Killing Carter

Chapter Eleven - Despite It All

Chapter 11

“So did you have fun with Kale this morning?”  My mum asked as we sat at a small table in Dee’s waiting for our starters to arrive.  The restaurant was starting to get busy with the lunchtime rush and Terra was dashing about all over the place her nose beginning to get red as she became stressed.  Amy, who had started after I’d left was becoming flustered making mistakes with customers orders and dropping cutlery.  She really wasn’t cut out for the job.

“Well he wasn’t at the gym.”  I said deciding how much I was going to tell her.  The way she was looking at me I wanted to tell her everything, how my conversation with Kale went so I did.  Letting the wall between us crumble just enough to see over I explained what happened between us.

“So then I was just sitting there on his couch not knowing what to say to his ‘girlfriend’ while I waited for him...

*

The living room felt so cosy with its large log fire and thick cream carpets. The couch that I was sitting on was a simple cream and brown three seater but the material was soft and the cushions were plush. It was the kind of couch that your body snuggled into whenever you sat down on it making standing back up difficult. So when Kale made an appearance in the doorway, his dark hair still dripping and the jeans and dark green t-shirt he was wearing were crumpled as if he had quickly thrown them on which I guess he had. After staring at his body which I couldn’t help doing as the t-shirt clung to some areas of his chest that were still damp, I looked at the expression on his face trying to gauge how pissed at me he was. However I couldn’t see any anger there only worry, confusion and something I’d seen on his face before but couldn’t quite place.

“Hey Kimberly.” He smiled at me not showing his teeth, a hesitant smile. “What are you doing here? Is everything alright?” As he spoke he walked into the room closer to me and I felt the butterflies stir in my stomach. It felt like I hadn’t seen him in ages and I just wanted to stand there and continue staring but so to not look like a bigger freak than I already am I sat back down on the couch and patted the seat beside me. He obliged sitting down his body turning slightly to face me. The girl who had introduced herself as Lippy moved from the doorway and began pottering about in what I was guessing was the kitchen giving us some privacy. His cloudy grey eyes bored into mine as he awaited the answers to his questions.

“I came to apologise about falling off the face of the earth for a few weeks there.” I began.  “I just...it was just that...I couldn’t”  My words trailed off as the tails of my sentences wriggled away from me.

“There’s no need. You don’t have to-“ I saw the look on his eyes. Pity.

“Who told you?” I demanded interrupting him even though I already knew the answer, my mood doing a complete 180.

“Mitch. He didn’t tell me everything though.”

“But he told you enough.” I looked down at my hands that I had been playing with on my lap staring at the raggedy nails decorated with chipped black nail varnish and the tiny cuts on my fingers near my knuckles, resisting the urge to cry or scream. I had liked Kale not knowing that defining thing about me. I liked being crazy Kimberly rather than the depressed emo girl who’s brother died.

“I’m sorry. I was worried about you.” He said so sincerely I found myself calming down able to look him in the eye again.  It was then that I noticed how tired he looked.  He rubbed his temples then yawned loudly sliding his hands down his face stretching the skin making it impossible not to smile at him and hide back a laugh.  He looked so innocent and boyish in that moment.  We both sat in silence until Lippy came bursting into the room with two steaming mugs in her hands.