"Five years and that's all you have to say to me?" he asked. Standing so close she could taste his breath.

She wanted to move away from him. But she didn't want him to know just how much he affected her. So she stood right there. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her.


"Well... Is there anything else you want me to say?" she asked 

The side of his mouth moved upwards.

He was smiling? Why the hell was he smiling like that? She thought. She didn't remember saying anything funny.

"You left... Kitty" he said. "I asked you to stay... Begged you to stay... And you left anyways.. With him. And now you come back... Acting like everything is okay between us...?"

There was something about him... She thought. Something about the way he called her 'Kitty' that made her heart flip. He was the only one who called her that. She hadn't even realized how much she missed him calling her that. 

"You shouldn't have gone with him". He said. 

"Oh really? Why not? Because you didn't want me to?" she asked. She was starting to get angry. 

"Yeah that's right" he replied. "And because of what you felt for me -what we felt for each other. When I came near you, you felt an excitement so intense that you ceased to breathe --like you are feeling right now. You wanted me just as much as I wanted you. And that should have been enough to make you stay"

ALWAYS BEEN YOU 

Everything was going the way she wanted. Monica thought. 


Now, on her way home from a perfectly wonderful dinner with Tom, she hoped he felt the same way. She realized she liked him a lot. 


Decked out in her new green sweater, black leather skirt and matching boots, she had dressed to get laid tonight, and, judging by the way Tom had stared at her throughout dinner, she was well on her way to achieving her goal. 


She tried to dismiss any negative thoughts. There were no buts. Everything was fine. 


There was a time when she wanted to be single. But she was done with that now. She knew what she wanted now. Back then she had thought she would be a fool to let fascination with a guy spoil her happy life. She figured that she didn't really want or need a man in her life. 


But now she knew she was done with all that. She wanted to share her life with someone. She wanted to be happy... With someone. 


Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy One