New Life : A Second Chance

Sari couldn't believe it when her aunt told her who had come.

She looked at her bare walls, devoid of all posters of Kyle. She had spent the night clearing her room of everything and anything that was of Kyle, and those that reminded her of Kyle.

He had broken up with her and left, so what is the point of hanging on to something that was no longer hers?

Also …

She bit her lower lip guiltily. 

She had accepted Hamdan.

Even now, she wasn't sure if her guilt that she was feeling right now, was because she had jumped straight into another person's arms after breaking up, or for meeting up with her ex when her boyfriend wasn't around.

Perhaps, it was both?

Sari quickly got ready.

Whatever it was, this meeting didn't feel good but she also felt that it was needed.

When she came down to the living room, she paused for a while at the stairs.

She could see Kyle sitting on the sofa, drinking tea and she was struck about how out-of-place he seemed to be.

Not that he looked uncomfortable but rather, that his entire presence was too big for her humble home. He looked out of place just by sitting there.

Sari sighed, and knew that she, too, would be equally out of place at his home.

"Hi," Sari said as she entered the living room.

She gulped upon seeing the handsome face turn towards her, and was utterly shocked at the coldness. No, he wasn't being cold but rather, there was no warmth in his expression.

She didn't realise until then how different he was when he was with her. The soft gaze, the loving look in his eyes, the tender smile.

All of it was gone.

It wasn't that she expected him to still be that way, but wasn't this change a bit too much? Why did he look at her like she was a stranger? Why was he so expressionless?

Kyle just gave her a small nod and answered, "Hi."

He put down the tea cup slowly, and then looked up at her, "How have you been? Zals told me that you were hiding in your room?"

Sari fidgeted, not knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry," was what she managed out.

Kyle shook his head, "No, I am the one who is sorry. I could not be the man that you needed."

He looked at her, his eyes clear and she felt intensely sad for some reason. Having this … normal Kyle, would take some getting used to. 

"I'll be leaving Country M soon, and I didn't want to do so without some sort of closure," Kyle explained, "Perhaps this is selfish of me, but I need to know."

"Know what?" Sari asked.

"What did I do wrong?" Kyle asked softly. 

This was one thing that he could not understand and it frustrated him immensely. His spouse had stopped paying him attention towards the end of her life, which caused her to cheat on him.

He viewed this to be his retribution for his past life's cheating. What goes round, comes round, right? He also could see that Sari didn't mean to cheat on him and perhaps, she never even realised it.

Kyle also felt that it was his fault that she turned to someone else for comfort. He thought they were honest with each other. He had told her he would never lie to her, or cheat, so why did she think he did?

Just what had he done to make her feel that insecure?

Why did she never tell him?

What could he have done to save her from all of that?

"You didn't do anything wrong," Sari began and Kyle put up his hand.

"Stop. Just stop right there," Kyle said, "If I didn't do anything wrong, then why? Why the insecurities? Why the crying?"

"I'm just an ordinary girl, Kyle," Sari said, "Please try to understand. Your world is so different."

Kyle looked down and gave a slight snort.

"You were never in my world, Sari," Kyle said, "I have never brought you home yet, and you've never seen my parents or how I live. In what way is my world so different? Is it because I have money?"

"You don't know my world, Sari," Kyle continued, "Because you have never seen it. You have never asked either, so I thought it didn't bother you."

Sari pressed her lips together and then said, "How could I say that your life makes me uncomfortable?"

"Why not?" Kyle asked back, "I told you to always be honest and open with me. I told you that I would always tell you the truth. I know you have insecurities about us but if you don't tell me, how am I supposed to know what goes on in that mind of yours?"

Suddenly, something clicked in Kyle's mind. 

He had been so consumed by pain yesterday that the hadn't linked the words Hamdan said. 'Never cheat' - 'always be contactable' - 'never too busy for you'… 

"You ..." Kyle began, "You didn't think I was working, did you? The times I didn't call because I was busy, you suspected it was because I was seeing someone else, didn't you?"

"That …" Sari stumbled, shaking her head but not knowing how to say it. 

She knew that he didn't feel he was cheating on her. After all, Nialla was just someone he used for physical gratification. But for her to actually say she didn't like it wasn't possible for her.

"What is it, then?" Kyle pressed on but she was silent. 

Kyle waited but after two minutes, it was obvious Sari wouldn't - or couldn't - tell him.

"Nevermind," Kyle said, seeing her struggle, "I can see how hard it is for you to tell me anything."

He thought he could no longer feel any pain but her silence still sliced into him deeply. 

She could be so free and open with Hamdan. Tell him anything.

Yet, with him?