My Bittersweet Love

Chapter 2

As Sara and I walked lazily home, she went on and on about the encounter we had with Sean and Enrique with so much excitement. I was half-tuned in with what she was saying as I was in deep thought. Continuously, I kept wondering why an attractive guy like Enrique complimented me, I was eager to know if he meant what he said or not. I knew for a fact that he knew he was hot and that he could get any girl if he wanted to. What I did not understand though was why guys would get a girls heart high on hopes just to lift their ego. Did they ever stop to consider how it would make the girl feel? For all they know, the girl could end up heartbroken and not being able to trust any other guy that walks into her life. I know people must think I'm being overly paranoid when it comes to these things, but I have my reasons.

Let's just simply put it like this though: I have trust issues when it comes to men and I've learnt to never believe a word that comes out of their mouths. Why? Well, one reason being is that my Mum has taught me this. 

"See you tomorrow Kiara!" Sara shouted out as she skipped down her road. She only lived 3 roads down from me. I gave her a hesitant wave goodbye as I was snapped out of my thoughts. I then just carried on walking home. 

As I strolled on, I peered down at my feet not being cautious of my surroundings when then all of a sudden, THUMP!

I collided into a sturdy figure and nearly toppled over backwards. If that person had not grasped my back and pull me closer to their chest, I'm sure my next trip would have been to the hospital. As I got a grip of myself, I stood with my back aligned upright and straightened out my clothes. I heard the person before me clear their throat. Shyly, I raised my now embarrassed blue eyes to peek at the person who saved me from a second fall today. 

Ryan.

"Th Thank you,' I stammered while giving him a faint smile. 

He raised his eyebrow while examining me and then slanted his head to the side. While doing this, he let out a soft sigh and stroked the stubble of hair growing on his face. Itching to caress my hands all over him, I strained my eyes away from his and looked down at my feet once again.

"You should really pay attention to where you're walking you know, I wouldn't want my best friend getting injured," he said while bringing me in for a tight embrace. My heart stood still. 

The 'best friend' bit was like a piercing stab to my heart. It killed me a bit inside each time I was reminded of how close I was to him yet so far. However, I knew he cared about me a lot, that's why I stayed this close to him and never jeopardized our friendship, hoping things would one day develop into something more. Immediately my cheeks started to flourish with a tint of pink.

"Because you know, I wouldn't want to have to be the one who had to brush your teeth for you or something like that just because you broke both your arms," he carried on while laughing to himself at the thought of what he had just said. He always made these ludicrous statements, it was what I loved most about him. Ryan would constantly manage to bring a hint of pleasantness into the seriousness of my life.

While giggling, I gave him a light punch on his upper arm. He then gripped where I hit him and made an expression as if to say he was hurt. In return, I gave him a wide smile and whisked off at a rapid rate with my nose tilted in the air as if I did not care. He slightly shook his head grinning and jogged casually after me to catch up. We then just walked to my house in silence. There was no tension between us whatsoever, it was a very relaxing feeling you know, being in someones presence without feeling awkward. While nearing my house with Ryan, I hunted for my keys to open the door.

"You go to work every single day yet you're spending more than you're earning before handling what needs to be paid for. So tell me, why the hell do you think you don't have enough money for the bills?! It's always me having to run the errands, deal with your debts and do everything in this house," my Mum cried out furiously in the other room.