Eye of the Storm

Chapter 23

The faint sound of voices tugs me out of my sleep. Everything is dark apart from the slither of light coming from under my door.
“Why did you tell her?!” comes from behind the door. I sluggishly pull myself up, running my fingers through my hair.
“She deserved to know,” as my senses slowly wake up with me I notice that I’m alone in my bed. I look up to the door.
“You’re right…” I swing my legs over the side of the bed and my feet touch the cold floor with a thump. “She’s up,” the slither of light quickly becomes an explosion as my door is swung open. Leo and my mum stand at the door, both with worried expressions.
“Hey honey,” mum says, nervously. My heart pounds as I realise I can’t look this woman in the eye. The woman that has lied to me for my entire life. I swallow the lump in my throat and stand up.
“Hello, mother,” I spit out. She looks at Leo, as if egging him on to talk. He simply shakes his head.
“I’m sorry, but this isn’t my place, this is something you two need to figure out, alone,” my mother nods. As much as I don’t want to talk to her right now, I agree. There is so much I need to know. So many questions that need answers. Mum walks up to me, turning my light on as she comes into my room. Leo closes the door, with him on the other side.

For the next hour or so, my mum tries desperately to explain why she had to lie. Why she had to make me go through so much unnecessary pain. I’m not a forgiving person and sure as hell wouldn’t be as calm as I am now if it weren’t for the pained expression on her face. Her face shows she’s sorry and that she means it.
“Are they still together?” I ask, referring to my father and Leo’s mum. Mum shrugs, her eyebrows furrowing.
“They were never… together… it wasn’t a relationship, it was just something that benefited both. He’s here because he feels as if he’s required to make sure you’re ok, so I guess you were going to find out sooner or later no matter how hard I tried to put it off,” mum sighs, standing up from my bed. I nod, slowly, sadly. I almost feel sorry for her. “I’ll let him know he can see you now,” mum seems to almost choke on her words a little, as if she wished he came to see her. She misses him, there’s no doubt about it. I don’t know why, you’d have to be a lunatic to miss such a person, but I guess it’s something I’m not meant to understand and possibly never will. “I have to go out, Clara is having drinks at the pub, I won’t be too late,” she pats gives me a quick nod before turning her face away. “It’s just after lunch, make sure to visit Lorenzo later this afternoon, he misses you,” and with that, she’s gone.

I stand up off my bed, feeling about ten times heavier than before. My mind shifts over to Leo. I realise now I never heard him go. I walk out to the lounge room and I’m greeted by a sleeping Leo on the couch. For once in my pathetic life, I feel something strange. I walk up to him, my eyes dancing across his soft pale skin and down to his lips curved up into a gentle smile. The weight I felt just moments ago simply disappears as I gaze upon him. I know it’s so stupid, but I can’t help thinking: it’s fate, isn’t it? All these events in our lives bringing him and I together then tearing us apart. The island, it was meant to happen. Everything was. I lost my best friend, but I gained something so much more. Nothing could ever replace Ethan, I would never even suggest such a thing. But what I gained is a much stronger than anything a best friend could provide. For the first time in my pathetic life, I feel love.