Not made for each other - 29. Awaited

Chapter 29: Awaited

I emitted a gloomy sigh and quietly drank my coffee. At the moment I hated being in love. Love felt like a curse.

My eyes were heavy, but there was still no sign of sleep. After spending the next five hours surfing the channels and watching anything on television, I sprang to my feet and headed to my bedroom to get ready for my classes.

I took a long, warm shower and then got dressed. While combing my hair, my eyes fell on my own reflection in the mirror, and I couldn’t ignore the dark circles around my eyes. My face looked grim and exhausted.

My phone buzzed on the dressing table. It was a message from Carol that she was outside waiting for me. I looked at my bed, which I wanted to curl up for the rest of the day in, but I knew Carol would not leave me alone. I groaned and stomped my feet to get out of my house.

“Wow! You look like shit!” Sweet Carol welcomed me in her car.

“Geez, thanks!” I tried to impose a smile on my face, but even that seemed like a rigorous task at the moment.

“Are you okay?” I nodded, leaning back in the passenger’s seat. She began driving.

“Did Ed or Becca call?” she asked shifting the gear.

“Yeah, Ed called…at home.” I filled her in with every detail I knew about Ed’s father’s health condition.

Just like every day, we picked up Jake and Steph on our way to college. While Steph seemed lost and weary like me, Jake was cheery today. Thankfully, none of us talked about anyone, and we got to school in much-needed silence.

Nothing extraordinary happened in the first half of my day. At lunch, I headed towards our usual table in the cafeteria when my eyes flickered to Alisha. She was sitting alone at two-seated table, working on her laptop. I stood there pondering for a few moments and then walked in her direction.

“Hey, Alisha.” For the first time I greeted her with a genuine smile.

She looked surprised. “Hey!”

“May I sit here?” I asked, pointing towards the empty chair in front of her.

“Yeah, sure.”

I sat down and placed my elbows on the table. I was quiet for a few moments, and Alisha was staring at me expectantly.

“Alisha, I’m sorry for being a dick to you earlier,” I apologized heartily.

“Sorry? You’re not here to…oh shit! Ed never told you?” She was behaving like she expected me to lash out at her instead of apologizing.

I leaned on the table, frowning “Told me what?”

Alisha looked embarrassed. “Actually, I had a kind of a crush on Ed. I tried to impress him in many ways, but he always maintained his distance. Ed never reciprocated my feelings, nor did he do anything to amplify them.” She let out a sad chuckle. “I was very stupid, so I didn’t get the clue. Last week, Ed saw me when I was on my way to my apartment. He stopped his car and offered me a lift. I obviously accepted. As he was driving, he told me that he was going to pick you up, and my apartment was on his way. Suddenly, I was jealous because there was never a time when we were alone that he hadn’t talked about you. I was tired of listening to your name in his every sentence. When Ed stopped his car outside my apartment, I did what I regret doing; I literally jumped on him and started kissing him. I won’t go into detail, but Ed wasn’t into whatever I was doing.” That explained that hickey which quite riled things up between Ed and I. “He tried to push me away as gently as possible, but I was being shameless. Then he jerked me away with a bit of force, and I landed in the passenger’s seat. And you know what the first thing he said to me was?” I shook my head in a haze. “He said ‘I love Zune, Alisha. I can’t do this with you.’ I can’t even explain how ashamed and stupid I felt in that moment. I began to cry. Ed hushed me, comforted me and made me realize that someday I’ll find someone special for me, but Ed was not that someone special. He didn’t leave me until he made sure I was fine. He still treats me as his friend, and I’m blessed to have him in my life, even if it’s just as a friend.” She waited for my response for a few moments. “Are you mad at me?” She looked daunted.

“Dogs get mad; people, they get angry,” I recited Ed’s strange theory and smiled when Alisha seemed totally lost. “No, I’m not angry with you.” And I was being honest there. I should have been livid, but I was as calm as river. “And I’m sorry you didn’t get what you wanted, but as Ed said, you’ll meet your someone special soon. That lucky guy can’t be kept from such a pretty face for too long.” Alisha blushed.

“Ed was right; you’re one of a kind.” Now it was my turn to blush. “Did he finally tell you about his feelings?”

“He did.”

“So?”

“So?”

“Are you guys boyfriends now?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Why?” She gave me a nonplussed look.

“It’s complicated.”

“You love him, he worships you, and you guys are still not together; that’s definitely complicated.” We chuckled together. “I’m glad we talked.”

“Me too,” I agreed. “Bye, Alisha.”

