Heartthrob of Aclea

Chapter 21 - Hallucination

'It's not you. It's me.'

And just like that, I was left without any further spoken words from my mouth. The chillness in Camellia's voice engulfed my conscience. She didn't cry, although I could sense some unpleasant vibrations got tangled up in her voice. After Annabelle walked out of the house, I immediately called Camellia to explain everything, including the reason why we haven't yet been a couple. Camellia's heart was one of the precious things I didn't want to cause a hairline crack upon it, yet today didn't allow me to protect it anymore.

'I can't force people to love me, especially you, Aaron. I should have acknowledged your affection towards me is just never more than best friends should've ever felt. I'm sorry, but I need some time...to be away from you.'

Camellia ended the call with unease, leaving me with a huge, painful lump in my throat. The truth was always going to hurt her no matter what. I couldn't love her more than just a mate. I just couldn't. It was just wrong...to be way further. I felt disheartened despite the rejection I gave.

'Oi, you good there?' Elliot grabbed my shoulder and dragged me to his car.

'Camellia and I are now strangers with memories.'

'Ah, true friendship never dies. It's just bent, not broken. She will come again when she is all composed.' Elliot patted on my back. He drove us back to the palace with some tunes rocking the car and our conversations about the night and the morning I had spent with Annabelle. Elliot was surprised with things I had done with Annabelle because my night-stand routine didn't turn out the way it was supposed to be. The entire talk was full of shrugs and scoffs, and thank God for our short journey to home as I couldn't bear getting more and more insults from Elliot.

'I suppose you fancy her, Aaron.'

'Is this love, Aaron? Really love?'

'Aaron's in love with mummy's assistant! He's waiting for the wedding night to be in between her legs. Patience is a real virtue!'

'Shut your big fat mouth, bastard!'

A rocky facade with unique carvings came into my view when Elliot pulled over his car. Beside it, the palace garden was a delightful green sight to admire. A rainbow semicircled beyond the North Wing, showing off colours after hitting a certain prism. The sun almost slid to welcome late afternoon, stunting every shadow cast upon the ground. I hadn't had enough social energy to communicate with anyone else after Elliot, so I rushed off down my chamber. Laying on the bed, I closed my eyes and tried to disentangle some knotted dilemmas in my head.

'Trouble in paradise, yes?' A lazy husky voice just like mine channelled through my right ear. I sat up and looked at my right. There was another me standing in the same outfit I worn with messy hair as I had.

'Who are you?' It was awkward indeed. Like I was asking 'Do the fish ever get thirsty?'.

'I am you.' The clone of me spoke with a mock tone.

'I appeared when your mind is fucked up together with your perfect little schedule for medication.' Blimey! The last time I took my meds was when before Brian's first wave.

'Yeah, I forgot things easily.'

'Sure! Aren't we stupid blokes?'

'Aaron's sense goes mad when he meets a dangerously hot lass.' Another clone of me walked out of from clone number one like mist when magic words were recited. Both of them approached me, strutting lazily across the chamber, hands swinging like I always did. I didn't realise I was hallucinating. Maybe I did realise it because I had experienced this situation before when I was an addict, but I wasn't too critical on it.