The Word

Chapter 7

As I pull into the driveway, I struggle to stop my eyes from watering. Thus far, I've had to pretend this was a normal drive home, but it isn't working anymore. Zion left me alone in a beautiful restaurant during what was supposed to be a romantic dinner and I can't even fully blame him. He told me he loved me...and I didn't say it back. I can't imagine the range of emotions he's feeling right now or what he's thinking. I still can't help feeling that he shouldn't have left, though. I can't understand how he feels, but he didn't say anything to me. He just left. I texted him immediately after, asking to talk, but I'm fairly certain he's just gonna ignore it. I want to talk to him about it, but I know I have to respect his space. I'm just not sure how much space it'll end up being.

A sharp rap on the window pulls me out of my thoughts. I realize I've been sitting behind the wheel staring at our garage. I look over and I'm surprised to see Kaliph. What is he doing here? I take a deep breath and roll down the window.

"Are you ok?," he asks, staring at me with a concerned look on his face. I was doing great until he asked me that question. Why did he have to ask me that question? Suddenly, everything comes back to me at once and the tears start flowing. I feel how sad I was when Zion told me he loved me and how devastated it made me when I realized I couldn't say it back.  I feel how lonely it was to sit at the table alone waiting for the food and asking for to-go boxes as soon as the waiter got back. To make things worse, he was thoughtful enough to pay for all of it before he left and still let me keep it. The disappointment of having to truck two containers full of food back to my car was so heavy. I look over at them now and start sobbing. Kaliph looks slightly startled and rushes to open the car door. He ducks down a bit as I rub my eyes and try to stop the tears and snot from running down my face. I know I look a mess and my makeup must be ruined. He pauses for a moment before tentatively placing a hand on my knee.

"Come on," he says grabbing my wet and dirty hand. I get the inclination to be mortified, but I don't have the energy to feel embarrassed on top of everything else. I wordlessly follow him into my house and sit on the couch. He sits down softly beside me and gives me a few minutes to calm down. Then, he grabs the remote off of the living room table and plays a random Disney movie. I scoff inwardly at the choice of media, but the movie is actually pretty good. A little girl turns into a bear or something and has to figure out how to get to a boy band concert. It distracts me enough to calm me down and I look over at Kaliph to see him staring at me. I expect him to look away, but he holds my gaze.

"Do you feel a bit better now?," he asks softly.
"Yeah, I do. Thank you," I say after a few beats of silence.

"Wanna talk about it?," he asks next. I get the immediate urge to say no, but for some reason I feel really comfortable talking to him.

"Umm....sure," I respond, surprising him and myself. He waits patiently as I think for a moment. I take a deep breath before running down the entire evening and explaining how it all went bad. I even make an expectation versus reality joke that he chuckles at.

"Damn. That sounds really tough," he says before pausing for a moment.

"I can't even fully form a bias because both of you kinda got the short end of the stick," he muses. I can tell he's really thinking about it and for some reason, I trust his judgement.

"You probably just need to give it time. It seems you both are a bit hurt and need some space right now. Telling someone how you feel like that is hard and its painful when it isn't reciprocated. He might just need some time to sort out his feelings," he finishes. 

 I usually go immediately to Dahlia with my problems, but he was just here. Everything he said seemed to hit home. I can't help but appreciate how careful he was with me. It's been over an hour and he's still here talking and making sure I'm okay. I have no clue what his plans are or were, but he's disregarded them in lieu of taking care of me.

"Hey, how'd you end up here anyway?", I ask finally. I'd been wondering for a long time, but it felt appropriate to ask now. He looks at me with a grin and seems excited. 

"I got your brother the job and wanted to tell you in person," he says, still grinning. It's contagious and I can't help but to smile too. 

"I know I told you to get him to fill out the application, but I pulled a few strings and secured the job for him, "he explains happily. I stare at him for a moment and my chest feels warm. How'd I miss how kind he was? Through all the arguing and bickering, I'd never thought to actually get to know him. It almost makes me sad to think about the time we wasted hating each other.

"That's amazing, Kal. Why are you being so nice to me?" I ask softly. I don't mind, but the recent shift in our relationship has taken me a bit by surprise. He sits and thinks about the question for a moment before speaking up.

"Because you're the first person in a long time who's asked me if I was okay," he responds with finality, "The first person who genuinely wanted a response anyway". We sit in a comfortable silence for a while before anyone says anything.

"Well, do you wanna help me deliver the news?", I ask him excitedly. He nods in response and I half drag him up the stairs to Lylin's room. 

We both stand outside Lin's door as I knock fed-style. I always do it to annoy him, but this time I'm kind of just excited. 

"What, bruh?" Lin says tiredly as he opens the door a crack and stands there in a wifebeater and boxers. The sight makes me chuckle. Confusion registers on his face as he realizes there's a random guy standing next to me.

"Hey, Kaliph. What're you doing with the troll?" he asks. The shock that he's familiar with Kal almost makes me disregard the troll comment. Almost. I mush his forehead and walk into his room.

"We have newssss," I sing as I grin and turn to Kaliph. I gesture my hands a bit to tell him that he should go on and tell Lylin what we did. 

"We got you a job at a cafe near here. It's within biking distance and it pays pretty decently. Plus, we have open mic nights that you can emcee after you get trained there," he says proudly. 

Lylin looks back and forth between us and grins. He hugs me tightly as he mutters a chorus of "thank you's". Moments like these remind me that my big little brother is still little. It makes my heart warm as I think about the fact that moments like these will be fewer and farther between because he's getting older. I'm glad to have this one. After Kaliph and I leave Lylin's room, I express my gratitude to him again. 

"It's no problem, seriously. I'm glad to help," he says, brushing me off. 

"Not just for that. For being here for me too. You could've waited until later to tell Lin and left me alone in the driveway, but you listened to me and helped me calm down. Thank you," I say sincerely. 

"It really is the least I could've done. I'm just glad you're feeling better," he responds simply. He looks sheepish as he brushes off the gratitude again.

"Anyway, it's getting late. I'm gonna head out," he murmurs softly. Walking him to the door, I find myself wanting him to stay. I shake the feeling and close the door behind him. 

~SOOOO I know I took a long time off....shhhh okay. I'm back lol. I'm gonna try to be more consistent with this thing (yk consistent like not taking an entire year off) Anyways, do we see the chemistry?? I love when it builds yk. You'll see more in the next chapter. Toodless~