Auburn Ivy runs away from her problems even if it means running away from her family, friends and familiar life. Anthony Kroff is a footballer on the rise but is lonely and lost in the new city he finds himself in. Their lives would have never inte...
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0.32 | from Sabah's recorder: when waiting for a ride |
We dined at the Luxuire.
Anthony was coming over to take us to the restaurant and while we waited, I couldn't help but look at the bright side, "He wants you to meet his parents. He must be getting serious about you."
Auburn gave me a look, "He has quite forgotten our little incident which I have come to attribute to his having drunk a lot that day."
"People end up confessing all sorts of truths under the influence of a good quantity of drink," I pointed out. "Now, when I drink, I say all sorts of stuff...those were the days."
"What are your secrets then?" she asked me suddenly. "Or should I wait till you're drunk?"
"You'll have to wait till I'm drunk indeed," I laughed.
"I think," Auburn began after a few minutes silence, "Anthony doesn't have a lot of friends."
"His nervous fidgeting might be a reason," I said.
"What nervous fidgeting?"
I made a show of messing my hair and combing it to one said with an impression of his lop-sided grin.
"Oh c'mon, he's cute when he does that!"
"Aww, I'll make sure to pass that one on," I winked.
"Carlottaaa," she protested. Then, she quietened, "But I really feel he doesn't have a lot of people for him, you know what I mean?"
I nodded slowly, thinking this was probably leading somewhere.
"What if he said he liked me because I was there for him? What if he's confusing friendship for love? What if he likes me because he thinks I'm a novelty and what happens when he realises I'm not?" She groaned, "In a way, it's good he never mentioned the thing again. What with Gordon and all the drama, he might have realised that I'm not the person he likes me to be."
I opened my mouth to tell her how wrong she was. He wasn't like that, even though he did treat us as the best people to ever happen to him in his whole life but I had a shrewd idea that he did it almost subconsciously, as if it never occurred to him to behave any other way.
"Times like these, I'm so confused I want to pack up my bags and run away."
I stood up hurriedly, "Auburn!"
She smiled at me, with just a hint of sadness, "Don't worry, I don't really want to run away. Not from here, anyway, I've come to realise that. Not from you, not from him." She said it almost as if she was shy of confessing this to me but I was overjoyed she did. It made my chest feel lighter, as if a heavy stone was lifted from it.
I looked through the windows, back to her, "If you are his closest friend, if you love him, if you want to love him, if you want to spend your life with him, then let him love you too. You are worthy of being loved."
She was quiet for so long that I didn't dare to turn around.
Finally, she whispered, "Thank you."
I realised that day that everyone, even the skeptics and the hopeless, need a sign from the universe sometimes and sometimes, you've got to be the one to give it. In that moment, you are the universe. I knew that day, how Atlas must feel.
***
I've been really busy and even though I have pre written chapters I haven't been able to update but I will try my best to, okay? As always, thank you for the wonderful comments, the supportive votes and for sticking by. I hope you're listening, you are worthy of being loved and you are loved.
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