Cheryl's Secret (Two Stories Series) (4 page)

“
You have an internal conflict. I externalized it. By taking the ‘wrong side’ of it, I forced you to take the ‘right side’. Once we explored the whole issue on both sides, there was no need to argue anymore.”

Cheryl
looked down at the floor, resigned, and uttered a simple “Thank you.”

They looked down at their hands, which they were now holding
.

When did
I start holding her hands? Why am I no longer nervous?

“Well, I see that you learned
something
from your session last night. Just don’t get any funny ideas, O.K.?” said Cheryl.

T
he two held each other for awhile. Although he didn’t hear her cry, he felt a few tears on his shoulder. He stroked her hair a few times, solely out of caring.

As
Cheryl walked to the door, Mark got her attention once more.

“
If things don’t work out with Richard on Saturday…”

“Yes Mark?”

“Then we’ll spend some time together on Sunday, and you can talk to me about it.”

“
I’d like that.”

Then she left.

Chapter 6

Friday
evening Mark was glad to be home alone. He considered turning his ringer off. He’d had enough for the week, and didn’t want to talk to anyone, even Cheryl, whom he was now getting along with, but still somewhat annoyed by.

He didn’t
game, play his keyboard, watch a movie, or even sleep. Out of habit, he had a few cigarettes.

I guess I’
m at the same place I was last week. Just this time, I don’t care anymore.

I was totally in love with a
woman who brushed me off. Now I have a good friend that I’m helping score some other guy. If only Cheryl and I had met at another time, another place, and there was no Richard. She’s making the same mistake with him that I’m making with Tanya. Neither of us is going to be happy.

T
he phone rang. His first thought was not to answer. He was torn
.

It’s Cheryl
. I have to tell her how I feel. Richard or no Richard. It would be totally wrong, and probably would do no good, but I have to. Who knows, maybe there’s a chance.

“Hello, Mark here.”

“Hi Mark,” replied Tanya.

After nearly dropping the phone, Mark responded,
“Hi Tanya, I’m surprised to be hearing from you. You took long enough to get back to me.”

This ought to be good.
I wonder what bullshit she’s going to give me now,
thought Mark.

“Mark,
I have to be honest with you. I wasn’t sure how I felt after our first date. That’s why I was so vague about when I’d see you again.”

“But, if a woman has to think about
it, the answer is almost always ‘no’. So that’s how I took it.”

“I
t
was
‘no’ but I changed my mind. You see, every time I pull away from a guy, he chases me. It’s annoying! He keeps calling and calling for a week or so before he stops and gets a clue. Sometimes the idiot sends me some nasty email about how rude I am not to return phone calls. Anyway, I got to thinking, maybe I
am
rude, and I’m sorry about that.

But what I
like about you is that you seem so
secure.
You didn’t chase me or do any other crazy stuff like that.”

“
Umm… yeah… I mean, really!
Some men,
” he said in a sympathetic manner. On the inside, he was shocked.

“
Yeah…
some men!
So, what are you up to tonight, Mark?”

Thanks for not letting me send that nasty email,
Cheryl. Thanks for cleaning my apartment, and for showing me the moves. Thanks for talking to Tanya. You’re the best. I hope all goes well with Richard. I finally understand.

On Tanya’s insistence, they went to the same café as on their first date. It was her way of saying “Let’s start over.”

Tanya led the conversation.
“Look Mark, when we went out on our first date, I went on and on about myself. I told you about my ex-husband, my investments, all the places I traveled to, and the books I read. Tonight, I just want to talk about
you.”

Shit,
Cheryl, what did you do to Tanya? Brainwash her to like me? This is better than I’d expect. Because of you, I’m on a date with a hot woman who’s really interested. You even taught me what to do when I take her home with me.

“What are you thinking about?”
Tanya asked, noticing that Mark was in his head again.

Mark replied “I was just thinking about how wonderful
it feels to be in love, and that I miss it sometimes.”

“Well, I don’t think you
’ll have to be missing it for
too much longer
.”

They gave each other a knowing smile
.

“So Mark, what is it that you do for a living again?”
Tanya asked.

“I work in a credit card sales center.”

“You mean one of those places that sell you a credit card for a fee and a ridiculous interest rate?” asked Tanya.

“Yeah, that sums it up
,” Mark answered, not too happily.

Tanya
smiled at Mark through the rest of their meal, but there wasn’t that much talking beyond “Please pass the salt.”

Before they left, Tanya excused herself to the ladies room.
Amber, the attractive red-haired waitress approached the table. With a smile, she leaned over to him and whispered “So, when is it going to be
my
turn?”

He just smiled back, partly intim
idated, partly aroused. He didn’t
think
the waitress would tell Tanya about his date with Cheryl. But to be safe he left a big tip.

To Mark’s surprise, Tanya
invited herself
back to his place. 

As
she walked in, she took note of how clean the place was. “You know, you’re improving at a mad rate my friend. Pretty soon you’re just going to be the perfect guy!”

“
That’s a lot to live up to. I don’t know if...”

