The Red Strings Of Fate //✔️//

14 | The Betrayal

The silence is tense, Carter not sure if he'd rather have it, or his friends yelling at him. It had started like that, Nathan having jumped up barely a second after Gemma had left.

"How... How could you not know, Carter!?" Nathan had raised his voice slightly, only to be hushed by Jordan, a gentle reminder that the important person in question is fast asleep right in the next room.

"I... I don't--" Carter had begun,

"Enough. This is not how we are going to start this conversation," Asher interrupted, voice low and calm, but still very authoritative. "Nathan, you already know how common it is for those who see colors not to realize they've gotten their black and white back. It is not the time to be trying to start an argument. There's a problem, we needed a solution, it was handed to us. Let's focus on that, okay?" Asher reasons, and that's when it had gotten quiet.

The others were thinking, not sure of what to say. Asher is right: there is no use in yelling at Carter, no matter how bad some of them want to do it. Asher has always been the level headed one. Reese is sick, and dying, and they need to focus on getting her better.

"So how the fuck do we do this?" Reimar speaks up, breaking the silent streak they had.

"What do you mean?" Jordan enters the conversation for the first time. They're all worried about Reese, but not sure what to do.

"I mean that the only cure for Hanahaki, is a surgery or the unrequited love to be requited." Reimar's words shine realization upon them, the others knowing he's right. Everybody seemed to have favored the the latter oft eh two options silently. Their eyes turn to Carter once more, who is not quite enjoying the hot seat.

Reese is dying, his poor Reese. She is dying a slow, and painful death, and Carter could've been at her side this entire time, helping Reese, but no. Carter feels like shit, and just wants to make this all better.

He has to make it all better.

"So I will fall in love with Reese." Carter says, suddenly.

"Falling in love with someone isn't something you do for fun, Carter. It isn't like a hobby you pick up on the weekends, especially when this entire fucking time, you've been blinded by fucking Gemma, who just decided to walk the fuck out of this entire situation." Reimar snorts, shaking his head.

"Gemma is just feeling emotional right now, she--" Carter tries to defend.

"I don't give a fuck what Gemma was feeling, Gemma isn't dying! Reese is fucking dying, Carter! And you sticking up for Gemma, needs to stop." Reimar crosses his arms, leans back in his chair.

"Alright. Let's take a deep breath. Reimar, this is all very overwhelming, Gemma is allowed to have feelings. Carter, Reimar is right. Falling in love isn't just something you say you're going to do, and then you just do it. Also, if you are going to actually commit to this, you need to stop thinking so much about Gemma. I know you care about him, but Reese is your soulmate. Gemma has her own soulmate to worry about, and so do you." Asher reasons.

And, the silence is back. Reimar grumbles incoherent thoughts under his breath, while Carter processes everything. Asher is, and probably always will be, right. If Carter wants to fall in love with Reese, Gemma can't be a factor in his life at all. Gemma very easily clouds Carter's thoughts, so Carter will have to learn how to move forward a bit faster than originally planned.

"I'm committed to it. I'll fall in love with Reese." Carter finalizes. It's going to be difficult, mainly having to move on from Gemma, but Carter believes he can do it. Unfortunately, deep down he knows he won't be able to do it.