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“Chantelle?” Her mother stopped her at the door.
“Work, Mom. I’ll be back.”
“Is everything okay?” Her mother asked.
“I’ll find out tonight.” She kissed her mother’s cheek and dashed out the door.
***
Lance paced the country road. Satellites blinked overhead and airplanes flew over, along with an occasional star shooting. Clouds formed but didn’t threaten to pour rain. As the breeze picked up, grass and leaves rustled in his ears, including the whir of crickets and grasshoppers. He stuffed hands in his pockets as he waited for Chantelle.
Waiting for Chantelle. The thought made his fingers ache to touch her. Had he been waiting for her his entire life? She’d been a dream. Everything he wanted and loved.
Then he heard the ground crunch underneath the tires. He turned to find her pulling up her car next to him. He smiled, only to have his heart palpitate inside his chest. She exited the car, only to make eye contact with him as she closed the door. She wrapped her arms around herself as she approached him.
“What’s going on?” She asked.
“Why did you want to meet here?”
“I have some… news and I could only tell you in person,” he said.
She shrugged. “What?”
“The wedding’s off.”
Her mouth fell open. “What? Why? What happened?”
“Andrea and I decided we shouldn’t get married. We realize that even though we love each other, it would be a mistake.”
Chantelle shook her head slightly. “I can’t believe this. Was it something I—”
“It was a mutual decision.” Lance couldn’t help but grin. Chantelle was gorgeous in the moonlight.
She shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t mean to sound selfish, but what am I supposed to tell my boss? The public is expecting you to get married.”
“Tell them the wedding’s off.” Simple enough.
She cupped her forehead. “I don’t get it. You two were fine during the interview. At least until I… I’m sorry about that.”
“No, I should have told her everything sooner.” Lance inched closer.
“Why didn’t you?”
“Chantelle when we broke up, I didn’t know what to do. I felt guilty for the way I acted and the things I said, and I should have called you. It was stupid.”
She sighed. “I almost stopped by your house on the way to college.”
“You did?”
She bobbed her head.
Lance’s stomach burned. “If I had stepped up back then, maybe we wouldn’t be here. Maybe we would have been celebrating ten years of marriage.”
“Lance, it’s okay,” Chantelle said. “We made a mistake.”
“No, it’s not.” He stepped away, hearing the gravel crunch underneath his shoes. “Ever since my sister died, my parents have been interfering in my life. I should've stopped them. I’ve lived with that regret for years.”
“I know they love you.”
