Chapter 221:
Shadows of the Past
In Chris’s Point of View:
The sound echoed in the restricted space. I wasn’t expecting anyone. Megan had a fight tomorrow and wasn’t going to come over and take the risk of showing up unannounced. I wiped my hands on my jeans and turned to face the door, curiosity peaking. As it opened towards me, my eyes fell upon the last person on this earth that I ever expected to see: my mother.
“Chris, may I come in?” Her voice was hesitant, totally unlike the firm ring it had carried all those years ago.
I got out of the way, still trying to find some explanation for her sudden reappearance. “Sure, come in.”
She walked in, her eyes taking in an overview of the clutter. “Quite a while, it has been,” she said this, finally heaving a heavy sigh, her head filled with equal measures of regret and nostalgia.
I nodded, really not knowing what I was going to say. We’d always been complicated with each other, and her return had brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad.
We tucked in on the old couch, and the air filled with awkward silence. Finally, she broke it. “Chris, I’ve been following your work.”
I raised an eyebrow. “My work?”
“Yes. Your writing. I read some of your articles and I even heard you’re ghostwriting for someone famous.” She smiled, trying to bridge the gap that had formed over the years.
“Yeah, I’m working on a book with Megan. Megan Turner, the boxer,” I told her, looking at her reaction.
Recognition blinked in her eyes. “Megan Turner? That’s impressive. She’s very talented.”
I nodded, a hint of pride in my voice. “She is.”
Her face showed a struggle going on. She wanted to speak something, but the words seemed to avoid her. Another silence fell between both of us.
“Mom, why are you here?” I asked.
She let out a sigh. She shook her head and left her fallen tears drop. “I came to apologize, Chris. To everything. For everything. For not being there when you needed me.”
I stared at her, the words soaking in. I had wanted to hear those very words for years, but now that they were here, no words seemed proper.
“Chris, I know I made mistakes. I was so caught up in my own world that I forgot about you. I just. I just want to set things right, if you’ll let me.”
Her voice cracked, and I saw the vulnerability in her eyes. Something I had never heard before-my heart would soften.
“Mom, it is not that easy,” I tried to make her understand. My words couldn’t be out properly. “You can’t just walk back here and expect that it will be fine. it is all fine.”
“I do,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “But I’m willing to try, just give me a chance.”
I looked at her and realized that the walls I had put around my heart were crumbling. Maybe it was about time I got over the past and tried to construct something new.
I frowned now; who could this be now? When I opened the door, there was a person standing there whom I had not really expected: it was Megan.
“Hey, Chris. I know it’s late, but I needed to talk to you about something,” she said, her eyes flickering to the figure on the couch. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” I shook my head. “It’s fine, Megan. This is my mother. Mom, this is Megan.” Megan’s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly composed herself. “Nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.
My mother came to her feet, gripping Megan’s hand. “Very nice to meet you, as well. Heard a lot about you.”
Megan smiled, but I saw the questioning look in her eyes. “Ditto. Chris mentions you occasionally.”
“Does he?” my mum asked, shooting me a quick glance with a small smile.
“Yeah,” said Megan, her tone gentle. “He’s really proud of you, despite everything.”
My mother’s eyes welled up with tears again, and she turned to me. “Chris, I really am sorry. I hope we can find a way to move forward.”
I took a deep breath, suffocated by the past. “Mom, we can try. But it won’t be easy.”
She nodded, relief and determination in her eyes. “That’s all I ask. Thank you, Chris.”
She went to leave, then stopped, turning back to me. “I’ll call you tomorrow, yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah, call me.”
She smiled once more before leaving me with Megan, in the quiet.
Looking her way, her face held worry. “Chris, are you okay?”
I nodded, though I couldn’t say for sure. “Yeah, it’s just. a lot to deal with.”
She stepped closer still; her hand rested on my arm. “You don’t have to go through it alone.”
I turned toward her, thankful for her presence. “Thanks, Megan.”
We settled back on the couch, and the silence was comfortable. “What did you need to talk about?” I asked again, remembering her original reason behind the visit.
She leaned back and sighed. “It’s about the book. I’ve been wanting to put down some of my personal stories, things I’ve not shared with anybody.”
My eyes knitted in curiosity. “Like what?”
She hesitated, her eyes running across mine. “Like the reason I started boxing. It wasn’t about the sport; it was about proving something to myself and to everyone who doubted me.”
I listened as the weight settled in on her words. “Megan, if you’re prepared to talk about that, then I’m here to help you tell your story.”
There was a touch of vulnerability in the eyes from her smile. “Thanks, Chris. That means a lot.”
The shadows of the past, if not fading, seemed to have been replaced by the new light of hope and possibility. Maybe we would find a way to heal and move on together.
Megan burrowed closer and laid her head on my shoulder. “You know, sometimes I think about how weird it is we ended up here. From that first meeting backstage to now.”
I chuckled, wrapping an arm around her. “Yeah, life does work in mysterious ways.”
She tilted her head up, eyes meeting mine. “Do you ever think of what would happen if this. if we became real?”
Her question had possibilities hanging in the air, unsaid. I gazed at this woman who, in such a short time, had become a whole lot more than just a client or a fake girlfriend. “I do,” I admitted. “More than you know.”
The hope shining in her eyes was fragile. “Me too.”
We shared our pasts, fears, and dreams with each other deep into the night. Gradually, the walls we both had up started crumbling-maybe to give way to a sense of bonding and understanding.
There, in that moment, I knew-maybe just maybe-that we weren’t faking it anymore. Maybe this was the real beginning of something that was worth fighting for.