Misbegotten

Eleven

"Maybe I can just talk to her later," I took a step back towards the beach away from the rooms. I felt Declan's hand press into my lower back, gently pushing me forward.

"No," Declan said shaking his head at me. After our talk last night I wasn't completely cured of my instinct to run from my problems.

"But, I don't want to," I almost whined. I didn't want to see Chelsea, or any of them to be honest. But I knew I had to tell her about Declan and I before she found out some way else. It had to come from me.

"Go," he said softly. "I'll meet you on the beach when you're done."

"Fine," I groaned.

"You can do it," he called after me as he walked away back down the beach leaving me to face the storm we had set in motion.

"We'll see," I called back shaking my head in frustration. My stomach was in knots as I walked up to the door of my room. Pulling my key card from my shorts I quickly swiped it through and opened the door.

"Sofia, is that you?" Chelsea's voice echoed through the room.

"Yeah," I called back as I walked further into the room. I found her standing in the bathroom fixing her long blonde hair into a ponytail. She smiled at me in the reflection of the mirror and the knots of guilt in my stomach twisted as I tried to smile back.

"Where on earth did you go last night?" she called out, before emerging from the bathroom. She was already in her bathers and a cover up ready for the day I was about to ruin.

"Um," I mumbled, not really sure where to even begin.

"Dad's been looking for you everywhere," she said after a moment.

"I don't want to see him."

"You'll have to eventually," she replied, "Besides, he didn't mean it. Cameron told me what happened."

"He meant it Chelsea."

"No, how could he? He loves you," she persisted, now rummaging through her bag as if it wasn't a big deal at all. "You just have to speak to him, clear it all up. He was only trying to comfort my mum. There is no way he actually meant that he didn't love or care for you."

"It doesn't matter right now, I have to...I need to tell you something," I started running an agitated hand through my hair. I really needed to shower and get out of my clothes from yesterday but I needed to tell her now or I never would.

"What is it then?" she asked moving on from her bag to pick up her towel. Why couldn't she just pay attention for five minutes?

"Chelsea," I snapped. She looked up at me surprised. 

"Declan and I are..." I couldn't even finish my sentence before she was standing up straight and looking at me with her fierce blue eyes daring me to continue.

"We are..." I tried again. I shook my head. This shouldn't be so damn hard. My mind was blank and I couldn't even remember the practise run I'd had with Declan before we left his room this morning. We planned out this whole speech but it was all out the window now. I was left staring into Chelsea's questioning eyes. I didn't want to break her heart. I didn't know how truthful or deep her feelings went for Declan, but I couldn't deny what was going on between us and she deserved to know. I tried to remind myself of this as I took a deep breath and told her everything.

"Look, I'm not really sure what we are, I don't want to label it just yet. But we are something, I like him...like a lot...and I know you liked him, but you have to try and understand I didn't mean for this to happen like this-"