A Step Closer to Love

When Kieran and Seraphina got back to the room, Ava told them to go home even though they all volunteered to stay and be with Arabella that night. They were all worried about her, but they knew that only one person was allowed to stay with her for the night. Kieran, though he wanted to stay, could not state a reason why he would do that, so he silently left. He drove them home, and they left for bed because of how tired they had been from the day.

Kieran picked up his phone and fumbled with it; he wanted to speak with Arabella so badly, he missed her. “Should I call her or text her?” he asked himself as he sat on the bed.

Are you asleep?

He stared at the text on his screen. While struggling with what to do, she had taken up the courage and sent him a message instead.

No

Want to talk over the phone?

Isn’t your mom right next to you?

She is sleeping right now, and I want to hear your voice before I go to bed.

Kieran felt butterflies in his stomach even though he would have argued that it was not what it was. But reading that she wanted to talk with him as badly as he wanted to warmed him so well.

Are you sure we can talk over the phone?

Do you want to do it or not?

Kieran could hear the questioning tone in her text, and he pressed his lip into a line.

I want to, of course, but if your mom catches you, what are you going to say?

That I am talking with my boyfriend?

Kieran felt blown away by how affectionate she was being. He loved it and he could not lie.

Are you going to tell your mom about us?

I thought we agreed to do it together. We tell your mom, and we tell my mom, so…

He looked at the text, them going back and forth like this was not going to get them anywhere. He tapped the phone button beside her name, and the call was connected almost immediately.

“And here I was thinking you did not want to hear my voice.” Arabella’s voice was in a whisper.

“I wanted to, but I thought we might need to be more distraught about it,” he said, and she let out a small laugh, looking behind her to her mom, who was sleeping soundly on the couch in the room.

“She is asleep; I know she is passed out because she had a long flight down here and did not get to rest and now has to take care of me all night, but I am fine because I had a good sleep last night and all morning,” she trailed off and let out a nervous chuckle. “I am rambling, aren’t I?” she asked.

“You are, but I think it is cute. I think I love hearing the sound of your voice.”

“Kieran?”

“What?”

“You can not just say things like that casually,” she said. If she was to be drinking from a bottle, she would’ve splattered the contents to the floor in amazement.

“Why not?”

“Because it sounds romantic.”

“Then prepare to hear more things I love about you.”

“Because I have a list.”

Kieran and Arabella spoke for a long time before they finally went to bed. Ava woke up early and cleaned up before helping Arabelle to do the same. The doctor came over and checked her condition and told her that she was recovering alright.

“Hana,” Ava began sitting by the side of the bed. Arabella looked at her mom’s face and she could tell that that was her serious face. She knew that whatever her mom was saying now meant serious business.

“Mom, that look is scaring me,” Arabella said, trying to water down the tense atmosphere. She wanted to feel comfortable enough, even though she did not know what her mom was about to say.

“Are you still refusing to tell me what happened?” Ava asked, clutching her daughter’s hand.

“I will tell you, but not now.” She was going to try her best to keep her promise, at least.

“Okay, it’s no problem. I would wait until you tell me, but I have something that I want you to do for me. Are you going to do it?” Ava blinked her hand, going up and down her daughter’s arm.

“Without knowing what it is that you want?”

“But..”

“Mom, we have spoken about this before; I can only agree to something if I know what it is. I cannot agree blindly, and then I would not be able to do it, and then you would say I am not a woman of my word. So you tell me what it is that you want me to do, and then I will think of it and let you know.”

“Hana, I want you to know that everything I ever did and do is for you and your sisters. You both are all I have left in life. After death snatched your father from me, I vowed to take care of you as much as I could.” Ava took a deep breath and stopped blinking at Arabella, who sat there wondering what her mother wanted to say.

“And when I knew that I could not do the job myself, I moved back home so I could have enough help for the three of us. When you said that you wanted to move back here, I wanted to refuse you and clip your wings,” she let out a little chuckle that also made Arabella laugh as well.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“But I did not want you to feel like your mother was being the worst and not letting you grow, so with a heavy heart and much difficulty, I let you go.”

“Mom, you are saying a lot of things, but it is obvious you haven’t said what you want to say yet,” Arabella said, taking her free hand and putting on her mom’s hand with a wide eye.

“You’ve seen the world in enough; why don’t you come back home now?”

“Mom?”

“Trust me, it is for your good,” Ava said, her voice almost high-pitched. “In all the years we were together, things happened, but it never happened as bad as this. You leave my side for a few months? And this happens?”

“Mom, I would say this and I would say it once. I am not coming home.”