly suspect that this was the impetus for my decision to discontinue my connection with him.

"How've you been?" He asks that you rescue me from my memory and bring me back to the present.

"Good. You?" Even now, when I look at him, I find it difficult to accept what I am seeing. In the middle of our senior year, he transferred out of the school where we were both enrolled.

"Good." There is a brief period of awkward silence during which we stare in a number of different directions. "So, tell me, why are you even here?" "So, why are you even here?" My question is too urgent.

"I work here. In addition to being a parent of a student who already attends this institution." He makes it sound as if there is nothing else to it, which is not the case.

"Do you have a young child at home?" I'm sorry if my voice is too loud.

"That's right, Natalie is located all the way over there. Private lessons are being given to her by a friend of mine even though she is just two years old." He tells this to her while smiling broadly in her general direction.

"She is just the nicest person in the world." I say smiling as well. He is staring in my general way at this moment. That doesn't even occur to me as a possible question to ask. It has absolutely nothing to do with me in any way, shape, or form.

"Alyanna Romero, you are very stunning, incomparable, and talented. What about you? Where have you been and what have you been doing lately?" He engages in flirting. Oh, my goodness, I have a horrible intuition about how this situation is going to play out.

"Alyanna." I am able to pick up on part of Mark's conversation as he approaches wearing beach shorts. It's only natural that my eyes are drawn to the sculpted chest he possesses. A look of unwavering resolve flashed on his face the moment he caught sight of Zach.

"Hi." I say waving. "Consider Zach to be a close friend for a long time. Hi, Zach! It's my husband, Mark, talking to you right now."

Because Zach's head is turning at such a rapid pace, I'm beginning to get concerned that he might suffer from whiplash. "So, you've finally made it official?" He does so with his eyes widening in confusion as he does so. When Mark stares at Zach, he has a furious look in his eyes, and I can see it.

"Yep. July." I answer while simultaneously making an effort to hide the anxious expression that has formed on my face.

"Wait a minute, Mark, are you the one who shattered their fibula?" Zach asks. Oh no.

Are you claiming that Zach is the coach of the team that competes in physical therapy? Mark asks the question while wearing an appalled expression on his face.

"You got that right!" Although he gets to his feet and follows Mark to the lane that is the farthest to the left, he continues to say this while he displays an apprehensive expression.

"This next month is going to feel like a lifetime," the speaker said. I remark to myself as I adjust my position in the chair and turn the first page of the book I'm reading.

After I am finally done reading my book, there will probably be about a half an hour left for Mark to do whatever he wants. I made up my mind that I needed to get some exercise and go for a walk outside. I don't believe that Mark will have any issues with this at all.

I leave the building and proceed to the entrance on the main level. I overhear Zach's daughter having a conversation with another young lady who looks to be a few years younger than she is. I came to the conclusion that I needed to take a closer look at it. When the young lady stands up, I am able to get a clear view of her face for the first time. When I was a sophomore, she left school in the middle of her freshman year when she was a freshman. When I was a sophomore, she was a freshman. Hello, my name is Lucy Clark. It just so happens that her name is that. She was exceptionally sweet, yet at the same time she was pretty intelligent. She will be going into her final year of high school the following year, which will be her senior year.

Indelibly imprinted in my mind is the knowledge that she really did go out on a date with Zach. I have no reason to doubt that she is Natalie's mother. I'm debating whether or not to give you a shout out, but I won't. What if it turns out that Zack and she aren't pals with one another after all? What if they are in a relationship, but she believes that he is having an affair with her despite the fact that he is with another woman? Both of those are possibilities, albeit remote ones, but they are still possibilities nonetheless. The likelihood of either happening is low.

As I make my way back inside the building, I notice Mark getting out of the pool and Zach approaching me to start a conversation. "Didn't he just state that he was going to come the week before last?" He asks.

She responded by saying, "Yeah, he was compelled to take me somewhere." I say. I have no interest in carrying on with this discussion any further.

He inquires, "Where are you?"

"Alyanna you ready?" Mark has requested that I contact him by phone. It does not appear that there is any sense of urgency over this matter. I am appreciative of the fact that you chose to wake me up.

"Zach, I'm sorry to bother you but I have to get going. See you next week." I say. I'll have to think about it for the next time, but maybe I'll have Charlie bring him along.

I work my way up to Mark and lightly press one of them against his cheek. I don't look back because I don't want Zach to think that I'm trying to make him envious of what I have because doing so would give him that idea. I don't, but before you ask, let me state unequivocally that I am now involved in a romantic partnership.

When we got to the car, Mark finally asked the question that I had been wondering whether he would when we got there. "Did you two date?" It was referred to.

"Yes."

He asks, "For how long have you been here?"

"First year of undergraduate study." I propose delivering succinct responses. That just makes things easier to deal with, and I have no idea why that is.

"Is it of any genuine consequence?" He asks. These kinds of questions are a lot more annoying compared to the ones about the movie.

"At the time, I may have assumed that it was the beginning of my first year of college; now that I know that it wasn't, I can say that it was." In response, I give the impression that I'm rolling my eyes during the course of this interrogation.

There is a common line of inquiry that goes something like this: "Did he say anything to you while I was changing?" Mark asks. "Yes, he... made a few passable attempts to flirt with me," she said. I would recommend taking one or two steps backward.

"Who, exactly, does he consider himself to be? Having a good time with my lovely wife here." I just can't help but laugh at how incensed he seems to be about something. "What's the punchline to this joke?" He questions while keeping his wrath inside.

In the pauses between my bouts of laughter, I cry out "you." "Are you under the assumption that I want to get back together with my sweetheart from high school?" "Are you genuinely under the impression that I want to do that?" I ask.

He lets out an unintelligible chuckle. "Have I really become into such a possessive and envious husband?" He asks. When compared to other questions, this one does not upset me nearly as much.

"Well, of course you are," she replied. I say.

Phineas, you don't need to worry about anything.

"During the summer, there are 104 days in which you can take a vacation..." I have a quiet voice when I sing. Mark is taken aback by an overwhelming wave of laughing.