Second Chance

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

James released a sigh of relief when he checked the time on his phone; It was 12:00 pm in the afternoon an that meant break time. His breaks were usually an hour long but James's boss was so laid back that James could be on break for 2 hours and his boss wouldn't notice or care. James was very grateful for his boss and his good-paying job; he was only 22 years old and yet he was more than financially stable. James went to undergraduate school and majored in chemical engineering with a 4.0 GPA and now, James is planning to go through with his Masters degree since he only had two more years to go until he gets his Masters in chemical engineering. Needless to say, balancing online classes and work wasn't easy; but James was able to balance making a good amount of money and excelling academically.

As James walked out of his job and made his way to his car, he decided to go to one of his favorite spots to eat at a certain mall in downtown Tokyo where the food was absolutely amazing. And, if you went up to the roof of the mall, you were afforded one of the most beautiful views of Tokyo, Japan. James was becoming more and more excited by the minute, and his stomach was grumbling loudly. When he reached the mall, he took the elevator to go to the third floor where the restaurant was located. And, right as he was about to step out of the elevator, he dropped his cellphone on the elevator floor. So, he bent down to pick it up and as he walked out the elevator, he bumped into a somebody.

"Oh, I'm sorry-----Mallorie?"

Mallorie paused, "James?"

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Mallorie decided to spend her last few days at one of her favorite malls to eat lunch. So, she took the train and had just arrived at the mall and was about to walk into the entrance of the restaurant on the third floor when she James suddenly bumped into her. She didn't expect to see him at all.

"What's up?" James asked.

"I'm good, I just came here to grab some lunch, you?"

"I'm also here to eat too." he smiled, "You wanna eat together?"

"Sure."

So James and Mallorie went into the Japanese buffet style restaurant and found a table. Once they were seated once, they immediately got their food. The food was so amazing and delicious, Mallorie took her time savoring each bite since this was her last time eating there.

As they eating, James asked, "So when are you leaving?"

"I'm leaving next Thursday." and once she said that James struggled to swallow his food; he couldn't believe she was leaving so soon.

"Wow, that is crazy."

"Yeah I know, I'm really going to miss it here." Mallorie sighed.

"We all do, but once you get to the states you'll fall in love with it."

"I know hopefully I do, but i'll always have a special in my heart for Japan." she said wistfully.

"Everyone does, Japan is an amazing place for anyone that visits or lives here."James said and Mallorie smiled ruefully.

And then Mallorie and James ate for a few more minutes and then they decided to go upstairs to the top floor on the roof. When they got there, Mallorie and James walked to the edge of the roof where there was a railing was located leaned on it as they took a minute to appreciate the view.

Mallorie took a deep breath in and looked out before her; this view was truly magnificent. You could literally see all the local Japanese citizens walking to and fro on the streets below, and all the roof tops of every building nearby. You could also see the cherry blossoms as the intense sun light reflected their pink and white colors, as well as smelling their faint scent lingering in the air. The hustle and bustle of the street down below didn't distract Mallorie not one bit from the beauty and splendor of Japan.

A few minutes into Mallorie's pondering and she broke the silence of the moment, "I know I said this before, but I'm really gonna miss Japan."

James stood up straight and faced Mallorie which took a step closer to her. "I know you will Mallorie because trust me, we're all going to miss you too." and when he said that, Mallorie stood up straight as well and looked deeply into his eyes to which she found herself drowning in slowly.

Then she broke the connection and lowered her head, afraid of the tears that were threatening to come forth, "I'll miss you guys too." she said softly.

When suddenly, James took a step closer and reached out and used his hand to raise her face closer to his. He could see the tears that she was desperately trying to hold back but he kept his gaze steady as he slowly lowered his head to kiss her. Mallorie had never been kissed before but deep down on the inside she always wanted James to be the one to give her, her first kiss. As he lowered his head Mallorie closed her eyes and James's lips were a breath away from touching hers, when suddenly Mallorie and James both heard a noise from the right direction that distracted them both from their moment. They quickly stepped away from each other, both well aware of what had just transpired. It turns out, a group of high schoolers came on the roof when they saw Mallorie and James. Mallorie blushed to the roots of her hair. Deep down, she was disappointed; she really wanted James to kiss her. Guess she would have to leave Japan without her one wish coming true.

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James was disappointment and slightly annoyed. If those people hadn't interrupted their moment, he would have kiss the girl he couldn't stop thinking about; but it seems like fate had other ideas in mind. Now, that they were interrupted, the mood between them was painfully awkward and James cringed on the inside. So, he tried to break the awkward and silent moment.

"Do you want to head out now?" James asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"I can give you a ride if you want, I'm heading back to work on base anyways."

"Alright" she gave a wry smile, then they went to his car. As James was driving towards the base, he took a quick glance at Mallorie sitting in the passenger seat to see if he could decipher her feeling. But, she turned her head towards the passenger window and was playing with her fingers in her lap, I wonder what she's thinking.

When they got back to base, James dropped Mallorie off to her hotel and regrettably told her goodbye. Oh, how he wished he could of kissed her as he been dreaming about. But, time was running out and he suddenly thought that he should probably get Mallorie a gift; truthfully he couldn't just let her leave without a goodbye present. So, after James went back to work and finished his job, he went back to the same mall he left with Mallorie, and sought out to buy her a parting gift. In the end, James realized that he had no idea what Mallorie's taste was or what style she liked either. So, James was so lost and didn't know what to get quite frankly. Finally, after minutes of searching, James decided on a sterling silver necklace lined with tiny diamonds. After, James purchased the bag and brought it to his car, he laid the bag down on his passenger seat and looked at the price tag again. First of all, he didn't know that bags would be this expensive, but, it was for Mallorie and honestly, he would have bought anything for her. This was a special gift that he wanted her to have in order to think of him, so he prayed that she would liked it and cherish it for many years to come.