CHAPTER 46: Scary History Part II

KATE’s P.O.V.

“A journal?” Elijah asked.

“Yeah... I told you, you wouldn’t like it,” I said, looking at Cloey’s direction.

“I do like it’s color, Aunt Kate. It matches the dress of my Barbie dolls that Uncle Elijah gave to me... But what is this?” she curiously asked.

“Uhm... That was a journal, baby. Your personal diary... I mean, if you grow old someday, you will realize things... Things that you couldn’t ask to another person because you will be afraid or scared to make them think that you are weird or something... So if ever that you have some questions about yourself and you don’t know whom to ask it, you can write it down in here...”

“Really? Will I be able to find the answer then?”

“Maybe... As time passes by, if you read the first pages of this diary, you will finally be able to answer that question all by yourself. It’s because you already experienced it... That’s when you realize that you finally grow a lot over the long period of time...”

“That was amazing, Aunt Kate. Thank you so much! I wanted to write my first question now!”

“Sure, anything that you have in mind, you can put it in here.”

“Yay!”

A few moments passed, before she finally wrote her first questions. She clapped her hands after that, before smiling at my direction. When I look at her journal, I chuckled to myself, reading her first question.

“Will I be able to catch a shooting star someday?”

Elijah and I laugh, before we patted her head. And then Claire already called her name, causing her to run towards the dining area. Elijah help me get up of the couch by pulling my hands, before he whispered something into my ears.

“You are going to be a good Mom to our children someday.”

I smiled to myself, before we finally walked towards the dining room. Darren was already there, and he eventually greeted us, and even better, he gave Elijah one of those awkward half hugs. The five of us have a dinner together, while talking and laughing about each other’s job and experiences for the past few years. I guess this is the feeling of forgiveness... The feeling that I’m slowly accepting everything without any hate nor envy towards Claire.

Until we finished eating our dinner. Darren and Elijah decided to have some beer and a guy talk at the veranda of their mansion, while they told us that Claire, Cloey, and I should have some girly girls’ bonding time. And so Elijah and I got separated from each other. He and Darren went to the pool area of the mansion while Cloey and I are sitting on the living room. Claire is still fixing the dining area, for they haven’t got any maids present tonight.

“Aunt Kate! Let us watch cartoons together!” Cloey stated, pulling my arm excitedly.

“Sure, baby. Do you want anything while we watch some cartoons? I could get it for you, you know,” I stated, melting in her cute stares.

“Really? Thanks, Aunt Kate. I would like a popcorn, please! Would you tell it to my Mommy?”

I stopped for a moment, thinking about what I just promised her. I told her that I would get her anything, and I know that I couldn’t accomplish that thing without talking to her mother. So even with hesitation, I nodded, unsure of what to do.

“S-sure, Cloey. J-just wait here while I talk to your Mom then.”

She clapped her hands before jumping up and down. And then I smiled to her, before I decided to finally go to their mansion’s kitchen. I was nearly at the counter when I heard something... It was a familiar voice... Voices that really caught my attention. It was Elijah and Claire, laughing at something unknown.

“Yeah, sometimes Cloey is acting really funny, Elij,” Claire stated, still chuckling.

Elijah shook his head several times with a wide smile plastered upon his face. He look really happy... Like I’ve never seen him laughing like this whenever I’m around. And then, a shitty memory came flooding back into my mind. Gabriel and Claire... Darren and Claire. Now Elijah... No. It was the same scary history that is keep on repeating itself over and over again.

“Uhm... What is going on in here?” I asked in annoyance.

Elijah looked up at me, same as Claire whose now having a nervous expression plastered upon her face. Maybe she’s thinking that I’m being jealous once again just like before.

“Kate... Claire and I was just talking about how Cloey sometimes gets really funny. She’s telling me the same exact story that Darren told me about five minutes earlier...” he stated, still chuckling.

“Yeah, Kate. It was a really funny story. Do you want to hear it as well? I’ll tell you later after I finish–”

“Finish what, Claire? Finish flirting out with my boyfriend?” I asked her, brows furrowed.

“Kate?!” Elijah exclaimed, looking very surprised at my recent action.

“What, Elijah? I saw everything!”

“Kate, please keep it low... Cloey might be listening to us,” Elijah reminded me.

