Rising from the Ashes

Her body was stiff and sore, as if she’d spent hours running a marathon. Each of her limbs told a story of the wild night that came before. Her muscles were tired and overused. Something crazy must have happened.

Abigail James reluctantly opened her eyes to see an incredibly handsome face across from her. The man had a sharp jawline that joined square cheeks to form a strict expression, even in his sleep. His eyes were closed, but she remembered them to be just as dark as a starless night, hiding the dangerous mystery that had attracted her to him. His hair was thick and black as it lay messily across his head and almost seemed to drip onto the pillow.

She remembered only a few things about their evening. It was no wonder that her body was so sore now. The sex they’d had was incredible, unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. He was like an animal, wanting to devour and ravage her body for hours on end. Finally, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, both exhausted.

Abigail almost felt a bit guilty over everything that had happened, but she pushed that feeling away. Her boyfriend, Johnson, had betrayed her, and she was so angry that she decided to go drinking. The night that followed was a little fuzzy in her memory. She could remember leaving with a handsome man, and she knew that she slept with him. Beyond that, everything was blank. She had no idea what else had happened. Did Johnson call her at some point? She didn’t know.

The man beside her was a stranger. Abigail wondered if he was a rich man or just a normal guy, but she couldn’t tell. If he was rich, then he had to be an expensive one. He was so handsome that it was almost difficult to look at him.

Abigail knew that she didn’t want to face talking to him. She had to get out of there as quickly as possible. She slowly climbed out of his bed and blushed when she saw all of her clothing scattered between his own on the floor. She could see that they were in a hotel room. Abigail couldn’t remember if she paid for the hotel room, or if he did. That didn’t matter now, though.

Just in case he was an ordinary man, Abigail pulled out some money from her purse. Even if he wasn’t, at least it would help cover the cost of the room. She placed the bills on the bedside table next to the sleeping man, whose name she never bothered to learn, and wondered if she should leave him a thank-you note.

Abigail decided against that. It seemed like a ridiculous idea. Instead, she got dressed as quickly as she could and left the room. Still, it was only one night—a quick mistake that she would forget soon enough.

***

FOUR YEARS LATER

Abigail was now living in a new two-bedroom apartment. She was in the living room, practicing yoga. She stood on one leg while holding the other up behind her as high as she could. Dolls, tiny shoes, crayons, and sticky handprints were scattered all over the place. At least the house was mostly clean.

Abigail breathed in deeply and closed her eyes as she stretched her body into the next pose. At that point, she heard the door swing open and the sound of two pairs of little feet pattering toward her. She looked over to see two little cutie pies running at her. “Mommy!”

They both wobbled happily towards her with their chubby legs, clearly preparing to jump on her all at once.

“Wait, wait!” Abigail said, trying to stop them, but it was too late. “Ahh!”

She was tackled by the toddlers and fell over with them laughing on top of her. Abigail couldn’t help but join in the laughter as she tried to sit up.

“Hi, pumpkins,” she said, grabbing the closest one to start sharing kisses. Both toddlers were grabbing a piece of the mother to hug. Daniel was the first one to get his mother’s kisses, while Daniela was holding tightly onto one of her feet.

Abigail only found out a month after that one-night stand that she’d fallen pregnant. It was another few months before she heard that she was going to have a set of twins, and she fainted at the doctor’s office.

Back then, she had no idea how she was going to raise them. But now, just after their third birthday, she wouldn’t give them up for the world. They always made her and gave her thousands of reasons to smile every day.

Daniela was the shy one. Even now, as she held her foot, she looked unsure of herself. It looked like she wanted to join in the fun, but she just started playing with Abigail’s toes instead. She had light brown hair, chubby features, and a chocolate-colored gaze. While Daniel, on the other hand, was the jovial one. He was always the first to get into trouble, and he looked a lot like his father, with raven-black locks and those dark, naughty eyes of his.

Abigail wondered what the children’s father would think if he ever found out about them. She’d never asked for his number and didn’t have any idea who he was. Abigail didn’t mind. She loved her kids and didn’t want to share them with anyone else.

Daniela pulled at her arm, wanting her turn for kisses; her features resembled Abigail’s more than her father’s. She was the one who always kept the rules. She was patiently waiting for her turn now, just holding onto Abigail’s arm instead of pulling it.

Abigail gave her a bunch of kisses on her face and smiled as their nanny, Miss Anita, entered the room in a huff. Her hair was falling loose around her face, and she looked like she had been running.

“Oh dear, sorry about this!” she said, laughing at the situation in the room.