13th of February (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter XIV

So, uh, I read the previous chapter because I needed to know where I left off, and I'm so sorry about the 1000000000000000000 mistakes god I'll edit just that one soon. Enjoy :)

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James stood in the park, rubbing his arms and looking around, wondering why he chose to wear a turtleneck because it provided barely any warmth against the last of the persistent chilly weather. Suddenly, a breathless brunette entered his line of vision, and if it weren't for his long hands, she would've landed on her face. Quickly pulling apart, the two exchanged awkward smiles

"Sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going, and sorry I'm late I hope you weren't waiting for too long-" Karen rushed out all in one breath. Smiling, James said "Don't worry about it, I got here not too long ago. So, do you want to maybe walk around for a bit?"

"Sure!" replied a beaming Karen. Without really having had the day planned out, the two just strolled around the park at a leisurely pace, looking at the tender leaves sprouting everywhere with the slow onset of spring and casually talking about random things until soon, no trace of awkwardness could be found in the air. Not really wanting to do anything else, they just decided to sit on a bench and continue talking after about an hour of ambling along the paths of the park.

"You know, I've actually not been to this corner of the park before. Looks relatively undisturbed." Karen mused, leaning back on her arms. Glancing at her, James looked back forward before speaking. "It's actually a sort of memorial. Like, not officially, but no one disturbs this place in memory of a building that stood here."

"Oh? I didn't know that! Do you know the story behind it?"

"Nope, that's all I know" lied James, not wanting to bring down his or Karen's mood. "Oh... Well it certainly gives off a weird sort of homely feeling, despite this being my first time here." Karen said, looking back front.

After a few seconds of silence, Karen spoke up. "Hey, tell me about your family. I just realised, I know almost nothing about you except what you show to the media and your professional life." Sighing, James looked down at his hands, again, not wanting to ruin the mood. "I lost them few years ago. Maybe I'll tell you more some other time."

"Oh, I'm- I'm sorry for bringing it up" said Karen, seeing clearly that it was a sensitive topic. "No problem, you didn't know. What about your family though? I mean, if you don't want to tell me, I understand that." James asked out of curiosity.

"Well, like I've said before, I've never seen my biological family. My adoptive parents couldn't have kids, and so they took me in, and I have no siblings. They are amazing, but I moved out right after I got out of school. Things were getting a little tight, and I didn't want to be a burden. College would cost too much, and despite how much they try to hide it, I know things would only have gotten worse, and I didn't think I needed to study any further anyways. I work part time at the local library, and it's just enough for me to get by comfortably with a little to save and little to send to my parents." Karen said, a gentle smile making its way to her face at the thought of her parents. I really want to meet my biological family someday. I want to see the people that abandoned a little injured kid." At that, the smile on James face fell, sadness mildly seeping through instead.

They stayed there and talked a little longer, and soon it grew dark. The two sat enveloped in a comfortable silence, gazing at the stars. Out of nowhere, Karen suddenly remembered something her father told her when she was younger.

"Dad? what happens to a person when they die?" asked 10 year old Karen.

With a little chuckle, Karen's father beckoned for her to come closer. Clambering onto his lap, she looked up at him with curious eyes.

"You see those twinkling stars? When someone dies, they go up there and twinkle and look down on everyone they love."

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Karen just went back to looking at the twinkling gems. Finally deciding to head home, the two parted with a warm hug and the promise of more fun next time. That night, both of them went to bed reminiscing their little hangout and slept with a warm feeling that neither had felt in a long while, a strangely comforting feeling.

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Unedited

Guess who's back XD

This will be long please bear with me.

So, firstly, I dropped a lot of hints in this chapter though it's just a filler hehe. I, as usual, haven't proofread so do point out mistakes, I'll fix them. I had to refer to a few of the previous chapters, but only when I read again I saw just how many mistakes there were oh god, please feel free to point them out, because I won't be editing anytime soon.

Anyways, secondly, I noticed when I was typing this out that the last time I updated was in October, during my last exams, and after that I just went on a long break without meaning to. Now my next set of exams began today and here I am. In my defence, I posted like 5 chapters in three days last time lol.

Thirdly, we hit hundred votes somewhere in December, and trust me when I say it means the world to me. I never expected to cross like 50 even when the book was done completely, thank you so much. Huge thanks to the people that read, gave me feedback, commented and voted if you liked🤍

Also don't be shy to click those stars ;) only if you think it's good tho

There you go, wierd_o, now don't expect one for sometime XD

Thanks for reading!

~Tristophobic