DEFENDER [hs]

Chapter 29

If you meant everything you told me, why did you let me go?

Athena Williams

My breathing hitched and every part of me froze. My eyes widened as I couldn't believe who stood before me. 

"Mikayla?" I spoke and she nodded with a grin and replied with a hey.

She still looked like how she did before except she had longer permed hair.

All happiness I had before this, crept away. I couldn't comprehend that she still had the audacity to grin and pretend like she was innocent. If she hadn't done what she had did, I would be hugging her.

"Get away from me." I said as I gripped the books tighter to my chest and pushed past her and made my way to the stairs to head out. 

"Wait! Please just listen to me!" She said, running behind me. For some reason, my body stopped moving and I turned around facing her even though my mind made its decision to leave.

She sighed and began apologizing saying she didn't know any better and was sorry. 

"Please, Athena. I was crazy drunk that night and I didn't know what I was doing. I even deleted the post a few days later after I've realized what had happened. I'm really sorry." Mikayla said as she pulled out her Instagram on her phone and showed me proof of the picture not being there.

I didn't know if I wanted to forgive her. Yes, what she did was wrong but it has already been many years that had passed, why am I dwelling on what had happened. Can't change it anyway.

From the look of Mikayla's face, she seemed genuine. 

I sighed and nodded.

"I'm sorry too, Kayla. I freaked out." I said and she nodded. 

"Well, I've missed you." She said with a grin making me smile. I did miss her a lot. It was very childish for me to destroy all the things that reminded me of her just because of what she had done. 

She opened her arms and I gave in. I hugged her tightly and remembered the same feeling I felt, a few years ago.

We pulled away and she placed her hand on my shoulder. 

"Are you free to catch up? We can grab lunch?" She asked me and I replied with a 'yes.

I headed to the cashier and paid for my books. Kayla only had a book in her hand which she paid for. Thanking the kind cashier, I grabbed the paper bag where my books were in and left the book store with Kayla. 

"So, when did you come back?" I asked her as we crossed the busy street. The streets had a petrichor odor. It had the kind of smell that hangs in the air after a rainy day. 

"A week ago. I was staying in a hotel in the city but I decided I wanted to come back here and meet you." She said making me nod. 

We made it into a tiny coffeehouse across the street. The inside floors had light-colored warm woods and filled the cafe with light shining through the big windows. Kayla found an open table and we sat down, looking at the menu. 

Minutes later, the waiter came up to us and we ordered fried rice with lemon tea. 

"So, how's everyone in Spain?" I asked about her family. "Yea, their good. Mum has her own coffee shop across from where we live." She said making my eyebrows shoot up.

"That's amazing, how's Rayna?" I asked her about her sister that I missed dearly.

"She's good, she's fifteen now." Kayla replied. I gasped and said, "She's growing so fast."