“Fine. Then I have to go home now so that no one could hear my voice, right? And for you two to have some storytelling time...” I stated sarcastically.

I started walking away from their location, trying to contain myself as I don’t want to burst out in front of Cloey. When I passed her by, I gave her a little smile before leaning in to kiss her forehead.

“Aunt Kate has some emergency to deal with, baby girl. I will have to leave now. Good bye. Maybe we will watch some cartoons next time, okay?”

She pouted, before nodding. I patted her head before walking straight towards the entrance of their mansion. And then I heard some footsteps behind me. It was Elijah, following my path.

“Hey! Hey!” He grabbed my hands, making me stop and look at him.

“What now, Elijah?”

I don’t know why, but a goofy smile suddenly formed on his lips. How dare he smile at a situation like this? He knows how much I’m having a hard time trusting people but now he’s here, still smiling like he didn’t do anything stupid at all.

“Are you jealous?”

“Yes, I am, Elijah. Are you happy now?”

He chuckled, before trying to give me a hug. But I avoided him, causing the smile on his face to automatically fade away.

“It’s not funny, Elijah.”

“Kate, could you stop being a paranoid for a second and listen to me, okay? Claire was just telling me a funny story about Cloey. That’s all what it was...”

“And why does she needs to tell you the same exact story that you’ve already heard from Darren, huh?”

He run his palms on his face before shaking his head. Now his facial expression suddenly became so serious, like he’s being annoyed by the way that I’m acting right now.

“Come on, Kate. Let’s just get inside. Let’s not ruin the night. It was their daughter’s birthday,” he stated, almost pleading.

“Yeah, a birthday celebration where some people are flirting with each other,” I sarcastically declared.

He looked at my direction in disbelief, before his brows furrowed, looking very furious... He’s mad, but he’s just trying to hide it in front of me.

“Do you actually think that I could betray my own bestfriend just like that? You know that Darren is my long time bestfriend, Kate. Now tell me, am I look like I could ruin our friendship just because I flirted with his wife?”

“Yes! Why not, Elijah? Give me one acceptable reason why not...” I challenged him.

“Because he’s my bestfriend, Kate! And of course I already have you!”

“Well that is not a good enough reason.”

“What? Don’t you trust me, Kate?”

Our argument started to heat up, and I could feel the tension building up between the both of us. Maybe I pushed him too far, but I’m not regretting the fact that I tried to be observant for the first time in my whole life so that nobody could ever hurt me anymore.

“Don’t put the blame nor make me answer that question, Elijah. I’ve seen you done it before!”

“Done what? What are you talking about?”

“You slept with me back then even when I’m still Darren’s fiance, right?! You betray your own bestfriend!”

“Kate, that was a different story! It’s because I love you!”

“But the point here is that you still did it... You betrayed him. So don’t act like you’re clean and you did not, because I know it. And don’t go telling me that you love me just to make yourself cleaner than mine.”

“Kate...” he trailed off, trying to reach for my hand once again.

“Do you like her?” I asked, avoiding his touch.

“Kate, stop...” he pleaded.

“Just fucking answer me, Elijah!” I shouted, as I couldn’t contain myself anymore.

“No! I don’t! Why don’t you just trust me, Kate? Do you honestly think that I’ve waited for you for a long time just to ruin everything because of Claire?”

“Anyone could have done that.”

“So you don’t trust me now, huh? Because honestly, for one second, I thought that you did... When you let me come with you to meet your Mom, I thought... I thought you trust me enough, Kate...” His voice was full of pain... Did I just hurt him?

“Then you should have thought about that twice,” I answered too quickly, without even thinking about it.

His eyes widen, though I could see how hurt passed by inside of it. I ignored it, afraid that it would wash off the furious feeling that is currently reigning in my chest. I started to walk away, waiting for him to stop me but he didn’t do it anymore. He called out my name, but that was not enough for me to think that he should have my trust back. What I saw earlier, I saw it with my own two eyes. He was flirting with Claire, a married woman... And to make things even worst, the wife of his bestfriend.

“Kate, come back here,” he stated, his voice is pleading.

I ignored him as I continue to walk away from that place. Maybe I will just get a cab or something then I will go home myself. I don’t need him to dropped me off or anything. I can handle it from now on. I wouldn’t be fool once again. I wouldn’t, and I said what I said.