4 Chapter 4 : Romance

Ellie Ardon

However cliche it might sound, I saw him freaking everywhere for the whole damn day. At the library when he peeked through the shelf as I was taking out a book, walked me all the way to the flower shop since I wasn't sure where to find one. He was like a bug, unavoidable.

It was pleasant to have someone who knows the place to guide you around and yet a bit irritating. He was adding more and more burden for me, by giving me things that I can connect to him. I no longer keep things that can be connected with memories. I don't need to feel that pain again.

Everything he gave were far from my taste, it was like he could sense that I had never tried them out. I hated changes, however small they might be. I drilled holes into the manga box lying on my table with my stares. I sat there thinking of the ways he used to trick me into accepting those gifts. I played those conversations again in my head.

"Ellie, you have never read comic books before right? I'm gonna buy you a manga book" he said taking a box out of the rack.

"Wait you are buying me comics? I'm not a kid" I told him sarcastically.

"If any Japanese manga reader hears that they will bury you alive. Yes they may look like silly comic on the outside. But the stories that are hidden beneath them are epic. On second thought you are right, it isn't your thing. Only intelligent people can correctly follow the panels and understand the in-depth dialogues written in them" he smirked at me.

Yeah, you guessed it right, it was the challenge that made me fall for his tricks. It was the same when he made me, buy an anthurium. All I wanted was as cactus and he made me buy a stupid anthurium.

"You can't grow plants, can you? Majority of the people buying cactus are losers who are too lazy to water plants. I never thought you were one"

I hated how much he could play me with his words. I glared at the anthurium too. Another persuade suggestion from him.

Stupid red plant. Those flowers looks artificial in my opinion. Stupid roses where better. Who am I kidding I had always been ignorant to flowers and their kind.

My phone beeped.

'If you think the plant might die in your hands you can always send it back to me. I live in

No. 24, Block D, Clinton Street.

PS: Anthurium symbolises everlasting love. I just googled. Oh, if you are wondering how I got your number? I memorised it when you wrote it down in that flower shop.

- Kyle'

He is gonna be a problem. A humongous problem.

'If you message me ever again in this number, I'm gonna report you for stalking. You foolishly even gave the address. Oh & anthurium is a poisonous plant, so logically it should symbolise love may look beautiful but is poisonous. Lol' I texted back.

Just like that he became a burden that I had learnt to tolerate myself. The late evenings that he would accompany me to walk me home, the morning calls he made to wake me up for work, the rare days that I would be craving some food and he ends up with exactly that for me. And buying me Caramel Frappe almost everyday while making me switch to his bitter black coffees some odd days.

He slowly started to grow on me. Kylo Carson became a habit for my daily life. A very bad one, one I felt as if I couldn't live without. Especially when I grew closer and found out the good human in him. Because of him I didn't realise how fast one month passed by.

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to apply for my posting in this school itself after the training period. Olka town had grown on me. His weird tastes had grown on me. So did he. I thought with a smile.

And that was until the letter came breaking me free from this fairy tale. After all there is no true happy ending in any real life story. I got to move now. It would be less painful if I actually don't face him with a goodbye. For him and for me. . .

_____________________________________

18 November 2019

She knew that there is no one,

To come walking down this abandoned path,

No one who went with a promise to return,

Neither is there anyone seeking her.

And yet she laid in wait for years,

For someone to open those doors again,

Running up to her no matter how late. . .

Ever since she was a kid that's what she had been doing ...waiting. Leaning onto the giant gates of her mansion, waiting for her parents to come back. But the waiting had gone way too long that she understood at some point that it was futile. And she learnt to live without waiting for anyone...anymore.

Love was a risk she no longer wanted to take. She thought as she walked down the street.

"So you are running away? Just because of that? Because you were a coward?" He shouted running up to her.

"You don't have any idea what I'm going through, Kylo." I shouted back at him.

"Your parents left you, they never came back, the reason you took the teaching job is because you wanted to claim your grandma's house back from them, the only leverage they have as a hold over you. So that's it? Running away to marry the guy your parents found for you, a total stranger, you seriously think that's gonna solve everything Ellie?"

He shouted at me.

"How do you know all this? You too were playing with me, weren't you? You knew this whole time what was happening to me and you enjoyed it. Was it fun to see a girl in misery?" I shouted back at him. Involuntary tears coming down.

"I love you, Ellie. I promise that I can make it all disappear. Just trust me will you? I'm not betraying you. I can help you fight this" he pleaded hugging me.

But it was of no use. I gave up trusting others a very long time ago. No more. I don't want to be fooled anymore. I pushed him back as hard as I could and shouted with all the hatred I could muster up.

"Worst timing Kylo to confess your love. They are nothing but mere words to me. Empty promises. You live in a fantasy world, this is reality. My reality. The one I got to face on my own. I don't need a f@<king knight in silver armour to save me"

"This is not what you really want, Ellie. I know that you love me. You do love me." he said with defeat in his face, as if he wasn't sure if his own words were true anymore.

I turned and walked away, disappointing the one man that extended his hands to me.