Beyond Bloodline - Unbreakable Bonds

eight

"Nigel!"

Nigel sat up with a start, coming close to the very edge of the couch he'd dozed off on and nearly falling out. He scooted in uneasily before leaning his head back on the headrest and staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey, you okay?" Riele's warm palm came to rest gently on his shoulder in query. His speckled eyes were so muddled describing them as listless didn't do enough justice.

"Yeah," Nigel said, instantly doing his best to shake off that austere feeling. He felt hot, like he'd been transported back to the scene and was reliving the whole accident again. Burning embers raining down and all around him as he tried to find safety.

"Are you sure?" Riele asked, chipped fingers passing over a napkin for the cold sweat that now dotted his forehead and then a bottle of water.

Nigel put his fingertips to his forehead, expression blanking out even further when it came back wet. "Yeah, thanks," he accepted the offered items before shakily getting to his feet.

Riele frowned, thinking he looked in no state to be wandering the streets. "Take a cab back," she said, stuffing more than enough for the fare into his hand. "When you come around, I'm here to listen. If you want."

Nigel's lips pursed even further in a way that could hardly be described as a smile before he picked his phone and strode out. When he didn't see any taxis, at least even one that was willing to stop, he decided to walk for a while, thinking it wouldn't be too late to catch a cab by the time he reached the main road.

His legs slowed to a stop on reaching a confectionery with its lights still flickering invitingly. In a daze, he stared at the pretty mousse cake on display, the white whipped cream and strawberries drawing him and sending him a decade over into the past.

"This is my favorite type of cake," Amelia's voice was soft, her eyes filled with a piercing light as she surveyed the few inches of fluffy goodness as though it was one of the beloved wonders of the world. "How did you know I liked this?"

"I didn't," Nigel's gaze on her was strange in return. "It was the cheapest I could find."

Amelia pouted but on considering they all had limited allowance at the orphanage, quietly huddled down and decided to benevolently share with her friend. As they savored the rare treat, she asked, "Why'd you suddenly think of getting a cake?"

Well, he was the only one doing any savoring. "You wanted it," Nigel said simply, staring at the top of her dark hair as she wolfed it down in place of carefully tasting. In fact, his thoughts were the simplest then. She was one of the only friends he had around him and he just wanted to make her happy.

Heartlessly abandoned by their family, they could only rely on each other and find little ways to comfort themselves and try to put smiles on their faces.

Nigel blinked as the memory faded into nothingness and he could only mechanically stare at the mousse cake he'd stepped into the shop on a whim to buy. In the end, he was reaching farther out than his capabilities let him and couldn't even protect his friends.

Just as he was pondering what to do with the cake, as though in response, the images of a young, cheery Amelia happily feasting on the cake overlapped with Hayley easily smiling and getting along with him these past few days. The idea growing even more attractive with each passing minute, he quickly opened his chat box with Cassandra and after scrolling a while soon found the desired address from when the latter had tasked him with picking her up after a sleepover.

A hopeful smile on his face, he finally flagged down a taxi.

–

Actually, Hayley knew she shouldn't really have any fantastical hopes. In fact, right now, it was more than enough that they talked enough to even be considered friends. Before, she didn't even dare dream too much and was already on cloud nine when he so much as held her glance for longer than ten seconds. But was it really okay to blatantly drop all sort of hints and even go to the extent of asking her out only to dash her hopes by cancelling on her?!