Revelation

Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I sat motionless.

"I want to stay like this."

He looked taken aback, "are you sure? I mean--"

"I have friends here--not friends, FAMILY. I'm happy here!"

"Very well," he sat back in his chair, "you may go now."

I pushed my chair back and shook Michael's hand, "thank you."

I left the office.

"Julia! Niccceeee to ssssssee you!" Rave hissed and I smiled back at her.

I turned the corner and headed back to the Commons.

Halfway there, as I was looking down at my feet, spacing off, I ran into somebody.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I looked up, "Carter?"

"I was worried you weren't coming back, they sent me to check on you."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I replied.

We walked back to the Commons and I told him everything Michael had said.

"I'm glad you stayed. We would've missed you," he said as we sat down.

"What? You were gonna leave?!" Lil said, panicked.

And I preceded to tell the story all over, again.

-----

Later that night I laid on my bed, watching an old Friends rerun, one I had already seen before, on the massive TV. It was the first time I had used it since I arrived here.

My eyes started to close and my mind started to go dull, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

Just then, soft knocking woke me up.

I sat up and went up to the door and opened it, the chain lock catching.

"Rider?"

"Just a sec," I closed the door and unlocked the chain, then opened the door wide.

"Good, you're awake."

"It's two in the morning, Carter!" I looked down at my pajamas.

He looked down, too.

"What do you ne--"

"I love you," he paused, "a lot."

I stared at him and his eyes flickered back and forth between mine.

"Really?"

"Really. Since that day in the park when I met you...and ever since," he stopped, "I know I was always kind of a jerk to you, and I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to know," he stopped again, "that sounded really bad. Like it was from a movie or something," he laughed.

"I love you, too," I pushed out with out hesitating, "a lot."

And the truth was, I did.

Then he pulled me to him with his good arm and bent his head down to kiss me.