Shawn watched as Serenity's—or rather Calista's—face stiffened after hearing his words. It was clear that she was speechless, not knowing what to say."It's okay if you can't forgive me," Shawn continued nonetheless. "But I want you to know that I have never known peace since that fateful day. It haunts my dreams, Calista. You haunt my dreams. And I'm afraid my psyche will continue to torment me if it's not assured that I've been forgiven."He sounded a bit selfish right now, but he spoke nothing but the truth.He'd met therapists, counselors, heck, he even turned to a priest even though he was anything but a believer. Yet, none of them had been able to rid his mind of the guilt that was slowly driving him to the edge. "That was under your control," they'd all said.To him, the only way he could rid himself of this guilt was seeking Calista's forgiveness. Knowing who she was now, he found it hard to call her 'Serenity.'"It's 'Serenity' to you," Serenity rebuked with a voice that lac

SERENITY [CALISTA]~~"F–forgive me, Calista."Oh, Shawn, I wish I could. I really do. I wanted to say so many things but ended up staying silent. For heaven's sake, what did he expect me to say?!"It's okay if you can't forgive me," Shawn continued nonetheless. "But I want you to know that I have never known peace since that fateful day. It haunts my dreams, Calista. You haunt my dreams. And I'm afraid my psyche will continue to torment me if it's not assured that I've been forgiven."Great, even more babbling. And why the heck did he keep calling me 'Calista'? Hearing that name, especially from his mouth, made my skin crawl. I'd admitted being Calista to him, but that didn't mean he could go around calling me by that name."It's 'Serenity' to you." That was the only thing I ended up saying. I intentionally tried sounding emotionless, in a bid to hide the weird mix of emotions swirling inside me.The entire conversation was becoming hella awkward. I decided to say something about w

“Are you out of your mind Serenity?" Gabe nearly yelled from the other end, causing me to subconsciously cover both my ears with my fingers for a few seconds. Why was he overreacting so much? It wasn't weird that I'd developed feelings for Shawn. He genuinely seemed like a changed man. He was still the same playboy from high school, but he was also super sweet to me. Even when we were captured by Justin Xane, after he'd found out about my betrayal, he still risked his life to make sure I was safe. If that wasn't proof that he was a changed man, and truly wanted my forgiveness, I didn't know what was."I'm perfectly sane Gabe." I tried not to sound annoyed, realizing just then that I was nervously gripping the steering wheel tightly. "What I said is the truth. Yes, I know it wasn't part of the plan, but a lot has happened this past month and a half. Enough to make me change my mind about him."I heard Gabe scoff. I understood that he was probably upset that I was letting Shawn 'get

Exactly five days after Shawn broke up with me, I decided to move to my home state. It was where Gran Gran resided, and was also where the firm I worked for was located. I just couldn't bear living so close to Shawn anymore. Alice had been heartbroken about my decision, but luckily her husband was back to be with her in these final weeks of her pregnancy. I promised to be there when she went into labor, and only then did she let me leave. Gabe on the other hand, seemed glad that I had moved in so close to him. He was also happy that me and Shawn were no longer together and told me it was for the best. . . I got back from work that evening, feeling exhausted. However, once I stepped into Gran Gran's house, the heavenly smell of her cooking washed away almost half of the stress I felt. "Oh, Serenity! You're back!" Grandma Carys turned to face, her wrinkled face brightening with a smile. "You're just in time. I made you my special chocolate chip cookies." I was already salivating

SERENITY {CALISTA} ~~ As Gabe's lips pressed against mine, I froze, unable to think of anything. It felt... comforting. His lips were warm and tasted of the apple pie we had just eaten. I didn't know when I kissed him back, closing my eyes as I felt the warmth running through me. But then, something hit me. It felt good, but it didn't feel... right. My eyes shot open as I shoved Gabe away from me. "Gabe, stop!" I was pissed, and rightfully so. Who would've thought that Gabe... Well, I guess Grandma Carys was right after all. Gabe got up, rubbing his lips like he hadn't kissed me just now. "Serenity, listen I'm sorry." I felt my heart pounding. I felt used! "So this is why you called me here? To warm your bed?" I spat, wishing I could smack Gabe on the head. "I've always had a thing for you, Serenity," Gabe suddenly confessed, reaching across the table to take my hand. "Even when you were with that jerk, I couldn't help but admire you from afar." My heart poun