The heartbeats

Chapter 23

>Abbie

Two years have passed since Ian went to Boston. He only spoke to me the first month. I have stopped trying to talk to him or contact him for about a year. I don't leave my house except to go to college or if the guys force me to go out. He found another girl, I'm sure. Despite my love for him, I should never have accepted a long-distance relationship knowing how it will end.

It's Saturday night and I'm lying on my bed watching The Twilight saga: New Moon. I decided to watch the five films for the thousandth time.
"Come on" shouts Ethan as he enters my room.
"You know that this is our favorite series of movies, and you watch it without me?" He asks disappointed.
I look at him by raising an eyebrow.
"Are you serious?" I ask in return.
"We'll talk about it later, but for now you'll get up, take a good bath, change your clothes and come with me. You're going to spend the night with us," he orders me.
"Ethan—" I try to beg him to stay at home, in my bed but he interrupts me,
"Abbie Ridley gets up" he orders me even more seriously than before.
"Well, okay," I end up accepting.
I want to stay at home but at the same time I don't want to let what happened with Ian destroy me, physically and mentally. My relationship with Ethan has improved and we have become closer since Ian disappeared. Lili traveled to Canada to continue her studies. Christian and Jane continued to live their lives but outside the villa, they live together. All that remains is Laura, James, Ethan and I. And Jasper. He comes from time to time as usual. I accepted his offer but not as before, not as brother and sister. We are only friends. I refuse to become his dog again, I was stupid and I am no longer. I don't have my eyes closed anymore. We have just arrived at the villa. We join Laura and James who are sitting on the terrace. "Good evening" Ethan and I say in harmony.
"Good evening" answer Laura and James.
"Do you want wine?" Proposes Laura by holding four glasses from the table next to her.
"Yes, why not," Ethan replies, putting his cell phone in his pocket.
"And you Abbie?" She's looking at me. I nod, "no thanks" I answer with a soft voice.
I don't feel very well, I prefer not to drink. For a year, I have stopped taking my medication regularly, except in case of crisis or pain.
"Did you start dancing again?" Asks Laura while drinking a sip of her glass.
"Yes, for a few months already" I answer with enthusiasm in my voice.
I started dancing again and I became myself again. I have regained my passion for living but not my happiness.
"The house is fucking empty," says Ethan while looking around him.
"Summer will come back" I add, smiling at him with a simple smile.
Suddenly my heartbeat accelerates just like my breathing.
"I'll get a glass of water, I'll come back" I let them know before entering inside.
My heartbeat returns to normal followed by my breathing. I go to the kitchen, I fill a glass of water before joining them again.
"What happened with the girl you told us about?" I ask while sitting down again.
"We have a date tomorrow night," he admits.
"Good" James says.

We went up to Laura's room leaving the boys downstairs for about half an hour.
"I don't know what to do Abbie," Laura said, lowering her head towards her legs.
"Listen to him, tell him what you heard. They may be wrong," I advise her.
"Do you want me to tell him that I was told that he is cheating on me?" She asks me as if she didn't understand me, her gaze finds mine.
"I'm not telling you to tell him, I know you're a player. I tell you to tell him that you have heard things and you want to reassure yourself" I rephrase my sentence.
"Henesty and sincerity are important in a relationship. That's why you have to tell him what you heard. He may get angry, he may scream. But it will be because of his shock. So either you help him calm down, or you give him time to digest what you are going to tell him. It depends on how he gets angry and your relationship" I continue with a weak tone because of my accelerated heartbeats.
I breathe deeply when I place my hand on my chest. "Abbie? Are you okay?" She asks worried.
"Yes," I answer by trying to catch my breath.
"Come, we'll go back down, you'll get some fresh air" she helps me get up.
"Thank you for listening to me and for your advice" she smiles at me as she opens the door of her room. "You're welcome" I smile in return, my hand always on my chest.
A familiar voice whistles in my ears when you go down the stairs. James and Ethan are happy and surprised, it can be heard in their screams.
"So you don't want to introduce us to this girl?" I can hear James asked.
I place my hand on Laura's stomach, preventing her from moving forward. I don't want to interrupt them, I don't know why. Something tells me to stay there.
"Kira, let me introduce you to Ethan and James. Guys, I introduce you to Kira, my fiancée."
It's Ian. He came back. With his fiancée! His fiancée ! His fucking fiancée ! I remove my hand from Laura's stomach but she doesn't join them. She looks at me with pity. I don't know if I join them or not. I want to see him but at the same time I don't want to. I want to talk to him but at the same time I don't want to. I want to know why he didn't talk to me anymore, why he didn't tell me about his fiancée. I want fucking explanations and fucking answers. I'm coming out from behind the wall with Laura, just to stop after the words of his fiancée,
"and soon his wife".
My heart stop beating in my chest. My breathing has disappeared. I'm frozen on the spot. Laura's hand on my shoulder brought me back to normal. Without realizing it, a fake smile stands on my lips. Why am I smiling at him? Why don't I yell at him? Why don't I hit him?
"Good evening" I smile while looking him straight in the eye.
He takes time before answering me.
"Good evening" he lowers his gaze as if he were ashamed. And he is right to be.
"Congratulations" I look at them both.
She is taller than me, thinner and her eyes are blue. She looks nice but still.
"Thank you" they say in harmony and the pain in my chest multiplies even more.
My gaze quickly goes down to their crossed fingers and then goes up to his eyes. He tries to escape my gaze but at the same time he tries to look at me. I can't understand what he wants. His look is incomprehensible. It is filled with more than one feeling; anger, shame, sadness, desire.
"Your fiancée?" Asks Laura with a serious tone by crossing her arms on her chest.
I think she will behead him long before I do.
"We need more details" James informs, he doesn't seem to be joking.
I want to hear these details but I don't think I'm ready to hear them. I have a smile on my lips it's true, but deep inside me my heartbeat will stop with sadness. Deep inside me I'm melting.

———————————————————————————
Don't forget to comment and vote !!