Angel With Broken Wings

66 - Kat Ride and Lemon Irvine (1)

[POV CHANGE | KAT RIDE]

I sit patiently for Lemon on a little bench outside her home, the girl having excitedly invited me to the location to introduce me to her parents before we would carry on with our day. I try hard to stifle a yawn, exhaustion filling my being as I recall the past events of the last few days, the hang outs had been intense despite the fun, words and confessions having spilled past my lips that I thought I would never share with anyone and a part of me felt guilty that it wasn't shared first with Mash or Regro.

The yawn escapes me as I lean my head back, hands clenched on my lap around my skirt as I look up at the sky. It did feel nice to share, granted they were such small things and didn't go very deeply – except for maybe with Dot – but it still felt strange to share anything about myself when I was so used to having to hide it just for the safety of myself and the Flock.

I hear a cheery giggle off to the side, the sound familiar and causing me to sit up straighter, my head turning and right eye filling with the sight of a happy looking Lemon, two adults standing behind her side by side. I stand swiftly at that, my fingers twitching as Lemon approaches with a skip her arms soon latching around one of mine as she then drags me towards her mother and father.

"This is Kat! The person I told you about!" I offer a weak smile at her giddy introduction, the expression shy as I gift a nod and speak up slowly, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Her parents share a brief look, a silent conversation passing through their eyes before the look back at me and offer pleasant and welcoming grins. "Lemon has told us a lot about you, to be honest when she said she wanted to marry you we initially thought you were a boy."

Her mother spoke first, the woman scratching the back of her neck sheepishly as the father continues on, "Not that we mind, of course, it was just a little surprise. May I ask, however, what happened to your eye?" The question was asked with a tense undertone, the parents seemingly concerned about the answer before it was even given and I shift slightly in my spot at that, Lemon giving me a look of concern as she clasps our hands together.

I manage to answer before she could intervene, my teeth attached to my bottom lip for a brief moment before my voice comes out, "I was in an accident when I was nine, unfortunately it was so bad I lost the vision in my left eye but thankfully I still have my right." The lie comes out smoothly, the words holding just enough believable emotion that makes a look of sympathy enter their eyes as they look at me with pity.

My smile turns tight as I soon look over at Lemon, the question leaving my lips without a hint of desperation despite that feeling bubbling in my chest, "Shall we go? You said you wanted to do some shopping and then go to a cafe, we should do it before it gets dark." She jumps at the sudden change of conversation, the blonde girl nodding her head rapidly as she begins to drag my past her parents. "Exactly! We got to go now, Mom, Dad! See you when I get back!"

"Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Irvine."

[POV CHANGE | LEMON IRVINE]

I try to hold back the tears entering the corner of my eyes as I drag her away, a part of me frustrated at how the interaction between my parents and Kat went as I continue to pull the girl forward. I only come to a stop when Kat tugs me slightly, the action a silent way of asking to halt before she tugs again and pulls me closer to her, my body turning as she does.

She offers a small smile and a sigh at the sight of my budding tears and she wipes them away with her thumbs gently. "Sorry...I guess I should have just beared it, huh?" Her apology was sincere as was her question, and I couldn't help but sniffle as I shook my head in response to the inquiry, my voice coming out with a hiccup as I answered, "N-No! They shouldn't have asked something so insensitive in the first place, or looked at you like that afterward."

My shoulders shook as I spoke, the girl offering another smile before pulling me into a hug. "I think they were checking to make sure I didn't get it by doing something illegal, good parents will always look out for their children." Her words are offered as encouragement, a shaky sigh leaving my lips as I give an understanding nod. "I'm still upset...I wanted it to go well."

The words are muttered into her shoulder as I latch on to return the hug, her hands patting my back gently as she hums, the sound reverberating against my chest. "I understand that, but I think it went relatively well...for the most part. We can try it again some other time." I hold on tighter at those words, my face flushing slightly as I nod against her shoulder, the girl soon pulling us apart gently and then grabbing my hand once more.

"Shall we continue with our date?" The question makes my heart leap, my head nodding once more with vigor as I clutch her hand with a gentle tightness. "Yes!" My answer makes her smile again, Kat and I now walking side-by-side as we head towards the clothes store. The walk entered a comfortable silence, my heart bursting with joy despite the upset in my mind about the situation prior, and I tried to ignore it as we went together.

The time at the clothing store helped, the time spent in laughter and sweet compliments whenever we would switch our attire to something either ridiculous or beautiful. We didn't wind up buying anything despite the amount of clothes we tried on, and we went to the cafe with lovely outdoor seating after that.

I rock back and forth in my chair as our drinks get delivered, the girl across from my eyeing the area carefully before managing to take a sip out of the cup in front of her. "I'm still sorry." My words came out quickly while her lips were preoccupied, the girl coughing slightly at the heat and the sudden declaration before putting the cup down gently. "Lemon, you don't have to be."

I shake my head at that, the rocking stopping as I place my hands on the table before us, the two limbs clenched into fists as I speak up once more, "Yes, I do. It was a sudden meeting with people you don't know and they tried to pry about your life when you didn't even know them. It was insensitive of me too to force you into that position." I take note of her widened eyes at my words, the two shimmering slightly before she nods quietly at my apology.

"Ah, well...you didn't mean to..." Her cheeks were flushing slightly as she looks down, embarrassment on her features as the words came spilling from her lips. "This is very sweet of you...but I'm really not mad or upset." I shake my head at that, my next sentence holding strength as I respond to her understanding words, "Even so, I still shouldn't have done that without your okay. You even told us that it's hard to meet new people, that's why you still spend most of your time with Mash and I understand that.

"It does sometimes make me jealous, admittedly, but...it's not your fault or his. You need to be able to put your safety first when put into situations you're new to, and that was completely disregarded upon meeting my parents so suddenly. I hope that I can be a person you can trust like that someday too." She lets out a sigh as my words sink in, my eyes remaining on her as she lifts her head up slowly, her words coming out with a hint of admiration,

"It's only day four into the break, and I've already managed to share so much with Lance, Finn and Dot, things I never thought I would share...not even to Mash or Regro. I want to share them, I even want to share the horrors of my life too...but sometimes they're so painful to speak about." The emotional vulnerability being shown to me makes my heart clench, and I lean in as to pay better attention to the girl before me as she speaks again slowly,

"Thank you, Lemon...if you really don't mind hearing, I would be willing to share at least some of it with you." I nod quickly at her words, determination flashing in my eyes as I gift her a smile holding encouragement as I speak up in response to her words,

"Of course I want to hear them, share as much as you need to, Kat, I won't be going anywhere and I won't run away."