No Thanks, Mate [Completed]

Chapter ten

“So that’s my story.  That’s my one mistake that I wish I could take back, every single day.”  I tried as hard as I could to remain calm, but by the end, Kyle had moved closer to me and was holding my sobbing face to his chest.

                We remained like that for what felt like hours before I fell asleep in his arms.

                When I woke up, sunlight streamed in through the window.  My mind thought back to the previous night, and I mentally kicked myself for being weak and not only telling Kyle about my past, but for letting him touch me.

                I sat up and realized I was still in the swimsuit and t shirt.  I hopped to the dresser where I had put my clothes the previous day, and was relieved when they looked exactly the same as they had the night before.  I picked up the shorts and sat on the bed.

                Avoiding touching my injured foot, I slipped on my shorts and shirt.

I smiled when I realized that Kyle would have to take me home today.  I told him my story, so he had t keep up with his end of the bargain.  I thought for a minute about how mad Katie will be at me for not being there or telling her where I was…

Except I had contacted her.  And she was supposed to have been here hours ago.  I reached into my back pocket where I had put my phone, but it wasn’t there.  I started freaking out.  My clothes had looked untouched, so I doubted that someone had taken it last night.  Maybe I didn’t really move it.  Maybe it was still under the mattress, and I had just dreamed up putting it in my pocket.  It wasn’t there so I rechecked my pockets.  All of them this time. 

“Looking for this?”  I turned around and saw Kyle in my doorway holding my phone in his hand.  “Or this?”  He revealed the contents of his other hand; my key.

I silently cursed myself.  “Yes.  Both of them.”  I reached for my things and asked “So when do we leave?  Can it be soon?  I have to work extra hours to make up for the work I missed yesterday.”

He sighed.  “I suppose.”  His face showed defeat.  “Let’s grab some breakfast and you can say good bye to everyone and we’ll leave in about an hour.  I’ll go over the rules in the car.  You don’t agree to them though, and I’ll turn right back around, got it?”

What could I do but nod?  “Okay.  What’s for breakfast?”

“Waffles, come on they’re almost done.”

I followed him out of the room smiling.  A delicious smell flooded through the house and smiled bigger.  It smelled like berries and waffles.  I limped through the doorway to the kitchen and saw Kelley from the previous night stirring something in a pot.  “What’s that?”

She looked up and me with a bright grin from ear to ear.  “Berry Syrup.  Do you prefer maple though?  I can hurry and make some of that if you want.”  She started rummaging through the cupboards and pulling out measuring cups.  She handed me a large glass one before I could say anything and continued.

“Put one cup of water and two of sugar in here, then microwave it until all the sugar is dissolved.  Start with two minutes, but you’ll need more time than that.”  She turned back to her berries and I got started looking for the sugar.

When the sugar was dissolved after a few minutes, I asked Kelley what I should do next.

“Here” she said handing me a small glass bottle with something dark inside, and a table spoon.  (Not a measuring table spoon but a regular large spoon for the table.)  “Put in about a spoonful of this maple extract, and stir it in.  It should be dark.”