Complicated

Chapter 15

"Ave!" Tom says, surprising me, Sir Kingsley, and Kalia all at once. "Hey. Oh,um.... I think I'd have to cancel your invitation for lunch today, Tom. Mr. Kingsley offered to be my mentor, and you know how much I want to be a writer someday. My veins are just flowing with the blood of a writer. You know, like.... Astrid. I never knew that I had it in me."I  tell him. "You know, it's fine. We can just go to lunch some other time, you kow. And hey, congrats on the offer. Mr. Kingsley's going to sculpt you into an author." he says, but the loneliness of being turned down by your own best friend still hangs onto his voice. "Well, bye now. Oh, and congrats on the relationship with Kalia. I just know that you're.... you're..." I choke on the word, but I manage to gather courage to say it. "d-destined.. for each other." I say, the disgust partially lingering on my tongue, dancing its way to my heart to trigger the pain. And Mr. Kingsley, or Nicholas, as he said, and I continue to walk to the nearby cafe to get lunch. 

"What would you like to have, Kirsten? Or do you prefer being called Avery, or Ave,perhaps?" he asks. I suddenly notice how he has some sort of resemblance to Thomas Sangster, the actor who plays Jojen Reed on the Game of Thrones. Only that he looks older and has glasses. "Ave. 'd like to be called Ave. And I'd want to eat some seafood pasta, please." I answer. "Oh, and don't misunderstand this as some kind of feelings for you, I'm just really looking for an apprentice of some sort, and you'd fit just right. And don't be shy on calling me Nicholas, I'm just in college, dear." he reminds, and my heart sinks. I assume too much, you see. "You are? I thought you've graduated." I tell him, and he shakes his head.  "Why did you choose me, of all the club members?" I say, confused. "Well, for one, you don't seem utterly engulfed in looking at Mr. Faulkner" he reasons. 'Perhaps you're wrong dear Nicholas, I am. And the pain is wrenching inside of me.' I think. "Second, I just really adored the poem you made." he says. "And the third is that I know your father." he says, and I become surprised. Perhaps I didn't tell you that my father makes a living out of writing in the newspaper, and he even published some of his stories. And for pete's sake, he was good. I have read some of his work, and he's famous in the writing world. He knows Dan Brown, even. "You do?" I ask, surprised. "Yes, and I've been a fan of his work since age 12. He's sort of an inspiration, but not in a homosexual way. He's the whole reason I moved here. And I want to be the mentor of his daughter, who clearly inherited his skills." he says and winks. And heat rushes into my face. What is wrong with me?

The food arrive, and we talk about his offer, which I said yes to. How could I not? In the middle of devouring a noodle of the pasta, my phone rings. Natalie Weekes. My sister, who I haven't of for years. She studies in Australia. I always wonder why she went there. Maybe she has an unknown obsession of kangaroos or koala bears. "Hello?" I say. I cover the speaker of my phone and say to Nicholas: "This is important. Please wait. Please do wait". And he nods in assurance. I walk away form my table. "Hey lil sis! I just want you to know that I'm coming back for a vacation there. It's almost Summer, dear. I'd love to see you and the rest of the gang." she says. "Awesome! How's life in Australia?" I ask. "Great, actually. things have been great. " she says. Her accent  has really adapted in Australia. She sounds like a natural Aussie. "You better bring me home a kangaroo." I tease, and she laughs. Oh, how I miss that laugh. "Do want the meat or the blood? Or maybe the heart?" she says. "That's second best. Well, I gotta go. Catch up with you when you arive?" I say. "Sure. Bye!" she says. I smile as I hang up, and go back to our table.

"When do we start?" I ask. He rubs his eyes, and I swallow more noodles down my throat to stop myself from blushing. "Um... Maybe next Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it." he says as he smiles, the blueness in his eyes more obvious than ever before. He offers me his hand, and I shake it. He wipes his mouth with a table napkin and  he gestures for a waiter to bring him our bill. I start to look for my wallet, and he notices. "What on Earth are you doing?" he asks, along with a chuckle. "I'm looking for my wallet. You know, for the..... meal." I say, and I smile. "No, no. It's okay. My treat. I'm your mentor. I'm really grateful that you chose me." he says, and I put up with more of his charming smiles. To whoever he loves as his better half, you're lucky as hell. He places his crisp dollar bill on it, and he lets the waiter take it. He stands up and puts on his black coat, and he moves toward my chair and pulls it back for me to stand up. 'A gentleman, I see."I think. 

"Thank you for the meal. And thank you for choosing me as your apprentice." I say. "My pleasure. And thank you as well for choosing me as your mentor. And let me tell you something: I shall not disappoint. Well, I must leave, Kirsten. I'll see you on Saturday." he says. "See you." I say back. He bids for a taxi, and gets the first one he gets. He waves his hand at me as he gets into the taxi. I wave my hand back, and my spine tingles in excitement for Saturday. 

I always thought that Saturday would be a cursed day when I found out that Tom and Kalia's in the club as well. But now, Saturday's something I look forward to, especiaally since I'll be seeing Nicholas's gorgeous smile every once in a while during the latter. 

On my way home, I see a familiar figure. Though he's all alone. Perfect. No Kalia means no pain and suffering. "Hey Tom" I say as I catch up on him. "Hey... Ave." he answers. "What's up? I'm so sorry that I cancelled lunch with you. It's just that I was so stoked on his offer." I reason. His smile seem to say that he was satisfied. "No, it's really okay. It gave me time to bond with Kalia more." he says. 'So 3 days with Kalia wasn't enough?' I think, annoyed. "I'm so sorry if I didn't talk to you in the past few days. It was really difficult to move on from the..... loss." I say, referring to both the loss of a part of our friendship, and the fake death of myy fake English great grandmother. "No, it's fine, Ave." he says, and I realize that we're in front of their lawn. "Well, Ave, i'll see you some other time." he says. And I couldn't help but ask for a "friendly" date. "Hey Tom, why don't we catch up on Monday? Same time same place? The Slicery?" I ask, and he nods for a yes. "Sure, Ave. I'd like that." he says, and he continues to walk towards the door of their house.

The Saturday I predicted as awkward turned out to be really, really amazing. A new mentor, a new ooportunity, an undiscovered talent, and a chance to catch up with Tom on Monday. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can ruin this day. I stand in front of the door of our house in awe because of the strange series of events that took place today which really made me rethink my perception of life with Kalia and Tom as a couple. No Tom, new friends, and new mentor. I realize that since the wretched day that I knew of their relationship, things became a lot better for me. Was Tom holding me back from a great life, or was he simply preparing me for such? Whatever it is, it made me a whole lot better on dealing with these painful moments of my life. It made me better at lying, too. Who would've thought that i'd think of a weird thought such as an English great grandmother at a time like that?

I enter our house, and I feel as if something in my daily routine as a person missing. And when I realized what that certain thing is, I felt a pang of pain hit me in my chest. 'Of all the days in my life, why now? Why did this occur on a day as awesome as this?' I think. Why, of all things, must be taken away from me? In just a minute, I miss it already. I miss its chubby smile and its desire to chew on peculiar things. I miss its white and yellowish brown hair. I miss its stout body. "Jellybean" I say, and a sob makes its way out of my mouth.