Undefined Love

Chapter 43: Into the Storm.

Ray

"Ray'vn! You almost done," I asked her through the bedroom door.

"Yeah. I'm coming."

"I'll be downstairs, alright?" "Yeah."

I went downstairs and into the kitchen. "She okay," Fi asked. "Yeah. I think she's fine," I replied sighing as I sat around the table.

Fi set some food down in front of me. She sat next to me and looked at my face. "Ray," she said moving my hair out my face. "You look stressed."

I took a deep breath, leaning back in the chair, my hands brushing over my face. "I am." She shifted in her seat. I looked at her. She rubbed my face. "I've been talking to your Mom a lot. She been telling me some stuff has been going on with you and Ray'vn. Talk to me."

I bit my lip.

"Fi, I don't even know where to start."

I took another deep breath, propping my elbows up on the table before putting my head down. I picked my head back up.

"I love her. I don't know what else to say but that I love her Fi."

She looked at me like she herself wanted to shed a tear.

"Since we were twelve everything started to change. When we were younger it was just that we were friends, doing what friends do, being kids. But a few weeks after her birthday, something inside me just started feeling different."

"I don't know what it was. I started looking at her differently. Everything about her made me feel good. Her laugh always made me smile. Her dimples seemed like they would always make my day better, even when things were good. Whenever we were together she was always a goofball, doing the most stupidest and random-est things to crack me up. There was just so much. The butterflies were insane. But all that changed now. I know it's all still there, but not as much as it used to be. Not as much as I want it to be. I know she's still her but I miss the REAL her. I know the girl I started loving back when I was a kid and the one I fell in love with..."

I sighed.

"That Ray'vn, just isn't her."

Fi and I continued talking. I have no idea how long we'd been talking for. Ray'vn walked in.

I rose out of my seat. "Hey," I said kissing her cheek. "You alright?" "Yeah. These clothes are pretty comfortable. Thank you Fi." She gave her a tight hug only to pull back a few seconds later and look at the floor. Her expression changed from normal to like, scared.

She started rubbing her arm.

"Ne, what's wrong?" She was spaced out. "Ne!" She snapped out of it. She looked around and smiled.

"What's up with you? You sure you're alright?" She shook her head. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm good." She stared at the floor, trying not to make things more awkward. We needed to go.

We told Fi bye and left.

I held her hand and we started walking downtown.

When we got far enough from Fi's house, I stopped. Ray'vn looked at me.

"Why'd we stop? The pizza place is around the corner."

"Something is wrong with you Ray'vn. What is it? You were normal before and when we got to Fi's house. What happened?" I held her face to mine so she knew I was listening. She couldn't hold up with my eyes for more than two seconds. "Nothing," she said.