FictionPress.com - let the words flow| FictionPress.com - let the words flow |
| Home Just In Communities Forums Beta Readers Dictionary Search | Login Register Extras |
-A Twist of Fate-
Prologue
“Let me see her. You have to let me see her.” A tall lanky dark-haired male rushed into the room, grabbing the white sleeve of the doctor before him. His green eyes begged, and his usually confidant features betrayed complete desperation.
The doctor shot the man a disapproving glance before turning away and hanging up his clipboard on the hospital wall. “I’m afraid I cannot do that, Mr. Phillips. Ms. Fields is already in the operating room. You would be an unnecessary distraction to the surgeons.”
Adam’s grip on the doctor’s sleeve tightened and his face paled. “Please, I must see her. I…I have to see her.” His voice broke, and hot tears burned his eyes. He whispered, half to himself, half to the doctor, “I have to say sorry, before she goes.”
The doctor’s gaze was cold and unforgiving. “You mean, you have to relieve your conscience before she goes.” Adam was silent. “I didn’t know Eliza personally, but from what I hear, she was a devout Christian.” The doctor pulled away from Adam’s grasp and began heading down to his office. “She most likely has already forgiven you.”
Adam watched as the doctor walked away, his heart slowly sinking into his stomach, churning with guilt and sadness. He rushed forward and stopped the doctor again. “Please, just a few seconds,” he begged. “Just a few seconds. Doctor, you have to understand…”
The doctor did not understand. His eyes were icy when he turned back to Adams. He spoke slowly, as if to a kindergartener. “Your reckless driving has already killed your girlfriend, Mr. Phillips. Is one murder going to be enough tonight, or must you also endanger the life of the girl she’s donating her heart to?” He walked away abruptly, his footsteps resounding through the silent hall.
They were words 20-year-old Adam Phillips would never forget.
2 years later
“You haven’t dated a single chick these past two years?” 23-year-old Robbie Harrison stared at his childhood friend, his handsome blue eyes filled with utter disbelief. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Adam stretched out his long legs on the airport bench and tossed a potato chip into his mouth. Munching on it slowly, he shook his head. “Better believe it Robbie.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Robbie stared. “When my sister told me you had girls swarming over you like a crowd of bees, I thought you’d already dated 10 or 20. What happened to the good ol’ player I used to know?”
“He killed his girlfriend.” Adam’s voice was dry and humorless.
“Don’t tell me you still haven’t gotten over that.” Robbie gave Adam a look of exasperation. “Look, the doctor was just some asshole looking to ruin someone’s day, okay? Don’t take his words to heart. It was an accident. Accident. Meaning you couldn’t have prevented it.” When Adam didn’t respond, Robbie ran a hand through his blonde hair, obviously annoyed. “God Adam. Are you going to let one night stop you from living the rest of your life? Get over it man. Lighten up. Have some fun. Date some chicks. Now that you’re finally back here in Weston where you belong, I can show you around. The digs and everything.”
“Who said I wasn’t living my life? I’m living my life just fine.” Adam paused. “Without dates.”
Robbie rolled his eyes. “That’s an oxymoron, pal. You can’t live a life without chicks. It’s like, sinful.”
Adam laughed and sat up, tossing the empty bag of chips away. “Look Robbie, I’m just not ready to date yet. I’d feel like I was betraying Eliza.” He stood up and shouldered his traveling bag.
“Adam, she’s dead. Move on.”
Adam looked up abruptly at Robbie’s harsh words. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Alright, well you better. Cause if you don’t, I’m gonna start finding those blind dates for you…” Robbie grinned mischievously. “My sister will be first on the list.”
Adam glared. “Don’t you dare.”
“Hey, if it’ll be incentive for you to find your own dates…” Robbie’s voice drifted off. “What kind of girls do you like anyway? We’ve been tight for 20 years, and I still don’t know what you look for in chicks.”
Adam looked out the window at the arriving airplanes. “Eliza,” he finally said after a pause. “I want to find a girl like Eliza.”
Melanie pretended to be annoyed. “Be careful, be careful, be careful. Gosh! That’s all I hear nowadays.” She grinned. “But yes Jake, I will take care of myself.”
Jake grinned back and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I’ll miss you, Mel.”
“I’ll miss you too.” Melanie leaned in for a deeper kiss. “Don’t run off with any amazingly-good-looking and terribly-scantily-clad Paris girls while you’re gone.”
Jake laughed and murmured in her ear, “I doubt any of them would be half as good looking as you are.”
Melanie blushed and swatted him with her purse. “Flirt.”
“Flight 207, ready for departure. I repeat, flight 207 ready for departure,” a voice spoke over the intercom.
“That’ll be my flight. Bye love,” Jake kissed Melanie on her nose before turning. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too!” Melanie yelled, waving.
She watched until Jake was out of sight, and the plane long gone. Turning with a sigh to leave, she headed towards the escalator. Two men heading for the same escalator walked past her, and Melanie watched them idly. One had dirty blond hair and was talking rather animatedly. The other had darker hair, a shade that would probably be considered brown, but was close enough to black to be confusing. He glanced over his shoulder and Melanie caught a glimpse of his face.
Green eyes. Thick eyebrows. Appealing lips that always seemed to have a smirk tugging at them. Melanie froze in the throng of people, suddenly aware that her heart was beating abnormally fast. What was wrong with her? She took deep breaths and tried in vain to calm down her emotions. Okay, so he was good looking, but she had seen plenty of good looking men in her life. Jake for one. Right, Jake. Remember him? Your boyfriend?
But as Melanie’s eyes watched the mysterious stranger head down the escalator and into the crowd of people on the first floor, she could barely breathe. The man was more than good-looking…he was…
Familiar.
