The Substitute Bride

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Charles asked turning his head towards Sheryl. He was rather embarrassed by the way she stared at him with suspicious eyes.

"Actually, I just find it so strange." Sheryl replied with a tender smile, "Just a few moments back you looked drunk and now you look absolutely normal! I can't make out if you were really drunk or were you just faking it."

Charles gave out a laugh and said, "If a man does not have this ability, it will be hard for him to survive in this society, and he may be manipulated by others."

Sheryl remained quiet as she heard Charles speak.

She knew how difficult it was for Charles to achieve so much of success all by himself. She did not need Charles to speak about it, because she knew how much hard work and struggles had gone behind Charles reaching the position he was in at the moment.

Sheryl looked at his face with admiration as they walked along side each other on the vacant streets of the Y City. Suddenly her heart melted towards him and she wondered if she had been too harsh on him all of this time.

"Sher, today is the happiest day for me in these three years." Charles turned his face towards her and said, "With you and the children all by my side, I feel blessed. Until a few days back I didn't even know if this would ever happen. Truly, it's one of my cherished prayers answered."

Sheryl gave him a warm smile and said, "Don't worry. We will all be with you very soon."

Charles looked startled as he heard Sheryl speak. He took Sheryl's hand immediately and asked, "Sher, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to say that you are willing to move back and live with me?"

Charles took a step closer and looked into her eyes. He never raised this topic with Sheryl before this, because he did not want to put too much pressure on Sheryl. But now that Sheryl mentioned it herself, and also as a reaction of the wine in his stomach, he just mustered up his courage to speak his heart out.

He had been waiting for this day for such a long time.

"I..." Sheryl lowered her head, somewhat bewildered, not knowing what to say.

Seeing Sheryl like this, Charles could not help but have a bitter smile. 'Maybe it's too early. May be I have pushed her too hard.'

He looked into Sheryl's eyes and said, "Relax Sher. You don't have to be stressed out. I am just asking. I'm not going to force you if you're not yet ready to move back."

No matter how sportingly he spoke these words, he could not help feeling the heaviness in his heart. He was ready to wait till Sheryl made up her mind to come back. But how long? There was no answer to this question. The pensiveness of his heart

s of her heart in her chest. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Charles kept looking at her face feeling every bit of it that Sheryl was experiencing in her mind and her body.

Charles gently stamped a kiss on her forehead.

The warm touch calmed her down gradually, and she could feel all the tension and panic vanish out of heart. She rested in his arms feeling absolutely relaxed and secured. She heard Charles say into her ear, "Sher, I love you."

He gently held her in his arms, lowered his head and kissed her. He sucked her lips and tongue skillfully, and tightened his arms that were lying over her waist. Before she could respond, she was swallowed up by the warmth of his body. His gentleness made her feel like falling into a soft cotton ball.

He slowly slipped his hand in from the corner of her clothes, and his smooth fingertips rubbed against her waist and glided along. He held her closer to his chest and pressed his lips hard onto hers, making her feel difficult to breathe. When his palm was gently stroking her waist, giving her a tingling sensation, Sheryl felt the coldness of his fingers and suddenly came out of the trance. Then she came to realize what they were doing on the street.

She blushed and took one step back, pushing Charles a little away from her. "Charles, we are not at home."

"You mean... we can go on if we are at home?" When Sheryl blushed she looked so pretty that Charles could not help teasing her. And when she stared at Charles with a pouted mouth, he laughed happily.

Although it was not the first time they were so intimate with each other, Sheryl felt shy. Her ears were hot and she lowered her head to calm her flustered heartbeat.

It took a while for Sheryl to feel her heartbeat back to normal.