UNGIFTED

CHAPTER 18

E xcruciatingly inevitable. That's how she would have described it. It did not matter what she could have said, or done; or how many contacts she could have had, it would have not changed a thing. After all, she would always be different. Ungifted.

Running her hand over the neatly folded uniform that laid on her bed, Ameria sighed for the millionth time. It was hard; having to give up on what she had always dreamed of, what she had worked so hard for. And a heavy feeling settled on her chest as the images of what could have been flooded her mind. But they were not but fairy tales, stories like the ones she used to tell herself to sleep as a child and that she held dear to her hear. But they were fiction nonetheless. Illusions of what could not be, at least not for her.

And sadness pooled at the pit of her stomach at the cruel realization of this. A simple act such as breathing suddenly turned into a far more difficult task as she  chocked on the silent sobs that found themselves up her throat and tied strong knots on it. And her eyes burned with unshed tears that blurred her vision. And she struggled not to cry, but the hard edges on her crumpled heart stung right at the center of her chest making everything hurt.

It was three soft knocks on her door what made her return to reality. And her hands hurriedly wiped off the tears as she stood up and headed to the door. Filling her lungs with air, she exhaled harshly emptying them once more as she brushed away the heaviness on her chest.

"Ben?" She said surprised to find him on the other side of the door.

"Hi." He sighed, and she stepped to the side letting him in.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I had to speak to you." He said.

"About wha-"

"Don't leave." He told her.

"I don't think I have much of a choice."

"Marry me." He said.

"Ben, we've already been over this." She told him tiredly. "No one will buy it."

"You know I love to shock people, so this will be great." He tried to say lightly, but Ameria stared at him severely.

"Ben." She said shaking her head, feeling her annoyance grow. "C'mon, it's not like you care!"

"I do care," He told her. "I care too much."

"Since when?" Ameria questioned. Her eyebrows furrowed. "We've only spoken to each other for three weeks Ben. And we didn't even do so on broad light."

"I know, it was stupid. I was stupid. But I've learnt a lot about you during these past weeks and now my perspective has changed."

"Like what?" She asked him. "What could you have possibly learned from me that changed your mind?"

"I've learnt that... that you are a good friend. That you care deeply for the ones you love. That you're always willing to offer a helping hand to those in need. No matter who they are or how they could have treated you in the past. I've learnt that you're quick to forgive; and hold no grudges against those who hurt you. That you work hard for what you want. And are not afraid to fail. You're resilient. No matter how many times you have to do something till you get it right, you do it. You're smart, and kind, and funny."

"That's not something you learn in just a month." She said in a whisper.

"Well, it seems I've also learnt a lot about myself during this past month." He told her. Ameria opened her mouth to ask, but no words came out of her lips. Her eyes glued to his. "I've learnt how thin the line that divides hate from love is. And that maybe, what I believed as hate was in fact something else. That for years my judgment had been clouded by my own fears. But the only truth is, Ameria, I love you." He confessed stepping closer to her.