Falling Up

39. Forward

Riley sat on the park bench, dangling her legs back and forth. They didn't quite touch the ground with her short stature, but she didn't mind them swaying in the breeze. It probably wasn't the best idea to leave campus grounds, but when her flight mode kicks in, she can be damn sure that she's running fast and running far.

It didn't even matter where she ended up and, to be honest, she wasn't even sure where she was right now. But it was the last thing she cared about at that moment. Even skipping her class was to the back of her mind, knowing that Kendra would probably be on her case later about the boring lecture she had to suffer in alone.

Leaning her head back, she looked up at the bright blue sky littered with small clouds that did nothing to ease the heat radiating off her skin. She was tempted to make out shapes from the clouds that she saw before her. Anything to get her mind off what had just happened. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and tilted her head back to the sky.

What did that cloud look like? She adjusted her head to get a different angle, and she regretted her decision when it started to form into the shape of a man. Shaking her head again, she brought her gaze back down to the floor, ignoring the feelings storming around inside her and finally letting her thoughts invade her mind.

What had she just done? She had just run away from Kain, that's what she had done. A sigh escaped her lips. She should have been over this by now. It wasn't right for her to feel like this. That part of her life was over and she was supposed to be starting out fresh.

But how was she supposed to start out fresh when images of her stepfather kept creeping into her mind when she got close to Kain? It wasn't fair. She had been through so much already. Couldn't she just live a normal life like everyone else?

She wouldn't be surprised if Kain didn't want to talk to her anymore. Who would want to be with someone that flips out on them every time they get close?

Ughhh!! She let out a moan of frustration as she leaned further forward, placing her head in her hands.

"Hey," said a quiet voice from a distance, startling her out of her thoughts.

She peered her eyes upwards at the familiar voice, only to wish she hadn't when she saw Kain standing in front of her, slightly out of breath. He wasn't that close to her, keeping a substantial distance between the two of them.

"Hey," she mumbled, embarrassed that he had tracked her down. She was hoping for at least some time to gather her thoughts before she had to navigate her way around Kain again.

"Can I?" said Kain, pointing to the spare seat beside her on the bench. Riley shuffled over, allowing him room to sit down beside her, which he did so cautiously, ensuring he sat on the very edge of the bench.

After a moment of awkward silence, they both blurted out the same thing. "I'm sorry," but Kain beat Riley to it first as he started off the conversation she was dreading on having.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Riley," said Kain, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't even ask if it was okay to kiss you. And I got carried away. I didn't even realise you didn't want it." Kain turned to face her, draping his arm over the back of the seat bench. "I'm so sorry Riley. I understand you don't want that type of relationship with me and I'm so ashamed of my actions. Can you ever forgive me?"

Riley turned to face him, a little shocked that he would he be thinking that way but then again, Riley was the one push him away. Of course, he was going to think that she didn't want him to kiss her. When, in reality, she wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on hers.

"This wasn't your fault, Kain," she started. "It's not that I didn't want it."

Kain looked confused as Riley pulled her hands into her lap, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, a terrible habit that she had been getting into when she was nervous as it crinkled the bottom of most of her shirts.