“Bye, Zune.”

I stood up to leave, and she began to type hastily over her laptop. “Alisha?” She glanced up. “You’re welcome at our lunch table whenever you want.” She grinned. “Take care.”

When I arrived at our table, everyone was bantering with each other; that definitely lifted my mood further.

The rest of the day went by without any incidents. I was still waiting for Ed’s call. I tried to call him and Becca many times, but Ed’s phone was turned off, and Becca’s number was out of the coverage area.

After school, Carol dropped me off at home, and I spent the rest of my alone time moping around my empty house.

***

Today was Saturday.

It was a week since Ed professed his love for me. It was a week since Ed left. It was a week since we talked. It was a week since I vacillated between scenarios where Ed and I could end up being together or apart.

During this past week, whenever Ed tried calling me I was not by my phone, or my battery was dead, or I was at a place with no signal. Then he called my mom to let us know about his father’s condition. Sometimes Becca would pick up Ed’s phone when I tried to call him. She would tell me that Ed was out buying medicine or talking to doctors. Becca informed me that Ed was always busy with his father; he had hardly slept during the week. I texted him a few times, but they never got delivered. I had no clue why the hell my messages were not delivered to him and why the hell he didn’t bother to text me once. It was like fate was not on our side; it wanted to drift us apart.

I was depressed. I kept getting this feeling that either Ed did not remember what happened between us that night, or he regretted what happened. Either way, I was going to be heartbroken.

I felt so dejected that I feigned a headache and skipped my weekly Friday meeting at our regular spot with Carol, Steph, and Jake; they offered to come to my place, but I said no. This was the first time I ever missed a Friday meeting, though I had to be there tonight at our usual Saturday meeting where the eight of us get together because this time it was going to be at my place, but obviously without Ed.

Like every day this week, Carol came to pick me up for my classes, and unwillingly I had to go with her. As usual, we picked up Steph and Jake on our way. They all were worried about me, but I assured them I was feeling better now. They all told me about how much they missed me at the park, and then they began discussing the changes happening in their lives. Carol was gushing about Mich; she was sure Mich would answer yes in a day or two. Steph was burbling about Kev; he sounded positive about Kev’s reply. He was pretty certain that the way Kev was behaving around him, he would be ready to give their relationship a go. And Jake had finally decided to give Jer a chance; he was ready to go out with him. The way Jake was talking about him, I was pretty sure that he had begun to like Jer. I was happy for every one of them, but I felt isolated, alone.

Once at school, I decided to focus on my classes and to try not to think about Ed. I somehow kept myself busy until lunch. I proceeded to our regular lunch table; everyone was there except, of course, Ed. I stared at his empty chair and shook my head. So much for not thinking about Ed. I took a seat across from the empty chair and tried to involve myself in the conversations going on around me.

I learned that Mich had said yes to Carol, and they were going on a date tomorrow; Carol was hopping for joy, and Mich was just blushing. Steph was still waiting for Kev’s reply, while Jer and Jake were ready to go on a second date sometime next week. Jer also had promised to take Jake to meet Ron’s parents. Jake seemed genuinely happy, and Jer was smiling by just looking at Jake.

I again stared at the empty chair in front of me and sighed heavily. My phone buzzed in my jeans, and I looked away from the chair to pull out the phone from my pocket. It was Mom.

“Hey, Mom.” I struggled to keep my voice steady.

“Hey, hon. I just wanted you to know that Becca called.”

I panicked for a moment. “Is everything’s fine? Ed’s father is doing okay?”

“Calm down, hon. It turned out that John lied about his chest pains. All his reports are out now, and they are pretty much perfect. He’s healthy, fit, and fine. When Becca confronted him about this he admitted that he wanted his son’s attention, so he faked his chest pains. Becca and Ed were very angry about it; Becca even left the hospital.”

I was stunned for a few long moments because of this weird news. Ed’s father was definitely a strange man. I even cursed him because he was the reason Ed had to leave me just when things were beginning to make sense between us. “What about Ed?”

“Well, he wanted to talk to his father and knock some sense into his old man, so he decided to stay for a few more hours, though he’ll be back before dinnertime.”

A real smile glimmered on my face. I knew everyone’s eyes were on me. “Okay, Mom. Thanks for telling me. See you at home. Love you!”

“Love you too, hon. Bye.” She hung up.

I felt a rush of euphoric emotions blow a new life in me. I was alive again. I wanted to jump up on this table and dance and shout like a maniac, but I decided to control my impulsive urges for the time being.

