KIERAN
On Saturday morning, I'm awoken by a series of persistent knocks on the door of my room. I let out a groan and groggily sit up in bed while Aiden does the same in his own bed. "Kieran! Open the door!" Mum yells and I spare a glance at the old digital clock on my night stand.
It reads 9:25AM.
Too fucking early.
Rubbing my hands over my face, I rise to my feet and walk across the room. Slowly, I unbolt the door and swing it open. Mum is standing in front of the door with a frown on her face. Her dark circles are darker than ever and her lips are set in a grim line.
"Why were you still in bed, young man?" Mum asks and I run my fingers through my hair, warily.
"I raised you to be a responsible young man, Kieran. Why are you not ready for your date yet?" She says, her eyes narrowed.
I frown, my arm falling limply to the side.
"What date?" I ask and she rolls her eyes, muttering something under her breath.
"Ava's waiting in the sitting room looking all pretty for you. She said something about an ice cream date"
My eyes widen and it instantly clicks in my brain.
"Shit" I mumble and mum narrows her eyes at me.
"Language, young man!" She hisses and I cringe.
"I need to get ready" I say and she glares at me.
"You should do just that" she says and leaves. Groaning to myself, I make my way to the bathroom. To be honest, I'm kind of confused. Ava and I had an argument yesterday and we never smoothened things out. Then, she shows up at my house for an ice cream date? Why are girls so difficult to understand? They're worse than calculus itself. Half an hour later, Ava and I are walking down the street together. She's wearing a red dress with her dyed hair in a single braid over her shoulder. Her hair has been dyed black with red highlights. On the other hand, I'm wearing a grey hoodie, a dark blue jacket, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of white sneakers.
She's wearing a bright smile today and she seems to be in a very good mood. However, I'm really not in a good mood. I get really cranky on Saturday mornings, it's a weird habit.
My bangs fall over my eyes and I brush them off, irritated. I really need a haircut. Ava suddenly holds my hand and I stiffen.
"Are you still upset about yesterday?" She asks, her gaze meeting mine.
"Not quite" I reply.
She sighs.
"I was just really worried. I'm sorry about everything I said yesterday. I didn't mean it. You can still be friends with Sapphire. But please, don't break my heart"
I give her a small smile, ignoring the pang in my chest. "I won't"
She grins and links her fingers with mine.
"Let's go get some ice cream" she beams.
....
We both sit on an unoccupied bench in the park with ice creams in our grips. The date seems to be going on quite well and despite how cranky I am, Ava still manages to get me to smile a few times.
She takes out her phone and takes a picture of us. She instantly posts it on Instagram.
"I wish we could stay like this forever" she sighs and I force out a smile.
Thoughts begin to surface in my mind.
What if I'm not good enough for her? What if she finds someone better than me, someday?
Or what if she actually still wants me but, I don't want her anymore?
What if I disappoint her?
A sick feeling weighs heavily on my stomach and the smile on my face vanishes.
I suddenly feel so uncomfortable in my own skin and I slowly let go of her hand.
Ava's smile fades too.
"Are you okay?" She asks and automatically, I respond in a monotonous voice.
"I'm fine"
A hurt expression crosses her features and my heart clenches painfully.
I love her.
But, why do I feel so insecure?
Why do I keep hurting her?
'Does she even love you?' my subconscious thoughts mocks me and I let out a shaky breath.
She loves me, right?
"Ava?" I say and she holds my hand.
"Yes?"
"Do you love me?" I ask, almost quietly.
"Oh, Kieran. I love you. I've never felt been so sure. I know we fight and argue most of the time. Believe me when I say that you're my world" she says.
Somehow, those words make me feel a thousand times better.
"Thank you. I needed to hear that" I say and she grins.
"I'll always-"
"Kieran!"
I look up to see Sapphire walking towards us with a vaguely familiar guy.
"Hey. You two are on a date? You made up already? That's great" she says, beaming at me. For a moment, I nearly forget that Ava's sitting beside me. For a moment, I nearly forget that I have a girlfriend and her name's Ava. I nearly forget because Sapphire looks as beautiful as ever in a black dress that hugs her curves beautifully. Her black heeled thigh-highs makes her legs seem endless. Her black hair is braided on the side and she's wearing light make up.
I only snap out of my stupor when Ava says something in a cold voice.
"Who is he?"
My gaze finally rests on the young man standing beside her with his arm wrapped around her waist.
"Oh, this is my boyfriend, Nathan. Nathan meet Kieran, my friend" she chirps and my smile fades. For some odd reason, the sight of him with his arm around her makes me sick to my stomach.
"You're on a date with him?" Ava asks and Sapphire nods.
My gaze meets Nathan's stoic ones and I instantly realize why he'd seemed vaguely familiar. He's the guy who had vanished right in front of me at the bar. I squint my eyes at him, deciding that I already despise him. Sapphire had told me at the bar that night that she'd come there with her friend.
