Between Gates (The Gate Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter 15: Friends and Love

Nari had seen her friends fall in love enough times to know what was going on with her two newest friends, Kallie and Ali.

“You two are always so close to each other…” Chenn complained at breakfast.

He had invited her to come along and sit at their table this time instead of sitting by herself. Since she had agreed to be friends with him a few days ago, she couldn’t refuse without seeming as though she were upset with him.

Besides, sitting with Chenn, Kallie, and Ali was far better than sitting alone pining away and wishing someone cared enough to sit with her or talk to her.

Ali rolled his eyes. “So what? You and Nari hang out together all the time. Ever since a few days ago, you two have been like…” He shook his head. “I don’t have a good simile for you two. You defy all the ordinary categorizations. But you two have been glued to each other more or less…”

Chenn blushed. “Have not…” He mumbled.

“Have too.” Kallie chimed in.

She had grown bolder with them over the last few days, speaking out and showing her true spirit to them as the days passed. It turned out that Kallie was quite opinionated, and she was also just as happy as Nari had first believed she was. But once she started talking, she didn’t always remember to stop, and when she was teasing someone, she could be merciless.

Nari blushed now at the implications of Ali’s words.

“Yeah, well… If we are, it’s only because she doesn’t know her way around here, and I’ve taken it upon myself to help her find her way about… Nothing more.” Chenn glared at Ali.

Ali smirked, raising an eyebrow. “I never said it was… But you seem a smidgen too adamant that it isn’t anything more…” He turned to Nari.

Her eyes widened, and she hunched over in her seat, staring at her lunch – a runny bowl of soup with questionable chunks floating in it and a hard, stale biscuit that she thought might break her teeth should she decide to eat it.

“Both of you seem fidgety today…” Ali noted. “Sure there’s nothing going on?”

Nari let her gaze flick up to his for a second before dropping it back to her bowl of soup.

Simultaneously, she and Chenn responded. “Yes!”

Chenn, however, met his friend’s gaze, glaring at him.

Nari kept hers focused firmly on her soup bowl.

Ali grinned, and Kallie giggled.

“At least we’re honest about our relationship…” Ali responded.

Then he leaned over and kissed a giggling Kallie on the mouth. She sat in silenced shock for a moment. When he moved away, she had a broad, silly grin plastered to her face as though she’d just found out she was entitled to be a billionaire.

Nari almost choked on the mouthful of oily soup she was eating. Chenn gave her a good pound on the back to make sure she was alright.

Ali and Kallie sat laughing at the two of them.

“You two really are perfect together…” Kallie sighed, a wistful expression on her face.

“Keep dreaming.” Chenn snapped.

Kallie’s spirits would not be dampened. “You never know, Chenn. I think that you’re already in love… You just haven’t realized it yet.”

Nari’s blush deepened, going crimson.

Chenn’s blush spread to his ears. “I-I… I think I’m done now…” He stared at his bowl of soup, sloshing it around with his spoon. “This didn’t look appetizing in the first place… And I’ll be sick if I have to choke down any more of it.” He joked, but the joke lacked his usual sarcastic humor.