Cursed Souls - Chapter 18 18 Misunderstandings

Kure and Ember walked side by side talking to each other in hushed tones like two best friends gossiping. Ava talked to Elijah about something trivial, and Chris joined in whatever dumb debate the two were having. Oaki and Noah walked side by side as well to each other not so much talking as just being content in each others presence.

“I know it’s all a shock to handle. A lot has happened. But if you want I can try to catch you up with everything..” Noah said sincerely.

“Thanks that would be great!” Oaki said blushing while she looked over at Noah.

Everyone went to the cafeteria and branched off sitting in different booths. Chris left Ava and Elijah and started to walk back up to the gym. He was intrigued earlier watching Kure box and wanted to give it a try himself. Well that and he was genuinely annoyed being around Oaki and Noah watching Noah fall all over himself for her.

“So Elijah proposed to me..” Ember said in a hushed voice.

“Really and what did you say?” Kure said

“I said I needed a little time to think about it..” Ember said shyly looking down at the ground.

“Really? Why? What’s there to think about? You guys are having a kid together and you both clearly love each other?” Kure said trying to be excited for the two but remain rational.

“Well yeah but I’m only sixteen. It just seems so fast..” Ember said quietly.

“Well How do you feel about him? And what are the CONS of marrying him at this point?”

“Well” she paused. “I always saw myself getting married I just never pictured that I would do it without my dad walking me down the aisle and now I have a baby on the way too and.. my dad won’t ever get to meet this kid.” Tears welled up in her eyes and she began to sniffle.

Kure quickly went to sit on the same side of the booth as Em. He hugged her and pulled her into his shoulder. His hand held the back of her head gently. Kure hated seeing girls cry. And at this moment he could see the pain in her heart. He felt like something broke inside. But he just held her and tried to give her some form of comfort.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he said trying to comfort her. “Well, it’s not okay. But I promise you I will always be here by your side.”

She moved away from him and looked up at him. “None of this is fair” She said still crying.

“I know. It’s not fair. But we can’t change the past. Try to focus on the positives. You are going to be a mom. You have found THE ONE at a young stage in life. It takes people years to find THE ONE, and you have been fortunate to find him. Some people don’t even get that lucky.”

She smiled at him. “I guess you’re right,” she said pausing, she really wanted to find this magically positive outlook on life. But in her heart, she felt the missing pieces. More than anything she missed her dad. Her father worked so hard to provide for her, to raise her. What would he say to her now if he knew? Well that was the thing. It hit her like a brick wall. She would never know. He was gone. Tears continued to roll down her face. Kure pulled her head back onto his shoulder as she sniffled and cried on his shirt. She started to think about Kures ‘THE ONE’ speech.

“If if… I do say yes to him” She said phrasing it in a question.

“Honey honey Honey not if… You mean, when you do say yes to him” He paused. “Continue.” Kure finished.

“Bush whatever..” she smiled. His mocking playful tone made her heart feel lighter. “Okay if or when I say yes will you walk me down the aisle?” She asked.

Kure paused for a second. He knew she was being completely serious. Even though they hadn’t been friends for years, he knew for a fact she was his best friend. He felt assured that Elijah was someone she could marry and be truly happy with. He was a hard worker. Kinda quiet and awkward, but he definitely loved Em and would do anything for her. She was having his kid and if he could make her happy, when it was clear she often put on a huge act for everyone then, it seemed that this would be the right decision. He thought everything over for a few seconds.

“I’d be honored.” He looked at her then started to get up and go back to where he was sitting across the table from her at the booth. She was so overjoyed. She was happy she had someone like him. She never even questioned his motives. He always seemed genuinely honest and straightforward.

He put his two hands over hers on the table and in a serious but light-hearted voice said, “But if Elijah ever does anything stupid do tell me… Because I’ll knock that moron straight upside the head for you.” He said smiling sincerely.

“Your a whole mans,” she said laughing at him. “Yanno Ava, or not Ava, no matter what girl you find she better deserve you. Your one of the few good ones yanno. Whatever girl wins over your heart is the luckiest gosh darn girl on earth” She said smiling at him.

Meanwhile, Ava and Elijah sat together, watching Kure and Ember.

“What’s that about?” Elijah said looking over at them.

“I don’t know.” She said shrugging her shoulders watching the two. “They’re friends,” Ava said confidently.

Just at that moment Kure sat next to Ember and hugged her.

“Just friends” Elijah said in scoff of disbelief.

Ava and Elijah continued to talk and observe Em and Kure.

“She’s carrying your unborn child, there’s no way she and Kure are a thing. He knows about the baby too” Ava said.

“I’m gonna have a talk with him later. If he thinks he can take MY women he’s got another thing coming to him…” Elijah said clearly bothered at the sight of how close they were.

Next, the two watched intensely.

“She is going through a lot. Plus she loves you, she wouldn’t start anything with Kure of all people” Ava said this aloud trying to believe her own words too.

However, all she could think in her mind was… ‘She wouldn’t would she?’

“…Maybe” Elijah said considering the possibility.

Just then they watched as Kure moved away then held Ember’s hand. Elijah looked so mad, that smoke minus well be coming out of his ears. Ava looked across at him. She didn’t like seeing them be so touchy with each other either, but she didn’t want to see Kure get hurt. She looked at Elijah trying to break his attention.

“Hey!” She shouted at him.

He turned to look at her in confusion.

“Honestly I don’t like it either, but it’s not like they are dating. Kure isn’t like that,” she said trying to defend Kure.

“How would you know? It’s not like you guys are an item.” He said ruthlessly.

Right after the words left his mouth he felt regret. He looked at her and saw the brief flinge of pain across her face that his words had inflicted.

“I I” He said trying to apologize.

