Chapter twenty - three

"When will Richard be back?" I ask my sister turned nagging witch. The faster he gets back, the sooner she finds someone else to pester.

"In an hour or so but we're not talking about him. I'm worried about you, May."

She has been sitting at my feet, on the bed and yapping on about how strange I've been behaving for however long. I'm not really listening.

"Well don't be, I'm perfectly fine. I'm just resting."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sarah asks for what is probably the millionth time and again I reply.

"Don't you have something better to do?" She pouts and makes puppy eyes at me, making me roll my eyes. "Just because today is my off day from work doesn't mean you get to pester me."

She scoots closer to me, causing the bed to bounce a bit and a slight wave of nausea washes over me.

"But you've been in bed all day. You haven't eaten anything today and it's almost lunch time. You're also being meaner than usual."

I scoff. "I'm always mean as you so kindly put it. What you call meanness, I can sensibility."

She scowls at me, making me raise a brow in challenge. She stares at me with a funny look on her face for almost a full minute and I don't have the strength to ask what is going on in that head of hers. She'll tell me when she's done.

Suddenly, She gasps and her eyes widen in what seems to be realization. "Ooh, why didn't I think of this before?" She slaps her forehead with a beaming smile.

"Probably because you rarely think. Congratulations, your brain still works."

"It's not that silly." She giggles and smiles at me without another word like a creepy haunted doll.

She's waiting for me to ask her what she meant by that. Do I want to know? If it would get rid of that look, I'll take the chance.

"Then what has your barely functional brain come up with?"

Her smile turns soft and she takes my hand in hers. "Well..." She starts to play with my fingers; a trait we both share. "I feel the same, you know. It makes me want to lay in bed all and mourn away but you have taught me to be strong no matter what happens. You're being quite the hypocrite, May."

Her words warm my heart in a way only she can. She's so adorable.

"I still don't know what you're going on about."

She narrows her eyes at me and her cheeks turn a bright pink. "You're trying to get me to say it, aren't you?"

My brows draw together in further confusion and a bit of annoyance. I am this close to smacking this girl.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sarah."

She frowns and searches my expression. "Really? You don't?"

I glare at her.

"You don't miss him?"

My glare falls in realization and my cheeks start to warm. "What?" I ask dumbly.

"You know who I'm talking about and don't feel so embarrassed. I miss Xavier a lot too. It's been a week since we got back and you've been moping, something you abhor in others. So it isn't really hard to understand why, Love is as hurtful as it is wonderful."

Actually it's been six days, eight hours and thirty one minutes but who's counting?

"I didn't say I loved him, it was just a one night stand." My chest tightens as the words leave my mouth.

Her forehead wrinkles in confusion. "What? That's not true. I've seen the way you look at him and the way he looks at you too. It's really magical, May. It's like the whole room lit up when the both of you were dancing."

The tightness in my chest increases and I have to take deep breaths in order to prevent myself from tearing up. "That was just in your head." She has always been a hopeless romantic; I'm not one to talk though. Losing myself in love stories had been a favorite pastime of mine.

She gives me an incredulous look that tells me I'm the one being delusional. "Why are you being so stubborn about this? It was clear as day and how you've been acting confirms it. We could all see that he really likes you so what's the big deal in admitting..."

"That's enough, Sarah," I growl but she doesn't let up.

"No! You're being unnecessarily stubborn and I don't understand why you won't just admit…"

"That's right, you don't!" I yell as I sit up causing her to rear back in surprise. "You don't understand so I suggest you just shut up and mind your own business."

Her eyes turn sad and guilty, "I'm sorry," she whispers and I look away with a scoff.

The tears I've been trying to hold back spill from my eyes and travel down my cheeks. "Of course you are," I retort in a bitter tone and lay on my side, facing away from her, drawing the sheets to cover me.

"I'm sorry for going too far." Her voice is shaky as if she's about to cry. "I just wanted you to stop denying your feelings and…"

"I said that's enough." That outburst has me feeling really tired now. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"But I saw…"

"You only saw one part of it, Sarah. You don't know the half of it so I suggest you stop your baseless assumptions and go find something useful to do."

She doesn't reply and I can picture her shoulders sagging and her lips wobbling; she's too sensitive when it comes to me which can be too much sometimes.

I hear her receding footsteps and just before she closes the door I turn to face her. "I'll eat whatever you make for lunch and I have a craving for some fruits too."

"Okay," She whispers and the relief in her eyes makes me feel less guilty for snapping at her. She gives me a shaky smile and closes the door, leaving me to my thoughts.

She isn't wrong and that's the problem. I do love him and I miss him more than anyone can comprehend. The pain I feel whenever I hear anything about him leaves me in a constant state of bawling.

But I'm not wrong either. That night means so much and I still dream about it everyday since then. To him, It was just a one night stand; one I will never forget.

I clutch the sheets in my fists and bury my face in the pillow to muffle the sob that escapes me.

......

I wake up to the smell of bread and fried eggs. My stomach rumbles in protest at my sluggishness. I'm starving.

Within seconds, I am out the door and in the kitchen, standing behind Sarah who is flipping what seems to be the last egg batter.

She jumps at my sudden appearance and pinches my arm which I barely feel. "You scared the claws out of me." She scowls at me but I ignore her and move past her to get a plate from the rack.

"Are you hungry? Of course you are. I'll be done soon and Richard said he's almost here so we can eat toge...ther…" She trails off when she sees me filling up my plate with every available meal.

Without a word, I walk into the small dining area and take a seat on my designated spot; beside the head of the table.

"I'm always done with the fruits you wanted."

Once again I ignore and start digging into my meal in absolute joy.

The front door opens and closes but I don't look up from my food.

"Richie, come help me with the watermelon, May seems really busy right now." They both laugh but I only roll my eyes and continue chewing away in bliss.

"She is eating with more gusto than usual, she's practically inhaling everything. Did she grow a new stomach?"

There's been a standing joke in the family about me growing a new stomach every year. I find it utterly ridiculous. They just don't understand the joys of all the different flavors.

"Probably or maybe something else is growing." She giggles as she cuts up the fruits; oblivious to how still I've become. The piece of egg I had been chewing gets stuck in my throat, making me grab for the glass of water.

I have to take a sip of water to push it down, causing it to settle in my stomach like lead.