Leonard walked into Norman's office and was more than surprised to see him leaning back, swaying his seat from side to side, with his eyes closed and a fully formed smile on his face.

News flash; Norman was no longer a virgin.

It wasn't as though Leonard was in the best mood right now, but he couldn't prevent himself from laughing heartily.

His laughter had alerted Norman who sat up immediately, angry at the same time relieved his friend had pulled him out of his wild fantasies. "Leo." There was an obvious scowl on his face.

"You were smiling to yourself."

Norman was shook his head. "I-I-I wasn't," he argued.

Leonard took a seat. "You and Beatris made up? That's like the best news ever! Aww."

"How do you know that?" Norman didn't want to believe Leonard had a hidden camera in his bedroom because even though last night had been pleasurable eventually, it was so embarrassing! He'd made so many mistakes initially and almost freaked out at some point.

"You were smiling just a while ago. And obviously, you've piled up all your work for me to do. Right?" Leonard inquired.

"Look who's talking." He scoffed.

Leonard knew his friend better than anything. "Stop avoiding my question, Patterson."

"Fine. We made up. And..." *Learn how to shut your mouth!* He chided himself.

"And?" He just knew Leonard wouldn't let it slide.

Norman felt his cheeks going red. This was the worst best day of his life. "We did it." *Congratulations, you sound just like an idiot.*

Leonard stared at him perplexed. "Did what?"

"It. That... Stuff."

"Oh my God!" The annoying man in front of him exclaimed. He felt like killing him. "I hope you left her begging for more of Norman's special treat." Leonard teased him, laughing uncontrollably.

"Your mind belongs in the gutters. This is the last time I'll tell you anything." Norman feigned annoyance.

It worked and Leonard stopped laughing at him, trying to be serious with the smile on his face that said otherwise. "I'm truly happy for the both of you."

Norman watched the young man opposite him keenly. "What about you? What is going on with you?"

His friend exhaled deeply as he fiddled with his fingers. "I'm fine, Norman."

Norman stared intently at him. His eyes were almost swollen and large teabags spread underneath them. His face displayed a replica of depression and his lips were aligned into a very sad curve.

After a few minutes of gazing at him expectantly, Leonard finally raised his head so his eyes met his friend's. "She won't even talk to me." Norman knew remaining quiet was the only way to get it all out. He'd handled his emotionally unstable friend long enough to know every trick. "She..." Leonard sighed deeply. "She asked me to stay with my family. My family? Does that even exist anymore?"

"Elaine?" Norman sighed in defeat. It didn't even look like his friend was even the least bit bothered about Sara's predicament.

Leonard nodded slowly.

"What about Sara? What about your baby?" Norman resisted the urge to slam his desk with much difficulty. It wasn't his life after all.

Leonard looked away with guilt invisibly plastered on his face.

"She doesn't deserve this. All the time you've been together, that woman has spent it loving you. Even when you're being stupid and difficult. She's carrying your baby for goodness sake!" He yelled at his friend who was being a pathetic excuse for a man right now.

Leonard sighed as he got up and walked towards the door. "Sara was a mistake."

"Yes. A mistake you should pay for!" Norman got up unhesitatingly and walked towards Leonard who'd stopped, seeing the furious man approach him.

There was a glint of confusion on Leonard's face. "You know, I keep asking myself, why exactly do you like Sara so much? You were always against my feelings towards Elaine."

"Your unrequited feelings?" Norman smiled.

"You know if things hadn't gone wrong, I and Elaine would be in love by now." He muttered.

Norman looked away, probably searching for comebacks. His eyes lit up as soon as he found one. "Leo, you can't keep dwelling on the past. This is your reality and there's a baby to think about."

He regressed till his back made an impact with the door and he put his fingers around the knob. "I love Elaine. I'm not letting her go. Not this time." Without waiting for a reply, he walked out.

There was a devilish smile playing on Norman's lips as he took out Leonard's phone from his pocket. "Whether you want to or not, you're gonna let her go," he said to himself.

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Beatris brought her car to a halt in front of the café she once worked. There was a smile on her face as she alighted, whistling a tune and making some funny dance moves in her head. She was without doubt it a very pleasant mood today.

