{COMPLETED} ✔ December Bloom

twenty'two

"I have to talk to you about Braden. Desperately, Nors." Claire had said the minute she saw me. No 'hi' or anything like that.

I was immediately worried.

"What?" I asked, concern etched in my tone as Claire led me into her beautiful dorm, sitting me down in the white leather sofas. She sat down next to me, bringing her legs up and crossing them under her and sitting on them.

I just sat crossed-legged, Indian-style, on the sofa, my books and things all dumped beside me on the floor. I was watching her with wide-eyes, chewing the skin on my hands and knuckles.

Okay, it may be gross but I find it calming for me.

No! I am not a cannibal!

Anyway, back to the subject.

"You and Braden are going out, right?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Okay. I know I probably should've told you this some time ago but I think I should tell it to you now very quickly and I don't really know how to say this, Nors, so I think I'm just going to have to be blunt about it, alright?

Norah, Braden's a player. I don't know if you've realized it but he's a player, he never stays with one girl for long and he's always sleeping around.

Last year, my friend Mina, went out with him only to find out that he had been cheating on her for the last three weeks of their relationship. She caught him messing around with a redhead in his bed and that was that. She was convinced that she had loved him and would've done anything for him but he'd just messed with her and her heart. She moved to Australia after that and now…well, I don't know where she is. All I know was that all she got out of it in the end, was a broken heart.

It's what Braden Saunders does. He gets the girl that he has his eye on, goes out with her for a bit, sleeps with her and then dumps her cruelly for another." she finished sounding quite sad but also nervous.

I swallowed and glanced down at my hands which were fiddling with a stray thread that had come loose from the hem of my light blue sweater.

Gosh, I mean, I knew about Braden and his player ways I just…

Well, I guess I just never realized that he could hurt me by cheating.

But somehow, I don't believe that Braden would do that to me. He's so nice and kind…caring even…

This was confusing.

"Nors?," I heard Claire quietly say, almost hesitantly. She laid one hand on my arm, "I just wanted to let you know, just warn you in case you get hurt. Sorry, Nors, I couldn't keep it in…" she trailed off.

I shook my head smiling and laughing a little.

I know, I should probably be worried but…why? I want to live in the moment, if only for a little while. I wanted to live in a fantasy, I'm sick of reality.

So, I brushed it off and put it aside.

If only I had known, back then.

"Are you going to Ella's party?" I blurted out hastily.

Anything to change the subject really. I was a little nervous and filled with unease around it but I just didn't want to linger too much on it.

Thank goodness Claire just dropped it. She gave me one suspicious look before answering, "Yeah. You?"

I nodded and Claire had squealed, her face changing from concern and suspicion to friendly smiles and then finally into a 'Oh my god! That is so cool!', 'We're all best friends' etc. kind of thing.