Was he the one she'd been referring to?
He seems to be a Nephilim like Sapphire.
He smirks and I narrow my eyes at him.
"Why don't we have a double date soon?" Ava asks and Sapphire shrugs.
"That's if you're up for it"
Ava smiles and nudges me.
"What do you say, Kier?"
"It's not a bad idea" I say through gritted teeth.
"I'm glad you agree. See you soon, dude" Nathan says and walks away with Sapphire who waves at me before she moves away.
"Let's go home" Ava says.
"Good idea" I say flatly, my mood dampening even more.
....
AVA
Maybe it makes me a terrible person; but, I feel loads better knowing that Sapphire has a boyfriend. She always seem to show up everywhere. I can't help but feel a bit intimidated by her. I mean who wouldn't? She has a great sense of fashion and she's very beautiful. She already has several admirers at school and that annoys me to no end. She has officially become my rival at school. I'm the school's queen and there's no way in hell will I let Sapphire ruin my reputation. My boyfriend on the other hand, seems more closed off than usual. He's been the calm and reserved type for as long as I have known him. But nowadays, he seems to be under a lot of stress. I can see it in the depths of his green eyes. I can see it in the stiffness of his body posture. It kills me to know that he's going through several problems and I can't do anything for him because he won't let me.
He doesn't smile as much as he used to and I really miss the bright Kieran I used to know. He's still as attractive as ever. No scratch that. His beauty increases everyday and I get scared that some girl is going to take him away from me.
I never knew that he suffers from nervous breakdowns and panic attacks until one Monday morning when he'd nearly had a panic attack right in front of me.
I've been too caught up in my own world that I don't notice that my boyfriend hides his pain behind his dazzling smiles and I feel awful. I've promised myself that no matter what happens, I'll always be there for Kieran.
Kieran and I step into his house quietly. He seems to be thinking deeply about something.
"Kieran! Ava, you're back!" Mrs Blain exclaims and embraces me.
"How was your date?" She asks, her blue eyes shimmering with curiosity.
"It was awesome" I reply and she grins.
"Kier? Are you okay?" She says, looking over my shoulder. I turn to look at Kieran who seems completely winded. His eyes look dazed and there's a pink flush on his cheeks, like he's having a fever. He brings his fingers to his temples and begins to massage it.
"Arlie, go get your brother some Ibuprofen" Mrs Blain orders her daughter. Kieran sits down on the couch, still rubbing his temples. He's biting his lips so hard. I fear he's going to bleed. I sit down beside him and make him place his head on my lap. Then, I began to massage his scalp and temple, his eyes fluttering close. He grips my dress with his fingers, his knuckles turning white. This has me even worried because he seems to be hurting badly. I don't know what went wrong. He was fine earlier, why was he suddenly hurting so much? My gaze meets Mrs Blain's worried gaze and she moves closer. Pushing his bangs off his forehead, she places her hand on his forehead. Her eyes widen and she curses under her breath.
"Arlie! Hurry up!" She yells.
Kieran lets out a small whimper and my heart clenches painfully. I slip my hand underneath his hoodie. His skin is as smooth as a baby's. But at the moment, he's burning hot.
Arlie walks into the sitting room with the medicine and a glass of water.
"Mum? What's wrong with him?" Arlie asks as I help Kieran sit up. He takes the medicine and lays back down, his eyes heavy lidded.
"He has a bad fever"
"The last time he was this ill is twelve years ago" Mrs Blain mutters to herself.
"Help me get him into his room" She says, rising to her feet. We both support Kieran on the left and right. Then, we all stumble to his room. Despite the fact that Kieran's usually not really heavy, he's taller than the rest of us. He's 6'1ft, I'm about 5'7ft and his mum would be about 5'8ft. When we lay him down on the bed, he curls in on himself, his breathing laboured. Worried, I take off his jacket and wipe off the beads of sweat on his face with my handkerchief.
"Aidan!" Mrs Blain calls out.
"Yes?!" Comes an irritated reply.
"Get me the thermometer"
"Whatever"
I can imagine Aidan rolling his eyes right now. He's a real pain in the ass.
Aidan ambles into the room with the thermometer, his gaze resting on his brother. For a second there, I notice a flash of emotion. Then, in a blink of an eye it's gone.
Mrs Blain takes the thermometer from her son and sits beside Kieran. She caresses his hair and squeezes his hand gently.
"Kier?"
He replies with a muffled groan.
"Can you open your mouth for me, please?"
He sighs and opens his mouth a little. She sticks the thermometer into his mouth. After a little while, she takes out the thermometer and takes the reading. She rises to her feet looking more panicked than ever. "We have to take him to the hospital" she says and my eyes widen. Arlie takes the thermometer from her mom and her eyes widens when she sees the reading. "160.5F" she breathes and I gasp in shock.