“Don’t worry I got your message loud and clear.” She said trying to shrug him off. She knew she wasn’t with him. What he said just hit home, he wasn’t hers. ‘He probably doesn’t nor will he ever want to change how we are now’. She thought to herself. It wasn’t so much anger, as sadness that struck her like a piercing bullet.

Elijah’s attention was no longer on what was going on between Ember and Kure, but instead the guilt he felt inside his heart for what he said. Ava got up from the table and started to walk back to the room leaving Elijah there alone.

‘I never do the right thing. I never say the right thing either.’ Inside his head, he could just close his eyes and see the pain that went cross Ava’s face. He looked towards Ember again. ‘He looks like he makes her happier than I ever did.. I mean after all now she is in this situation all because of me..’ His thoughts went into a downward spiral. He got up and walked back to the room. Before exiting the cafeteria he looked over at Oaki and Noah. ‘They look like they have everything all figured out.’ He walked past them without a second thought.

Noah looked at Oaki. He liked her crazy competitive spirit he saw come out of her when she was talking to Kure. He looked at her and started to tell her about Ember and Elijah, and possibly Ava and Kure filling her into what he had thought for the most part we’re going on for the most part. Oaki listened to him attentively, and with curiosity and shock.

“Wait so you mean to tell me that Ember is pregnant?!?” Okai said.

“Well. Yeah?” Oaki said stammering.

“And Kure and Ava are dating?” Oaki asked.

“Well I’m not sure if they are dating per se but I think that there is definitely something going on? Oh and… Um” He paused awkwardly.

“What is it?” Oaki said demandingly but scared.

“So there is one thing” He paused. “Well so there was this thing that kinda happened when we were… rescuing you…”

“What thing” Oaki said.

“So Kure and her totally had a history”

“Nina?” Oaki said interrupting.

“Yeah… How did you know?”

She got up from the table and looked over toward Kure, who was holding Embers hand. She looked down and put her hand up to her head rubbing her temple. He was giving her a headache. ‘Did he not have enough girl problems as it was?’ She thought to herself. Then she tried to take and started to fall backward. Just as she started to fall Noah caught her in his arms. She could feel his warm muscular chest under his shirt. She started to slowly turn to look at him, as he meets eyes with her he swept her up off her feet into his arms and started to walk out of the cafeteria. She looked up at him and his perfectly chiseled jawline. She was stunned unsure of what to do. It was in moments like these he made it hard for her to not start to have feelings for him.

“Put me down,” She said shyly.

“Don’t worry I will.”

He continued to walk all the way to the bedroom and then placed her down on the floor after they got into the doorway. Her feet gently touched the floor. She couldn’t help but look over at him and blush. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out his MP3 player. He sat on the bed waiting for her to come over to the bed. He skipped through the tracks until he found the song he seemed to be looking for. She sat next to him.

“What are you doing?” she asked nervously but curious.

“I miss that day. That we were listening to music. Before anything else got into the way. I’m sorry for being so overbearing. I will give you the space you need. I won’t push you to feel something you don’t feel. I won’t beg you to talk to me. I want you to come to me on your terms. If you want to be friends or more either. I’m sorry about that night that I acted like a jerk. And I’m sorry for waiting in the cafeteria. But I will be patient and wait. Because I’m not the kinda guy that wants you for your body or a fun time. I’m here for the long hall. I hope one day you will let me in.” Noah said in a calm sincere tone.

She sat on the bed awkwardly unsure what to say and do. He leaned over to her and put his hand on the side of her face lightly. He closed her eyes expecting him to lean in for a kiss. Blood rushed to her cheeks. He placed a headphone in her ear then moved back over and looked down at the MP3 and hit play. She opened her eyes and looked down feeling flustered and confused. ‘Was I going to kiss him just now? Well if he kissed me that is..’ she thought to herself. The song that played was Feel Again by OneRepublic. She looked down feeling quite confused. She moved one of her hands from her lap to the side of her leg slowly inching to towards his. Right as their hands were about to touch he got up and walked over to the bathroom. She heard the shower start to run. She sat on the bed and laid down just closing her eyes for just a second. He came out of the shower and she pretended to be asleep. He walked over with just shorts on without a shirt. He went to the dresser to grab a shirt when she opened her eyes slightly looking at his exposed chest. She felt attracted to him. Just then he glanced over at her. He looked down at her and covered the blanket over her. He walked back over to the dresser and grabbed a shirt and put it on. She opened her eyes again. She watched him. He glanced over again at her. This time they made eye contact. He looked down and walked back to the bathroom. She hid under the blanket embarrassed shutting her eyes tightly. He went to bed and laid down next to her. She felt the awkward empty space between them, she turned over and fell asleep.

To her surprise, she woke up with her arm around his waist and her body against his back leaving very little personal space. Ember walked into the room.

“Rise and shine!” she said opening the door.

She looked down at the two. Oaki took her hand back and fell off the bed. Noah dazed and confused looked over to see her falling off the bed and Ember looking at the two as if she had walked into something scandalous going on. Elijah came up from behind her and walked into their bathroom coldly without saying a word. He washed his face then left their room with Ember following in his footsteps.

“What’s their deal?” Oaki said confused.

“He is probably mad at her and Kure from yesterday.” He said getting out of the bed to help her up off the floor.

“Oh…right..?” she said remembering back to yesterday when she saw Kure and Ember holding hands in the cafeteria.

Noah offered his hand out and helped her from the floor, then grabbed clothes and walked into the bathroom. He changed into sweat pants and a tank top and exited the bathroom. He went out of the door.

“I’m going to work out you might want to talk to your brother or Ember”

Pla-Plam. The door closed behind him. She walked over to Ember’s room to find her sitting on the bed sobbing.