New Life : A Second Chance

"You have really beautiful eyes," Sari said suddenly, "Why do you hide them behind those fake glasses and cover it up with your long hair?"

Kyle looked away, and handed her the milo, saying, "After you finish this, we'll go see how the kittens are."

Sari bit her lower lip, thinking that she had been too forward and pried into his personal matters. It was just that he had been so caring and open that she had forgotten that they weren't really close.

She held the warm cup in both of her hands, warming them as she slowly drank the milo.

Kyle sighed.

When he had seen her being attacked like that, everything became crystal clear to him at that moment.

He wanted to protect her, and take care of her. He doesn't want her to ever suffer and he wants to be by her side all the time.

As stupid as it sounds, he had fallen for this little stranger and time did not make his feelings any less.

It did not make any sense to him, and he did not believe in love-at-first-sight, but he couldn't deny his feelings any longer.

Psychologists say that a crush would typically last for four months and if it lasts longer than that, then it is 'being in love'. Kyle knew this but still pushed it aside. He felt that the psychologists just pulled a number out of a hat.

Although his crush on Sari had been going on far longer than four months, he vehemently denied that it was him 'being in love'.

But today.

He wanted to kill those five boys.

He really did.

It was then that reality came crashing down on him and he stopped denying what his heart wanted.

In truth, this was the first time in his two lives that he had such strong feelings for someone. His love for his spouse in his past love had been a comfortable type of love, not this 'giddy and tongue-tied' type of love.

Which was why he had initially thought it was a passing phase.

It did not feel 'real'.

Now, he knew otherwise.

The only thing now was, how was he going to do this. 

She knows him as Rex Smith, not Kyle Smith. Kyle took his middle name (which, he found to be rather ironic that the company he was investigating is Rex Industries).

How is he to tell her, and what would her reaction be?

Perhaps, that is something he can save for another day? Wait for the right moment to reveal the truth to her without scaring her off?

For now, what was important is to get to know each other more.

He was already sure about his feelings for her. It was now to see how she felt for him.

Was he like the kittens she liked to save? A stray that she adopted? Perhaps.

He still had those two boys that escaped to beat up though.

That could wait. He already knew what they looked like, and hunting them down would be a good way to pass the time later.

Once Sari was done drinking, he took the empty cup from her. He nonchalantly threw the empty cup into the dustbin a few meters away and then took her hand.

"Come on, let's go," Kyle said.

Sari just stared at their intertwined hands with a stupid grin on her face, not saying a word. She obediently followed him, hardly believing this turn of events.

If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up.

Kyle smiled to himself as well.

Once he made a decision, he felt it would be much easier to move on now. 

He still had a lot of things to settle, but that didn't mean he couldn't just enjoy the moment, right? The fact that she didn't resist when he held her hand (like it was the most natural thing to do) meant that things were going in the right direction.

He will just take this as it is, one day at a time.

When they reached the vet, the receptionist greeted them with a sad smile. 

"Miss, how are the kittens?" asked Sari worriedly.

The receptionist shook her head a bit, "I'm sorry. One did not survive. Its injuries were just too severe."

Sari started crying then, and Kyle took her into his arms. 

"You did the best you could," Kyle said gently, stroking her hair.

Sari knew that, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. 

"The other one needs a lot of care," the receptionist said.

Sari gripped Kyle's shirt and looked up, worried. There was no way she could take care of the kitten, as her aunt was allergic. She gulped, thinking that she's causing a lot of trouble right now.

Her impulsive actions caused Rex to fork out his own money to pay for the medical fees - both for her, and the kittens - and there was no way she would be able to repay him anytime soon.

Now?

After all of that, what would happen to the surviving kitten?

She had not thought it through … but even if she did, she would have still done the same thing.

She will think of something.

Just as she turned to take the kitten, Kyle had already done so.

"She'll stay with me," Kyle said.

He lifted the bottom of his t-shirt and formed a 'pouch' with it. Gingerly placing the kitten in it, the kitten started purring.

"What's her name?" Kyle asked Sari.

She looked up at him, dazed.

"You're going to keep her?" 

Kyle smiled gently at her, nodding.

"Your boyfriend is so caring," the receptionist said with slight envy. He may not be much to look at but the way he cared for the girl was really worth far more than looks.

Blushing, Sari said, "He's n-"

"Thank you," Kyle said, cutting in, "My girlfriend is so wonderful. How can I not take care of her properly?"

Sari's eyes bulged wide open.