“You
’re
quite fine
,” Tanya interrupted. “Can we sit down and sip a little wine?”

By coincidence, Tanya and Mark
set themselves on the couch in the same position that he and Cheryl were in the two previous nights.

“I smell some kind of perfume in this spot
,” said Tanya.

Oh no,
Cheryl’s perfume!

“Listen,”
Tanya said. “You did a great job cleaning, but just realize that it’s more important to disinfect than it is to hide odors with a bunch of sweet-smelling cleaners.”

“
Umm… yes! Thanks for the advice! I
wondered
what I should do about that place I spilled beer on the other day,” Mark quickly responded, pointing to a small stain on the couch that he never noticed before, but was relieved was there.

They watched
a movie. Although Mark was essentially
poor
, he did always manage to have a good T.V. and sound system, and he’d always wanted to take a date over to watch a movie with him. He held hands with her throughout the film and
welcomed
the excitement. Being
too
comfortable wasn’t desirable now. However, he was comfortable enough to go to the next step, which was holding her.

“Mark, you’re going to mess up my hair
,” Tanya complained.

“Oh, your hair
is so
beautiful
,” Mark said, stroking it.

Tanya
looked a little upset about this, and he kept stroking, hoping she’d smile.

She
didn’t, and she said to him “Listen, that ‘stroking the hair’ technique has been all over the Internet for the past twelve years. If you want to kiss me,
just
do it
.”

Mark put his lips to hers,
careful of where he put his arms and hands. Tanya opened up her mouth so their tongues could touch.

It’s s
o cautious, yet so mesmerizing,
thought Mark.

Then
Tanya pulled her hair back and whispered into Mark’s ear “Kiss my neck. I want you to.”

T
o Mark’s delight, he accommodated.

Later, as Mark walked Tanya to her car, they kissed again.

“Come to my
place for Dinner Monday night.”

“Yes
Tanya,” Mark responded as if hypnotized.

“
By the way,” Tanya asked, stepping into her car, “I wanted your opinion on something. When do you think the right time is for, well, you said on your profile that you don’t try to sleep with a woman on the first date. When do you?”

“I
’ll get back to you on that one.”

”Yeah, I have a tough time with that one too
,” Tanya responded, then waved goodbye.

Mark jumped on his couch, soaking in the glory of his wonderful second date, and the confidence that he’d see this dream girl again. His dreams were momentarily interrupted when he looked over to the caller I.D. and saw that Cheryl had been trying to get hold of him all night. Although he usually returned his calls promptly, he decided not to talk to Cheryl until the next day, after her lunch with Richard.

Mark stayed up, not gaming, eating, drinking or smoking at all. He just lay there
on his couch, daydreaming. Tanya was wonderful. He felt good about himself, too. He was rarely this content.

Chapter 7

Mark awoke late in the afternoon on Saturday, and turned his ringer on. Despite several more calls from Cheryl, he called Tanya first.

Voicemail again. Some things don’t change.

He made his next call.

Cheryl
answered the phone promptly, and was glad to hear from him.

“Hi Mark,
I’m glad to hear from you. I’ve wanted to tell you about Richard…”

“I’ll bet” Mark interrupted.
“If it went half as well as it did with Tanya and me last night, I’m very happy for the two of you!”

There was silence on the other end, s
o Mark continued.

“Thanks for talking to
Tanya for me.”

“Oh, you’re welcome.
Maybe you better share your story with me first, and then I’ll tell you about…”

“Richard” Mark filled in.
“Yes, I very much want to hear about Richard. Knowing what kind of woman you are, I’m sure you got him wrapped completely around your finger. He’s enjoying every second of it too; I’m sure,” Mark said in the friendliest, most lighthearted way.

“
That
would
be the case, but I couldn’t get hold of him, so nothing happened today, actually,” Cheryl said.

Something’s not right about this. Should I ask her? No, she doesn’t have to take any of my advice, and she’s not my girlfriend, never was, so it’s none of my business. Not anymore, at least. Best let her be.

“Well, at any rate,
Cheryl, thanks for everything. Tanya asked me out, invited herself to my place, and we had a good time.”

“No sex yet, I take it?”
Cheryl asked.

Mark took in a deep breath and let it out before responding. “I think it’
ll be a long time before any of that happens, to be honest.”

“Yeah, who knows if and/or when
I’ll have sex with Richard. We haven’t even really gotten the dating off the ground yet. But he is
so very wonderful
. You have
no
idea.”

She’s into that Richard worship again, but she’s sounding sad.
Wait a minute, he found himself a girlfriend! I’ll bet that’s what happened, and she can’t tell me.

Cheryl continued.
“Well, you told me if nothing happened with Richard, we’d spend some time together on Sunday. There’s a barbecue tomorrow at my brother-in-law’s house. I want you to come.”

This almost confirms it. If she can’t tell me, at least I can
keep her company, comfort her.

“
You mean, like a faux date?”

“
Why not? You and Tanya didn’t ‘have the talk’ and agree to date exclusively did you?”

“No
.”