I told everyone about John’s pathetic little stunt to keep Ed near him. They were as astounded as me. I also informed them about Ed’s arrival tonight; they were all very excited to see him again, but not as much as I was.

“We all are happy that Ed’s coming back, but aren’t you a bit overwhelmed?” Steph asked. The way he was staring me made it pretty clear that he knew something was brewing between Ed and me.

Jake started teasing me. “Oh come on, Steph, he must have missed his friend in a purely platonic way.”

“Darling, the way these morons are progressing in their friendship, it would take them another decade to become boyfriends.” The bitch Carol gave the final touch.

It was time for my next class, so I stood up to leave. “Kindly fuck off guys,” I cursed them sweetly with an ear to ear smile and left. I was doing my best not to grin like a fool, but I couldn’t help it.

I daydreamed about Ed for the rest of the school day. On one hand, I was happy that I would finally see him again, but then that nagging feeling that Ed might not remember anything about that night, or if he does remember, but regrets it, was screwing with my head.

***

Becca was already home by the time Carol dropped me off. I hugged Becca tightly and told her how much I missed her and how happy I was to see her. Then I ran to my mom and kissed her on cheek and told her she’s the greatest mom in the world, and I love her. My weird and overzealous behavior didn’t go unnoticed by the ladies, and they even tried to inquire about it, but I somehow deferred the topic.

I spent some quality time in my room choosing what outfit to wear as Ed was coming back. Ultimately, I settled for a red V-neck t-shirt and black jeans. It was a bit cold, and the nipping winds outside weren’t helping, so I pulled out a white shawl and wrapped it around me. I always had a thing for shawls.

Downstairs, Becca and Mom were preparing something to eat for my friends and me. These two ladies were my lifeline. I totally adored them.

Later in the evening, Becca said that Bradley was not feeling well, so she was going to spend the night with him. Mom told her that she would drop her off on her way to the hospital.

Becca instructed me before leaving to inform her once Ed was back.

Once Mom and Becca left, I tried calling Ed, but as usual, his number was out of coverage area. Dammit!

I went up to Ed’s room and tidied it up a bit; I put clean sheets on his bed, vacuumed the room, and put new flowers in the vase on his desk. When I was satisfied with the outcome of my hard work, I went downstairs and started to dial Ed’s number, but before I could, all my friends arrived.

Carol and Mich headed directly to the kitchen to eat anything edible, while Jer followed them, looking for something to drink. Jake was talking to somebody on the phone, and Kev and Steph were in the living room talking in hushed tone.

A few minutes later, Kev asked us to come into the living room as he needed to tell us something really important. We all got settled and waited for him to say something, but he was watching us nervously. Steph discreetly elbowed him, but we all noticed. Kev cleared his throat. “Steph and I…Steph and I…” Kev swallowed audibly. “…Steph and I are dating.” We all whooped in unison, and that brought vibrant smiles on Steph and Kev’s faces. Nothing better could have happened today. Carol and Mich, and Jer and Jake were already dating each other, and now Kev and Steph were seeing each other too. I was truly happy for my friends. They were finally moving ahead with their lives.

“That leaves Ed and Zune, who are still busy playing hide and seek with their emotions,” Carol taunted playfully. Only if she knew what had been going on between Ed and me. Before I could construct a smartass reply to Carol’s comment, my landline rang. I decided to avenge her later and went to pick up the phone.

“Hello.”

“Zune.” Why Becca was calling me?

“Becca, is everything ok? Are you at Bradley’s?” I asked a bit worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine, and Bradley’s with me. Actually, Ed called me. He tried calling you but couldn’t get through.”

“Is he ok? Did he say when he’ll be back?” I started to get nervous.

“Ed’s car has conked out on his way back home. He’s a few miles away from our house. It would take Bradley an hour to get there and pick Ed up, and I don’t think Ed would like that either, and Jenny’s at work, so I was thinking Carol or Kev could go and pick him up. Ed said he’s a few miles south, down the road from Sausens.” Becca seemed extremely agitated about Ed.

“Becca, take a deep breath, and don’t worry. We’re going to pick him up and will let you know as soon as we get him, okay?” I tried to ease some of her tension.

I heard her sighing in relief. “Okay, thanks, Zune.”

“No worries, Becca, and now go enjoy your time with Bradley.” I teased her, and she chuckled.

“Bye, Zune, and—”

“And I’ll call you as soon as I see him. Chill, Becca. Tell Bradley hi, and have fun.” I disconnected the phone and told my friends everything.

