Chapter 136 SECOND CHANCES

Chapter 136 SECOND CHANCES
Godiva POV

"The truth is, Slosh came into my life just when the need arose. Spending every second and every moment with Slosh made me feel seen and loved. I ain't saying I didn't feel seen around you, but there was just this way I felt around Slosh. He always supported my crazy ideas, like riding around town on his power bike. He always made sure to be there whenever I needed him, even without me asking for his presence." I paused to look at Jerald.

It broke me to see him almost tearing up. I could see how hard he was fighting to keep the tears from falling.

"When I stayed away from both of you, that was when I realized he was just a rebound."

There was silence for a second after my confession before Jerald gradually released a warm smile.

"Do you mean what you just said?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

"Yes." I chuckled softly. "At first, I thought I was in love with him, but as I said earlier, it was too perfect. We had no problems from the moment I started hanging out with him. Plus, he's flawless, and that alone is a red flag."

"So, I guess you missed the drama that came with being with me?" Jerald grinned.

"Not exactly the drama." I smiled. "I guess it was you I missed. I longed day in and day out to be certain of my feelings. Thankfully, being here and avoiding both of you made me realize I was only with Slosh because I was hoping to forget you."

"I never, not even for one second, stopped regretting kissing you that night." His voice grew heavier as he held both my hands. "If I had known it'd become the cause of all our problems, I'd never have done it."

He looked deep into my eyes before continuing.

"If you were suspended and Mama got to know about this, I'm not sure I'd ever be able to forgive myself."

"It's a good thing we passed the exam and Mama never got to know about it," I replied shyly, looking away because of the intensity with which he kept staring at me.

I knew moments like this in the movies usually ended with a kiss because of the awkward silence that followed.

Just as I predicted, within a split second, our heads slowly drifted toward each other like metal drawn to a magnet. Our eyes shut almost instinctively as the distance between us disappeared.

The second my lips touched his, I instantly snapped back to reality and pushed his head aside with a smile.

"And you just had to spoil the moment." Jerald licked his lips, laughing softly. I could tell he was embarrassed.

"I promise we'll definitely go back to the kiss, but only if you answer this question first..." I laughed.

"Alright, ride on. What is it?" Jerald sighed.

"May I ask what exactly happened that day you fought with Slosh at school, the day I accused you?" I asked quietly because it wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

"Wow... then can I ask a question first?" Jerald adjusted his sitting position.

"Ride on." I nodded, though deep down my mind was all over the place, wondering what could have made him look so serious.

"I know this may sound petty, but... did you ever kiss Slosh?" Jerald asked dramatically as he squeezed my cheek.

"The hell?" I burst into laughter.

"Just answer already." He laughed.

"No, I didn't. We never kissed. You're unbelievable." I was still laughing.

"Sure?"

A relieved smile spread across his face before he gently pecked my forehead.

"No doubt." I struggled to stop laughing. "So... what happened between the two of you?" I asked, becoming serious again.

"If I tell you now, will you believe me?" Jerald asked as he gently caressed my hands.

"I regret not giving you a listening ear back then," I admitted, squeezing his palms gently.

"That day, Hakeem urged me to go look for you since you and Dina had left the class for a while. In his words, he said, 'Man up, dude. Find your woman before she gets snatched by someone else.'"

Jerald smiled faintly before continuing.

"I was motivated immediately and ran out to find you, especially because Slosh wasn't in class either. As I rushed through the hallway, I noticed Slosh and Lis entering the empty library. I decided to eavesdrop because I smelt a rat."

He paused briefly, recalling the memory.

"I listened to their conversation, and apparently, Lis had somehow arranged for Slosh to come in as an exchange student just to sabotage our relationship. From what they were saying, Slosh told her you were almost his, and Lis said she couldn't wait to see the look on your face when Slosh dumped you in front of everyone."

Jerald sighed deeply.

"That was all my patience could take. I barged in and punched Slosh in the face. That's when we started fighting. Even before we took the fight outside, I noticed Lis whispering something to Leo. I guessed she was telling him to call you. Looking back now... it really felt like a setup."

"You didn't just feel it, it actually was a setup, and I stupidly fell for it," I responded, forcing a smile.

"It's alright." Jerald patted me affectionately. "I'm just glad you were never dumped, especially not in that manner."

"I love you so much, and I'm sorry," I whispered affectionately before pressing my lips against his for a brief second.

He responded almost immediately, pulling me into a deeper kiss. We kissed until his hands somehow found their way to my back and waist. At that point, we both realized we had gone too far.

"We should be heading home now. It's really late, and I'm sure Godmother is already worried sick," I said as I gently pulled away from our kiss-a-thon.

"Yeah... we should head home now," Jerald replied awkwardly, getting to his feet before helping me up.

We sauntered in silence for a while, our fingers locked together, before Jerald finally broke the silence.

"If you didn't really break up with me, why didn't you wear the necklace I gave you?"

"What necklace are you talking about?" I asked, looking at him in confusion.

"The necklace I gifted you with the other stuff," he replied confidently.

"When I unboxed the birthday gift, there was no necklace in it," I answered hesitantly.

"Not the birthday gift, girl." Jerald laughed. "The gift I gave you at the beach after y'all's final examination."

"Oh damn!" I exclaimed.

"What do you mean by 'oh damn'?" Jerald asked, mimicking me.

"Promise me you won't get upset?" I asked, putting on my cutest face.

"I won't," he replied unconvincingly.

"Well..." I sighed. "I was actually still pissed at you, so I dumped the present in my closet. Since I was sure you'd bought me the same thing Ben got Dina, I didn't even bother checking it out. I'm sorry."

Then I saw his hand twitching the way it always did whenever he wanted to explode in anger.