stars upon my face

chapter 27-its unfortunate

I shook my head, trying to clear the haze. "Just forget about me, James," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes pleaded, but I turned away, stepping into the elevator. The doors closed, and I let out a shaky breath. Why did he have to say those things? Why did he have to kiss me?

As the elevator ascended, my mind replayed James' words: "I feel something for you, something real." Was he sincere or just making a fool of me?

I shouldn't care. I shouldn't want to believe him,I really do but he's not good for me; I should walk away.

The elevator stopped, and I stepped out into the cool evening air. I walked past shops and restaurants, taking in the breeze of tragedy. My heart felt heavy, like an anchor weighing me down.

As I approached my apartment, I noticed the door was unlocked. I frowned, wondering why. "urgh I Must have forgotten to lock it".

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. Then I wondered what I was doing in my apartment in the first place  but my mind remained with James. His words echoed: "Please don't walk away without hearing me out."

I closed my eyes, trying to shake off the unbearable emotions that shook my body in a . I couldn't let him get to me.

But his words lingered, like a whisper in the darkness: "You mean something to me, Nora."

I sighed, dropping my bag onto the couch. I needed to focus on myself, not James' confusing confessions.

As I began to undress, my gaze fell upon a piece of paper on my nightstand. A note, scribbled in familiar handwriting:

"I'll always be here for you, Nora. -J"
"J?,who's J
Urgh it's James omg I didn't know James cared about me so much ".

My heart skipped a beat. When did he...?
How did he even...?              

The questions swirled, but I knew I had to push them away because they didn't matter anymore .James was trouble, and I needed to protect myself.

Or did I?

As I stared at the note, the doorbell rang. I hesitated, wondering who it could be. James wouldn't show up unannounced, would he?

I approached the door cautiously and peered through the peephole. A woman with piercing green eyes and long, curly brown hair stood outside, smiling.

"Who is it?" I asked through the door.

"Nora, my name is Emily. We met briefly at James' party last week. May I come in?"

I unlocked the door, and Emily entered, carrying a small suitcase.

"What brings you here?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"I'm James' sister," Emily said, her eyes sparkling. "I couldn't help but notice the tension between you two. I wanted to talk to you."

"tension?,now wait a second,first of all  I don't know you and secondly even if I did that doesn't give you the right to come to come here and judge me".

"Nora calm down I'm here to judge you."
My defenses rose, but Emily's warmth started to put me at ease.

"Let's talk," I said, gesturing to the couch even though I didn't feel like talking to her but I still wanted to hear why she was here."

Emily sat down, her expression serious. "Nora, James is... complicated. But he's genuine about his feelings for you."
I know he is

I raised an eyebrow. "You're defending him?"