Rugged To The Core

Chapter 58

Abel

    
Coward...

     The word resounded in his head as he stared at her from across the room. She truly looked beautiful, too radiant to not be looked at. She donned an orange off-shoulder cocktail dress. Her weaves were swept over her right shoulder, styled in a french braid.

     As if feeling his eyes on her, she turned around to meet his eyes. She immediately turned back to stare at the young man before her, ending the conversation — much to his dismay. As she sashayed across the room to him, Abel was aware of the look on the young man's face, it was a mixture of hurt and yearning.

"Why the long face?" She queried.

"It's the only face I've got."

"It's a beautiful face." She smiled coyly. "But you need to smile more, Abel. I love it when you do."

My smiles are reserved for her...

     Abel ignored her, casting his gaze low to stare at his thighs as he toyed with the ring on his thumb.

"Come on, loosen up a little." She urged, sounding desperate.

"I have to go see my mother..."

He heard her sigh before seeing her hands, reaching for his, separating them to hold in hers. "Just stay for a little while, then you can leave. Dance with me, please?"

"I don't want to." He immediately responded.

"Please..." She pled, stooping to stare at him.

     Abel stared at her, seeing the hope and desperation in her eyes. He heaved a sigh, slowly rising to his feet and she smiled, grabbing his hand, leading him to the dance floor, amongst students. She reached for his shoulders, looking up at him and he reluctantly placed his hands on the small of her back, swaying with her to the slow song in the dimly lit room.

If It were her in my arms...

"Why didn't you go with him...?" Abel discreetly threw his head in his direction, Israel — whom she'd been talking to only a few minutes. "I shouldn't have agreed to be your date...He asked you, didn't he?"

"So what if he did? I didn't want to go with him. It's you I wanted."

"Still... He would've made a better date than I am. The smiles you talked about, you'd definitely get with him."

"Hey, hey, hey... " She squeezed his shoulders." Relax, It's prom. You're my date, not my groom. Besides, you know you promised..."

     A long time ago, Abel had agreed to go to prom with her. It had been a meaningless promise to him back then but now standing there, staring at her, he realised it probably wasn't as meaningless to her as it was to him.

Every other thing probably hadn't been meaningless to her as well...

No, she can not feel what I think she's feeling...

    

     Abel wondered why everything had felt meaningless with the girl in his arms but the other way around with his Lucky. With Lucky, everything, every moment was etched in his head. The stolen glances, her voice, her smiles, her laughter, her giggles, her touch, hugs and her kisses. They had a meaning; a meaning he was yet to acknowledge. As he thought of her, he developed a sudden yearning to see her, to have her be the one he was swaying with.

She wants you far away, you mutt.

     Once again, it dawned on him like a wicked jab to the face. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Abel couldn't fully comprehend how they'd gotten to this point. One minute, they were fine, the next he had put his foot in his mouth and now they were utter strangers. If only he had chosen his words carefully, If he hadn't even opened his mouth at all. He hated that he had to act so nonchalant when all he wanted to do was to run to her, fall to his knees and plead till she forgave him. He was that desperate.