Is this destiny?

Sarah listened carefully to the silly teenager on the other side of the call and smiled. By the way Oni is talking, Sarah knows that Oni is elated by this change and how Michael (aka Jesse) is treating her.

When Oni finished talking, Sarah asked: "Oni, why did you call me?"

"Because I don't know what to do.", Oni admitted. She is happy but that does not mean that she knows what to do about it.

"What is your dilemma?"

Oni sighed. "I… I really like him. And it's more than liking him, you know that. But then he hurt me, and I told myself that I need to stop this crazy thinking that there can be anything between us. And I did my best to stay away. But now he is back, and he is saying nice things, nicer than I ever imagined… and I feel my resolve crumbling. At the same time, I am terrified that if I let him in, I will fall for him more and then when he goes with another woman it will hurt more and… I don't know."

Sarah decided to summarize what Oni told her so far. That might help Oni to see where she is. "So… how much I understand, this is the situation: you told him that you want to stay away from him, and that caused him to say how he wants to stick with you. And now you are in-between two options. One is that you push him away, how you decided yesterday. In that case, you will suffer until you heal. The second option is that you stay close to him and risk falling for him more, in which case if he cheats you will be more hurt than now. Is this correct?"

"Yeah… but… did you say 'cheats'?"

Sarah stifled a laugh. "Jesse… I mean, Michael knows that you like him. And how much I understood, he confessed that he is interested in you. So, if you agree to stay close to him, the two of you are a couple."

Oni inhaled sharply. "Really?"

Sarah burst into a laugh. Oni is cute. "Let me simplify: Michael wants the two of you to be a couple. And you have options of rejecting him and suffering or accepting him and then there is a chance that he will mess up and you will suffer. But don't forget that the second option opens up the possibility that he will treat you well and the two of you have your happy ending."

Oni still had difficulty accepting it. "Why would he want to be a couple with me? I mean… he calls me 'little girl' and didn't show any interest in me so far, what happened?"

"You told him that you want to stay away from him, and then you went on a date with some other guy.", Sarah said bluntly and added: "You made him jealous."

Oni thought for some time before responding: "He said that he took me for granted and when facing the possibility of losing me, he realized that he can't allow that to happen."

"There you go! Some people don't know what they have until they face the possibility of losing it."

Oni thought how that is an option. But… Michael wants to be a couple with her? Like dating and stuff? "What should I do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I am scared of being hurt.", Oni admitted.

"Sweetie, any relationship opens you up to the possibility of being hurt. It is a risk you must take if you open your heart to someone."

Oni sighed. "But I have no idea what I am doing. I never even kissed a guy, and Michael already had who knows how many women in his life. How can I compare to them? I will not be enough."

"I have a personal experience how a guy who had many women in his past can change and be faithful and the most caring in the world. There is no need to compare yourself with anyone."

Oni paused and asked innocently: "Personal experience? Aiden was a man-whore?"

Sarah stifled a laugh. Where do kids learn these words? "I never used such an expression, but he had many women in his past."

"How many?"

Sarah grimaced and groaned. "I try not to think about it."

"Even if you don't think about it, it's a fact which can't be erased. How can you be with him and… relax?"

Sarah thought how that is a fair question. "I must admit that it was a process. But when I managed to look beyond my jealousy and insecurities, I realized that it does not matter how many partners Aiden had before we met. Maybe I am not his first hug, or his first love, but what matters is that I am his last one. He is faithful to me and he treats me like I am the only woman in the world."

"And you trust him?"

"With my life.", Sarah responded.

There was a long silence, and Sarah understood that Oni still expects to hear something. "Oni, it all goes back to my question: what do you want to do? Michael made his intentions clear, are you willing to take the risk and let him closer than he already is? That does not mean that immediately you will start holding hands and kissing and moving in together. It can be at any pace you want."

"What do you recommend?"

Sarah sighed. She should not tell Oni what to do, but Oni needs an advice, and Sarah will give her one: "I believe that you don't want to push him away, but you are not ready for a relationship either. And that is why you called me. So… think about what your comfort zone is and start from there. If he cares about you, he will not force you into anything. You can continue being friends, something how you were before this trip to Europe, but the difference will be that the both of you are aware of each other's feelings and that going forward he should not go with other women."

"And I should not go on a date with someone else.", Oni added.

"Exactly.", Sarah confirmed.

There was a knock and Michael's voice: "Oni, is everything OK?"

"Oh… I think I stayed here too long.", Oni told Sarah and then spoke louder: "I'm fine. I will be out in a minute!"

"Where are you?", Sarah asked Oni.

"In the restroom…", Oni admitted.

"Are you hiding from him?"

"I wanted to talk in private, and he is not giving me any space. As much as he was nearly-avoiding me before, today he is smothering me with kindness.", Oni explained.

Sarah laughed. "If it's bothering you, tell him that he is too much. The key to a good relationship is communication. It took him a while, but he opened up to you. Now it's your turn to tell him what you want, and then take it from there. Think of it like planning for a mission."

Oni thought how this makes sense. She does not know about relationships, but she knows how to plan for a mission. "OK. Thanks! I will be in touch."

Sarah smiled and exhaled in relief, happy that things between Jesse (aka Michael) and Oni are back on track. She turned and bumped into Aiden.

"A man-whore?", he grumbled.

"I didn't say that…", Sarah responded defensively and paused. "How do you know about it? Are you listening in to my calls?"

Aiden didn't deny it. "You took too long, and I was worried. I only wanted to confirm if you are still on the call or not. What if an animal attacked you and you didn't hang up? And I connected right on time to hear the part where you badmouth me."

"Badmouth? You were listening in to the wrong talk then… because I also said that you are faithful, and you treat me well and that I trust you with my life."

Aiden hummed in confirmation with his devilish smile on, obviously pleased with her statements. "So… things between Oni and Jesse are looking good?"

"Yeah… and he told her that his name is Michael. I believe that he is serious about her."

Aiden hummed again. "So… your mood improved?"

"Of course, it did… I am happy for…"

Sarah's words stopped when she realized that Aiden is inching closer for a kiss. One, two… three…

"Aiden, love… We can't here… The car…", Sarah protested between kisses when his hands got under her top.

"Hmm… No one can see us… The car is locked… And I've got a blanket…", he responded while going down on his knees and pulling her down with him.

Sarah realized that instead on the grass, she ended up on the blanket and it's soft and quite comfy and… Aiden really does not care about where they are.

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