Maybe This Time

…...

Maybe this time
It'll be lovin' they'll find
Maybe now they can be more than just friends
She's back in his life
And it feels so right

…...

Pulling his coat tighter around him to shield him from the harsh winter winds, Jerome Clarke walked down the busy London streets, desperately looking for a saviour from the hustle and bustle of the city. When he spotted it, he had only a second of hesitation before diving into his salvation: the local coffee shop. Noticing that there was a table free, he sat down and began to read his paper.

The headlines were the usual: celebrity gossip, women moaning about their wobbly bits, and, of course, the yearly 'Inspirational Woman' award. Jerome never found these sort of things interesting, but this particular time, the picture caught his eye. A woman with tanned skin, glossy black hair and sincere, sad brown eyes stood with her hands clasped in front of her. The headline read: 'LADY INSPIRED BY HUSBAND'S DEATH'. Jerome knew there was something familiar about that lady, especially the eyes. Those eyes stirred something deep inside him, memories he'd rather forget. Could it be her, after all these years? He read on.

'Like so many women, when this woman married her childhood sweetheart, she thought her dreams had come true,' Jerome sat back in his seat and yawned, reading on, 'Unfortunately for one Mara Jaffray. . .' Mara Jaffray. MARA JAFFRAY. It was her! '. . . her husband was killed in a tragic car crash in July, 2019,' Husband? Jerome hadn't known she'd gotten married. Then he looked through again. 'Her husband, Mick Campbell. . ." Of course! She'd married the meathead! How could he forget her 'fairytale wedding', as she'd put it. He hadn't been bothered to (or wanted to, for that matter,) attend, but the invitation still lay, heavy in his drawer. Mara Jaffray! He couldn't believe it.

"Hey, is this seat taken," a high pitched voice asked. Jerome looked up to see his high-school best friend, Alfie Lewis, standing above him with a grin on his face.

"Hey man."

"Hey!" Alfie sat down

"How did you know where I was?"

"Dude, I have a tracking chip in your phone!" Alfie grinned, but stopped when he saw Jerome's face, "Joking! Seriously, though, dude, you're always here."

Jerome smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Why though?"

"I. . . I just like it here. It's quiet and nice."

Alfie nodded wisely.

"Cool story bro. Hey, gotta run, gotta meet Ambs for lunch," Amber was his long-term girlfriend, who he'd been dating since their school days.

"That's fine," Jerome leaned back and continued to read as Alfie walked out of the coffee shop. A few minutes later, his eyes were shut and he was slowly drifting off, when. . .

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Jerome's eyes rolled under his closed lids.

"Alfie, bro, you already tried that. It's not funny anymore."

"Erm, I'm sorry, who are you talking about?"

"Seriously, bro, stop it now."

"Fine," the voice sounded cross, "I'll just go sit over there then."

Jerome opened his eyes.

"Mara?"