Fate's Gambit: A Half-Blood's Odyssey

Chapter XX: Water

COTA'S POV

My chest hurts. It hurts so bad. Never in my life have I had my heart crushed so bad. I'm embarrassed to be crying at the fair like this, making a mess of myself, but I can't bring myself to do anything else, so here I am, just sitting on the ground in a dark alley between two vendors, crying my life away. My eyes burn from crying so hard, yet I can't stop myself. I keep wiping away the tears but they keep coming back.

I don't want to think of her as abusive. I know who she is and what she's capable of, but she'd never intentionally do anything to hurt me. She just has some anger problems that she needs to get resolved, that's all. The last time she hurt me really bad was back when she scratched me because I didn't want her going out on her most dangerous mission. The physical and emotional pain I felt that night doesn't come close to what I'm feeling now.

No relationship I've been in has had moments this bad. Then again, I've only been in a relationship with one other person before. I can't even think straight enough to make proper comparisons right now.

I want Kaela. I want my Kaela. I want the Kaela that would sit next to me and reassure me that everything will be okay again. I want the Kaela that would never invalidate the way I think. I want my darling, loveable, silly, fun-loving Kaela. Ugh, stupid Kaela and her stupid stubbornness. I thought she'd learned how to be communicative this far into our relationship. I wish she wouldn't bottle up the things that bother her and keep them from me. She doesn't deserve to be so stressed and bothered and irritable all the time.

I bury my face in my wings and continue to sob. Every second that passes provides no relief. The weight of the shattered pieces of my heart grows as each second goes by, making my pain worse and forcing me to cry harder. The thought of losing the Kaela I fell in love with feels no different than imagining if she had died. I need this pain to end.

"Oh my," A man says. I hear him approach closer. "Are you alright, ma'am?"

I poke my head up a little to catch a glimpse of the man. Fair-sized and seemingly polite. Neat, brown hair covers his head.

I put my head back in my hands to wipe my tears before I speak. "No, but... I'll be alright."

"You don't need to be sad on a night like this," The nice man says.

"I know... Tonight was supposed to be so much fun, but I think I ruined it."

"Poor dear," A woman's voice says now, almost leveled with me. "Tell us what's wrong." She sounds so sweet.

It doesn't feel right to talk to strangers about the struggles in my love life, but it might be best for me to get it off my chest. I pick my head up all the way to get a better look at the two people who are now accompanying me. They're both crouched next to me, eyes attentive and ready to listen to what I have to say. The woman is a Chimera feline, and she's a rather pretty one. Black fur, long whiskers, and studious, slitted, green eyes.

"My girlfriend is being a massive jerk tonight, and now I'm scared I'll lose her forever. I don't know what to do." I sigh a sad sigh and try to keep myself from crying again.

"You poor thing," The cat woman frowns. She rubs my shoulder supportively. "What has she said or done, if you don't mind me asking?"

"She bottled up everything until she couldn't take it anymore, as usual," I start. "Then she lashed out and said very hurtful things that I'm sure she didn't mean, but hurt anyway... As usual."

"I know how that one feels," The man mutters.

"I can hear you, Thomas," The woman, who I now assume is his wife, says, glaring back at him. She returns her attention to me as she stands and offers a hand to me. "Let's get you off the filthy ground, dear. There's a bench nearby where we can sit."

I smile a little and take her hand. She helps me up, and the three of us make our way to the aforementioned bench. It's much more comfortable than the solid ground.

"I'll go get you some water," Thomas says. He begins to move but stops. "Sorry, I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves yet." He clears his throat. "I'm Thomas, and this is my wife, Minerva."

I experience a quick sense of deja vu, but think nothing of it. I'm not in the proper mindset to be thinking about such things.

"I'm Cota," I muster up the strength to smile again. "Pleased to meet you both."

"Such a beautiful name," Minerva tells me with a warm smile.

The compliment gets a genuine smile out of me.

"When we come back, we'll try to talk some more, so don't go anywhere, okay?" Thomas points finger guns and winks at me before walking away with his wife.

Alone now, I take several deep breaths and try to pull myself together. I try not to think about Kaela and her stupid, punchable, adorable, kissable face. I tell myself that I'm mad at Kaela and will continue to be, maybe for the rest of the night. I can't stay mad at her forever, I know this. It's how I was raised. Or... Maybe I was raised wrong... Is it wrong to think that everyone should be forgiven, yet their crimes unforgotten? Naturally, those that do wrong should be held accountable for their actions, and whichever punishment is necessary will come and go eventually and should be reasonable, right? Am I a fool to think something like that?

The pain comes back to me. I take more deep and now shaky breaths to keep myself calm. The tears fall, and I let myself cry. There's no use in holding it in. I tell myself that over and over. There's no use in holding it in... A phrase that's so simple to understand. Would it truly kill Kaela to tell herself something like that if she knows what bottling up her emotions does to her?

"Oh, finally, there you are!" Kaela's voice calls.