~•Aden•~
"Do you also have someone like that in your life?"
I didn't know why, but the very moment the words left my mouth I was regretting them. I shouldn't have asked her that as I had no place to poke into her personal matters, but the forlorn look hugging her face was enough to give me a shove over the edge.
Was it the only reason though that I was regretting questioning her? No, it wasn't. I might have felt much better than my current state if that was the case. Maybe it was her answer which was making me feel so jittery. I was dreading that I might get to hear a yes, but why? Why was that nagging feeling always there lingering in the air, ready to knock at the door of my mind. Or was it my heart it wanted to disturb?
I wanted to know the identity of the person who made her feel the same and then maybe, give that person a piece of my mind for putting her through it. The dejected look on her face didn't settle well with me. And what bothered me more was the suspense lingering in the air. I wanted to know about that person, but at the same time was slightly anxious about it. More specifically, I was worried about the position of that person in her life.
"Sort of, yes." Her voice yanked me out of my thoughts.
"What do you mean by sort of?" To say that my cheery mood was dampened a little by her words wouldn't be wrong, but the 'sort of' which she added before her yes was enough to reduce the intensity of her cruel response.
"I do know how it feels, but not in the same way." I saw her shaking her head sideways as she gave me a response.
Before I could ask her what it was about, she continued with her answer as if reading the question buzzing over my head.
"I do know how it feels, but my situation is a little different from yours. You feel that way towards Dana because she has been by your side for so long. You feel like you reciprocating her feelings will make you feel better. For me, it's not the same. I do feel like I owe him everything but unlike you, I don't think that I could do something to take that weight off my shoulders."
"What do you mean?" I blurted out as her explanation didn't do much to clear my confusion, rather they only added to it.
"I am talking about my step-father. He took me in when I was merely a toddler. He raised me and has always been by my side. Though we aren't related by blood, he has always treated me like I am his own daughter. I don't think that I can repay him in this lifetime, or the next." Her lips curled up in a sad smile as she looked up at me.
"Your step-father…" I didn't know what to say to her in response. It was the first time someone opened up before me like this. I had never tried to ask Dana directly about her past, but she was not forthcoming about it either. Even my best friend at the college had never shared this much about his life. I barely knew anything about his parents or family even after spending two years with him.
"Is he also like you, an-" Before I could finish my sentence, she interrupted me.
"Yes, of course. How do you think he raised someone like me? Moreover, I wasn't an easy child." She added while looking up at me.
"At least you have someone you can family. I never had such an opportunity." I couldn't help but pat the top of her head with my free hand. "You can never repay him for what he did for you all these years. And you don't have to. He is your father after all."
I saw her rolling her eyes back at my words. "Tell that to the old man. He always uses that card whenever he wants something from me. Why do you think I am here? He is the one who forced me to come here. And when I questioned him about the reason, he shrugged it off saying that it is important." She complained before pursing her lips in a pout.
I was liking the fact that she was already starting to feel at ease around me. Knowing that she trusted me with the stories of her life, made me feel elated.
"He must be having his own reasons. No need to soil your mood over them. He will tell you once it's the right time." Not wanting to see her disheartened expressions any longer, I spoke up.
I was about to continue with my words of wisdom when I heard someone clearing his throat right behind us. It didn't require a genius to tell that it was a forced and deliberate attempt to get our attention.
I looked over my shoulder, ready to give the person a piece of my mind. "What is wro…" My words trailed off when my eyes landed on the face of the person and I immediately let go of Amara's shoulders.
She looked at me with confusion written all over her face before following my line of sight.
"If you two lovebirds are done with your talks, will you please let me through?"
The person who had interrupted us was none other than our history professor. It was a good thing that I was able to put a hold on my words, or else it would not have ended on a good term.
His words made me realize that we were standing right outside the entrance and blocking it with our bodies.
"Sure, Sir."
It was Amara who spoke up and stepped back a little to give him enough space to continue with his steps.
"I hope to see you two in the class." He spoke up on his way inside. His words were a clear cut warning that he wouldn't like it if we ended up skipping his class, not that we were thinking of doing it anyways.
"Sure." I added as I saw him walking by me. "I didn't know we had reached the class already." I continued after turning my attention to Amara who was now standing on the other side of the entrance. For some unknown reason, I was hating the distance between us.
"Neither did I." She shrugged her shoulders. "And you know what? You don't have to reciprocate someone's feelings just because you feel like you owe the person something. At least be honest to your own self."
With these words, she stepped inside the class only for me to follow her in. I could only nod my head at her back in response to her advice.