Taking one last admiring glance at her red beauty, she gawked. Would she ever get tired of living this life of luxury?

The truth was that even though it had its vices, especially the fact that Norman was distant and largely impulsive, it sure had done her a whole lot of good.

Brianna was achieving her dreams in Europe. Oh, speaking about Brie, they hadn't even spoken in ages. The thought of calling her lingered on her mind but she shoved it away immediately. That girl was too whiny and too loud. She needed some peace of mind for now.

For her? This was like a dream come true as well. More money than she could ever spend, more dresses than she could ever wear, a husband that was more than willing to change. Speaking of her husband, she felt a blush creep to her cheek as the events of the previous night played in her head.

She wasn't even expecting things to happen that way, but it was as though none of them could stop till they were both gasping for breath. She always knew he was inexperienced when it came to women but she never expected to be his first. He'd slept off curled up like a little child in her arms. In a funny way, he reminded her of how Brianna used to act when she was frightened as a little girl.

Norman's innocence was alluring.

Beatris was suddenly so thankful she hadn't taken her life all those years ago when it seemed life had nothing to offer her.

"Who says fairytales don't exist?" She let out a smile of satisfaction.

"Hi." a voice had snapped her out of her fantasy. She turned to face the relatively tall and slender looking man standing before her.

"Marcus." Her lips embraced a smile as they walked in together. "How do you do?" She asked taking a look around the place. It was large and mostly empty but just as serene as she remembered it.

He ran his fingers through his short, black hair. "I'm good." He smiled watching at her admiration evident in his eyes. "How are you?"

She nodded still taking in the view. "I'm great." Beatris was precisely here because she wanted to buy it.

Marcus' brother, her mean boss had to move away leaving the place for him to manage. He was doing a terrible job at it and had driven the cafe almost bankrupt. He made the really great snacks but he wasn't a good business man. Besides, he had some other interests now.

When Beatris saw the AD that this place was up for sale, she immediately knew that she wanted to buy it. She'd only mentioned it to Norman that morning and he'd urged her to check it out immediately.

"Looks like things turned around good for you," Marcus said with his ever so gentle voice. He somehow reminded her of an angel. He was the guy always very nice and friendly to everyone. She considered herself lucky she was dealing with him instead of his grumpy old brother.

She nodded as she reduced the gap between them. "It's so nice to see you again, really."

"It's nice to see you too. Even though you're here to take over this place." They'd had a conversation over the phone that morning and settled most of the details already. "You look so beautiful," Marcus suddenly said out of the blue.

"Don't flatter me." she laughed fully aware of the fact that no other words could perfectly describe her appearance.

"I'm not flattering you. I'm so glad you're the one buying this place. I couldn't have wished for anyone else," he was almost sounding flirtatious. Beatris remembered Brianna telling her that Marcus had a crush on her. She'd never have noticed because he was nice to everyone.

"Me too." Beatris smiled as she extended her hands and he shook them, staring at her diamond ring.

Although, it was nice to see him again, she'd learned to be careful of the people she trusted or talked to. From all indication, in life's drama, every scene was intertwined for a specific reason.

---------------------------------------------------------

Elaine lay on her bed haunted by ghosts of her past as tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt empty.

It hurt her so much that she couldn't talk to the only person that made her troubled mind feel safe or sane. She missed Leonard much more than she was willing to admit. His smile, his subtle touch. She longed to be with him.

She wished she'd not met his wife. The image of the innocent pregnant woman frustrated her and caused her to retreat despite how challenging it was.

Taking out her phone, she stared at his number searching her heart for reasons not to call. That was the wrong place to search. Her heart belonged to Leonard. She was about to drop it when a message had popped up from him.

#Hi Elle, I know you don't want to talk to me. I feel bad about this but I agree with you. We have to stop hurting each other and those we love. I'm going to try to be a better husband and father. It'd be best if we never speak again.

This seemed like the cue she'd been waiting for. Wiping her tears, she blocked him with hope that someday, Leonard would be a distant memory.