Lovely

12. You were worried about me?

"Thanks, Mark!" I yelled up at the man in the tree. In my hand was a ripe peach, blushing vibrantly, letting off a fruity scent. "No problem!" He yelled back down at me. It was then Callista's turn to catch one of the falling peaches, then Lacie's. I took my sweet treat with me to my room. I was eager for a quiet meal alone, time to relax. So much so that I closed the bedroom door behind me when I entered. Sitting cross legged on my bed, facing the window, I bit into the peach. Delicious but sticky juice trickled down my chin. I made no move to wipe it away, for it had every right to be there and was a natural consequence of having taken part in such a beautiful delicacy. I could have quite easily scoffed it down but I paced myself.

No sooner had I allowed my muscles to relax, than had them instantly tense up again. A stark scream had ripped through my peaceful atmosphere and my body flew into threat mode. I dropped my peach and jumped to my feet. Another scream followed soon after. This told me it was no accident. I ran to my door, which revealed the muffled yells that sang between the screams. My feet rushed me to the source down the hall. Hair in my face, shallow breathing, aching ankles from hitting the wooden ground too harshly. All these things accompanied me to Lacie's room and gave away my state once I threw her door open. Adrenaline pumped through my body at a rate that left me dizzy. Lacie's screams put me in a instant panic, the masculine yells made me fear the worst. Different types of scenarios danced through my mind, was she being hurt? Was there an intruder? What was that man doing to her?

It was safe to say that what I actually ran into was far from anything I could have imagined. What greeted me was a series of giggles and laughs. Only the screams had made it to my room. Lacie's body was draped over Kahlo's shoulder, his fingers working furiously to produce as many squeals and screeches as they could. After a moment he noticed me. Then he noticed the panic on my face, and his hands fell to his side.

"Rora! What happened? What's wrong?"

By now Lacie was sitting beside him, also looking at me in alarm.

The exhaustion mixed with immense relief weakened my knees to the point where they gave way. No one was there to catch me before my weak knees collided hard with the wooden floor. Pain shot up my legs, a strangled sob slipped between my lips. Lacie and Kahlo were either side of me. Kahlo's large hand grasped mine harshly, Lacie's dainty hand rested on my thigh. Both yelled out my name in shock.

"Rora!" Kahlo yelled urgently, his other hand cupping the back of my head.

"I thought.... I thought-" my breath had suddenly gone.

"I thought Lacie was being hurt!" I managed to scream after almost hyperventilating.

I'm sure anyone else would have laughed at the misunderstanding. They would have lost their own breath at my reaction, but from laugher. Yet, Kahlo was above that. He knew where to look for humour and where there was a need for comfort. So after I scooped Lacie up in my arms and held her tight to my chest, Kahlo did the same to me.

Kahlo holding me, I holding Lacie, Lacie sitting still between us. A cycle. A way of life. Our world.

"No one is in danger," Kahlo cooed in my ear. Trying to calm my sobs was a difficult route to walk down. But the protection and safeness I felt in his arms made my feet feel lighter.

"You were worried about me?" Lacie asked in a faint voice.

"Very," I whispered back.