Lovely Letter. (Lucy Christopher "Stolen" FanFiction) SLOW UPDATES

Chapter 7

*SO...This is more of a filler chapter than anything. I have been MAJORLY rethinking this story, hence the MAJOR delay. (That's not the sole reason, but it's one of the bigger ones.) I want to thank you all for reading and to apologize profusely for such a long wait! I hope to have more out shortly, but I thought you deserved at least something. Thank you!*

"'Ey, brainiac, you in there?" Haley snapped, tearing me from my thoughts. I blinked at her dumbly for a moment, and she groaned, raking a hand through her crimson locks. We were currently outside on our dorms terrace, waiting for the next class to begin. She'd roped me into conversation upon practically cornering me as I'd step outside— unfortunately, it had become pretty much one sided. My mind was still filled with Calculus and you— even when you were gone, you weren't. 

"Look, there's gotta be something going on with you, Gemma— I've been talking to you for the last twenty minutes and I don't think you heard a word I've said," Haley ranted, glaring me down; daring me to dispute her. I hung my head, a rush of pink coloring my cheeks as I twisted my hands in shame. "Someone's not hurting you, right? 'Cause my sister once dated a guy who hit her and as soon as I find out, oh, you shoulda seen the look on the bastards face as I chased him down with a—" 

"No!" I hurriedly interjected, and Haley's mouth closed with an audible pop. "No one's hurting me, it's just..." I sighed, wondering if I could truly find it in myself to confide in someone. Just this once. Haley waited patiently as I gathered my thoughts. Everyone always said it was easier to tell a stranger of your troubles rather than a close friend. But what would I tell her? That I still had feelings for my kidnapper? That you'd taken me from all I'd ever known? That you'd saved my life countless times? Would I tell her about the desert? The paintings? The snake? Would I tell her that deep down I had feelings for you that scared me to death?

"You don't have to tell me—" 

"It's guy troubles," I blurted out, my mouth deciding before my mind. I didn't have to tell her the whole truth— but I could tell her enough to lift some of this weight off of my shoulders. The secret of you had slowly started to crush me. Immediately her demeanor changed from concerned to playful, one ruby eyebrow quirking up. 

"Guy troubles? Pray tell," she nearly purred, leaning in, and practically begging for details. 

"Well, I already know my parents won't like him," I muttered. Not a lie. They didn't like you. They'd like you far less if they found out you'd been in contact with me again. 

"Why?" Haley asked, now smiling like the cheshire cat. I shifted, mildly uncomfortable. I wished my situation was as simple as a Cinderella-esque, forbidden romance, and recently, I find myself wishing for the small problems more often than I wish for the grand solutions.

"He's older than me." Still, not a lie. 

"That's all?" Haley asked, sounding a little disgruntled. Oh, if only she knew. 

"Him and my parents don't really see...eye to eye," I said, each word delivered carefully. 

"So, you don't know who you'd want to please more: Your hunk or your parents," Haley surmised and my face absolutely flamed in indignation. 

"He's not my hunk!" I spluttered out, like it was the most horrendous thing in the world. Haley only smiled again, piercing me with an all knowing look. I opted to ignore it and plowed on with my explanation. "And this guy and I haven't spoken in a while, and I don't really know where we stand anymore." She looked contemplative for a few moments, staring at me until I looked away, before speaking. 

"I honestly don't know, Gemma. It depends who's going to be more hurt by the relationship: your parents or your man. If you love both equally, it's going to be one hell of a choice. But you can't forget yourself either— you always have to think of what's best for you," Haley said, suddenly overwhelmingly serious. I was quiet then, eyes glued to the ground. Who did I love more? Did I even love you, had I ever truly loved you?

Haley abruptly shot up from her seat on the bench across from me, gathering her things up in a hurry. "Nice gossip-therapy session, but I didn't keep track of time as usual and I'm late," she rushed out, shooting me an apologetic smile. "It was actually nice to talking to you, Gemma, we should do this again some time. No excuses! I know where you live!" She said, chuckling ominously, before darting across the small front lawn and disappearing around the building. 

I smiled. Sure, she was strange, but she was also the closest thing I had to a friend. A small breeze blew by, ruffling the ends of my sweater and causing me to shiver. I briefly thought of what Haley had said— I thought about my parents; thought of your arms, safe and warm, holding me tight. If you asked me in that moment what would be best for me to do, I'd throw my hands in the air and probably laugh. I think I'd been less confused when I was stumbling around in the Outback, naked, and trying to escape.