Vault

Sixty-Five

"Call me if you change your mind and want to sleep at my place again," Ashton insisted, "I don't mind."

"Thanks Ash," I sighed.

"I'll text you later and in the morning, and as often as I need to in order to help you be okay," Ashton promised.

"I'll talk to you later," I agreed.

I grabbed my stuff and the box from Karl before I left Ashton's car to head inside. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, as I opened my apartment door and stepped inside. The cold had never subsided, but walking through my living room I could only remember mine and Karl's first kiss and when he told me that he liked me. I walked up to my old bedroom, thinking about the first weekend Karl spent here with me.

If you have a nightmare wake me up, you shouldn't have to deal with them alone.

I stopped at the top of the stairs, seeing a warm yellow glow cover the room and Karl standing in front of my bedroom door.

"What are you doing here?" I asked quietly, a little defensively even.

"I know I don't deserve a moment of your time and you owe me absolutely nothing, but I'm begging you to please listen to what I want to say," Karl pleaded.

I didn't speak, but I wasn't going to just push him out either. As much as it caused me physical pain to see his face, it was almost causing me even more pain to see him and stay mad at him. All I wanted was him, no matter what he did to me. Like I was finally breaking back through the surface to get some air.

"Ava I am so sorry for what you saw at the party, but I need you to know what actually happened before you walked in the room. I saw Jessie and I went up to her to tell her to leave. She wasn't invited and no one wanted her there, but she showed up anyway. As soon as she saw me, she pushed me up against the wall and started kissing me and at first I didn't know what was happening and then I was trying to push her off when you walked up and pulled her off of me. I didn't want her to kiss me, I have no interest in Jessie," Karl explained.

"You must not have been trying very hard to push her off of you," I mumbled, "your lips were swollen."

"Ava, she had me pinned against the wall and I was trying to figure out what was happening and push her away all at the same time, please believe me," Karl pleaded.

"I do believe you," I nodded slowly before I walked past Karl to get into my bedroom.

I didn't know what to do, I really didn't. Do I just forgive him as if nothing ever happened? Can I do that? Is it possible that he's telling me the complete truth? I mean this is the first he's tried to communicate with me at all since the party. He waited over a week to tell me it wasn't what it looked like. Why wait so long if you're truly not guilty?

When I walked into my bedroom, there were lights strung all across my ceiling, covering my entire room in twinkling lights. What did he do?

I walked into the room slowly, looking around at all the lights.

"If you're stuck in the dark, look for the stars," Karl smiled weakly at me from the doorway of my bedroom, "Ava, I am so sorry for everything. I just want to find a way to make it up to you so I can make this better and maybe you can find a way to forgive me. I need you."

"If you didn't do anything to initiate that kiss, why is this the first time you've tried to talk to me? It's been over a week since the party," I asked quietly.

"I tried to run after you, but Chris stopped me inside until after you were gone, and I was so frustrated that I threw my phone and it broke. I still haven't gotten it fixed," Karl explained as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed it to me.