“Zune and I’ll go get Ed.” Carol offered.

“Why not all of us go to pick him up and give him a kind of royal welcome back?” Jer suggested.

“Yeah, that’ll be fun,” Kev chimed in.

“Crisp cold weather and the frosty wind outside may not be that much fun for you guys,” I reminded them.

Carol’s eyes lit up with excitement. “That’s make it more of an adventure then.”

I had no answer to that. I huffed. As far as I knew, it would take us around twenty minutes to get there, so I didn’t want to waste another moment fighting a losing battle with them; I readjusted my shawl around me and reluctantly agreed to their insane plan.

Carol was driving Jake, Steph, and me in her car, while Jer was following us, driving Kev and Mich.

“Zune, is there something that happened between Ed and you that we should know about?” Steph asked from the backseat. He was definitely suspicious about something.

“Why would you ask that?” Jake asked in confusion. He was seated beside Steph.

“Just the way Zune has been acting since Ed left, and the way he’s acting now that Ed is coming back, got me thinking.” Steph seemed to be talking to himself.

“What thinking?” Carol asked.

“Kev told me Ed was drunk when Jer took him back to his house last week.” Steph sounded like he was looking for a pattern of behavior or something.

“And?” Jake still looked puzzled.

“Then the very next morning Ed left, and Zune was in that miserable mood…” It sounded like Steph was revealing a secret layer by layer.

“…and now he’s like a chirpy bird since he found out that Ed’s coming back, which means…” Carol continued the line of discovery.

“…something happened between Ed and Zune the night Ed was drunk,” Jake finally figured it out.

Carol abruptly slammed on the brakes, and I suddenly felt myself surrounded by incredulous glares. “What?” I tried to play innocent.

“Zune, don’t provoke me into throw you out of the car in the middle of nowhere.” It was crystal clear I wasn’t able to bluff Carol.

“Actually…”

“Actually what?” Jake pressed.

“He may have said that he…he loves me.” I couldn’t hide my blushing smile.

“OHMYGOD!”

“SHIT!”

“FUCK!”

Jake, Steph, and Carol shouted together. I cringed a little but couldn’t hold back my chuckle.

“Every detail, right now, Zune Williams,” Carol commanded, starting the car again.

I told them everything about that night and about my dilemma following that night. If I said they were shocked, that would be an understatement. They all reprimanded me about keeping this news to myself for so long but persuaded me to believe that my all doubts were baseless.

“He’s loved you since forever,” Jake said it like a fact.

“If I was ever sure about anyone among us ending up together, it was always you and Ed,” Steph added.

“Once you’ll see him again, all your stupid, fucking doubts will vanish into thin air.” Carol assured me.

I wished their words would come true because I had no idea what I was going to do if they didn’t.

The rest of the way I had to listen to my friends squealing in happiness and excitement. They were still trying to wrap their heads around this news about Ed and me.

When we got down the road from Sausens, Carol pulled up to the curb. “Look, there’s Ed.” My heart was racing violently in my chest as I followed Carol’s eyes. Ed was sitting on the ground a few feet away, leaning against his car; as soon as he saw us he stood up, and a bright smile spread across his face. I hurriedly unlocked the door, sprinting out of the car while blindly slamming the door shut behind me, but as I began to run something stopped me. I looked back; the hem of my shawl was stuck in the closed door. Argh!! I got rid of the shawl immediately, and it ended up flying back in the frigid wind, clinging to the car. Damn, it was freezing outside.

I stared ahead and started walking fast again. When my eyes found Ed, the cloud of my all fears, my every uncertainty, and all my dilemmas which eclipsed the sane part of my mind, faded away in a moment. The lively spark twinkled in Ed’s eyes as soon as his gaze fell on me, assuring me that he remembered everything; his beaming smile left no room for any doubt that he meant each and every word he said that night. A pleasant flow of happiness kicked into every nerve of my body. I dared not to look away from him, afraid that if I blinked he would disappear. It was impossible for me to hide my grin.

I stopped a step away from him. After many trials and tribulations, we were finally standing in front of each other, but neither of us had any idea what to say; we were smiling like total goofballs, peering into each other’s eyes.

TBC.

Author's Note : Please tell me what you all think about this chapter. Your opinion, your views and your suggestions always matters to me 

   Jt_hooks, Silentdreamer, Gregg, Drew Espinosa, Croyde, Yoxone, Jeet01 and all my readers for following, liking, reviewing and reading my chapter   

And biggest   to LISA