Fake Tales

Chapter 23- The Envelope

Chapter 23- The Envelope

I thanked the God's of timetables that gave me a free. I was so tired I might have gone to sleep in the library if Mel hadn't been there. She was bright eyed and smiling when she came to sit beside me. The ivory tone to her pallor no longer seemed dull, but seemed to radiate a lustrous glow and the sharp, expressive midnight in her eyes had returned. There was a hardness that wasn't there before, but I knew no matter how happy she became that would never go away.

We worked quietly for half an hour,but I could tell she was itching to say something. She kept glancing at me concernedly, before thinking better of whatever she wanted to say. Which obviously got very frustrating.

"What's up with you Mel?" I hissed. Mel grimaced guiltily at having been caught in the act.

"I just wanted to apologise about everything. I realised that Dom had when I hadn't. You were right, I just wanted to avoid talking to him as long as I could-" She explained, and I leaned closer in interest. She told me how she had pushed him away and thought he couldn't like her anymore, that she hadn't told me because she thought I would be angry at her. Angry at her! The mere impossibility of the idea made me chuckle quietly. Mel's eyes focused on me in confusion.

"Mel I've known you for all of my life, and in none of that time, have I ever been angry at you" I assured her matter-of-factly. To my surprise, she looked slightly touched.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really really" I replied with a toothy grin. I felt a sudden swell of happiness, not because she had apologised (a rare event for her), but because she had opened my eyes. I finally understood why she had acted as she did. However, her out of the blue confessions had set off the usual alarm in the back of my brain that told me I should to tell Mel the truth.

"About time you got a boyfriend isn't it Maddy?" Mel cocked an eyebrow, I stared at her through narrowed eyes at the sudden change in subject.

"About time?" I asked incredulously. "You and Dom have only just got together Mel, don't get ahead of yourself" I murmured and she smiled dreamily.

"I just want to see you as happy as I am" She smiled, a bitter edge to her tone. So, she had noticed something was wrong.

"I'm glad you're happy Mel, but I don't want to be with anyone" I assured her in a forced casual voice.

"Why not?" She asked. My heart sank as a million excuses ran through my mind.

"You know me, it's not like anyone is interested anyway" I said vaguely and the way she frowned in reply made me think she wasn't going to let it go.

"That's just not true and you know it. What's really wrong?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Mel I need to tell you something" I said quietly. Tension lit the air as she sensed the tone of my voice, she leaned forward and placed her hand on mine.

"What is it?" She demanded. I opened my mouth to reply, where did I begin?

"Hey!" Dom greeted happily. Mel jumped up at the sound of his voice and pulled him into a hug. Dom leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, creating a faint hint of rose as the blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Hey" I smiled, but I had an inkling it looked more like a grimace. "What are you doing out of lesson?" I asked curiously as the two of them grinned at each other, oblivious to my presence. I resisted the urge to laugh unattractively at them, but they knew me too well to not recognise the expression on my face. Dom looked away from Mel's face and gazed at me sheepishly:

"Sorry Maddy. I got let out early so I guessed you'd be here" He said.

"Don't worry I'll get used to it" I promised and Dom's answering smile was dazzling, like it really mattered to him that I was comfortable with it.