who knew ? //KIDGE VLD

chapter 14: love hurts

Keith walked towards Griffin's ship and, when he was in front of it, he just opened the door and poked his head in the entrance.

"Griffin? You there?"

No answer.

"Come on! I know you're here."

Still no answer.

"It's about Katie."

Keith said, slightly annoyed that James wasn't answering.

"What do you want, Kogane?" a voice came from inside.

"I wanted to talk to you."

A little silence followed before James spoke up again.

"Come in."

Keith entered and joined James at the front of the ship.

"Hey." He waved his hand hesitantly.

"So what? What about Katie?" James asked, his tone edged with irritation.

Keith sighed, trying to ignore the way James said her name. "She told me she felt like you were avoiding her. I just wanted to know if it was a mistake."

James took a moment before answering. "Why doesn't she come to me then?"

"That is not the subject. Let's just... have that talk already."

James didn't answer and just looked at Keith with a sense of madness in his eyes.

"So, Pidge was wondering if... all this had something to do with me? Do you act like that because you don't like the fact that now, we have something between us? Is it because you hate me or something? If yes, it is your right but—"

James cut him off. "It's not that simple, Kogane."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it?"

James took a deep breath. "It's complicated. Seeing you two together... it's not easy for me. But it's not about hate. It's... more about what I lost. And seeing you with her reminds me of that."

Keith nodded slowly, trying to understand. "What did you lose?"

James sighed, looking away for a moment. "I lost my chance with her. I had feelings for Katie. Still do, if I'm being honest. But seeing her happy with you... it's a bitter pill to swallow."

Keith was silent for a moment, processing James' words. "I get it. But Pidge and I... we didn't mean to hurt you. She's worried about you, you know. She cares about you as a friend."

James nodded, his expression softening slightly. "I know. And I don't want to make things awkward for her. I'll try to be better, for her sake."

"Thanks, James. It means a lot."

James gave a small, reluctant smile. "Just... take care of her, alright? And don't tell her about any of that..."

Keith nodded. "You have my word."

With that, the tension between them eased a little, and Keith felt a sense of relief. Maybe things could get better from here.

He left the ship, not knowing what he was about to tell his girlfriend. But also, he was a bit touched by James words. As far as he didn't liked James, he felt bad for him. He one more time imagined his girl in someone else's arms and it just felt horrible. He wanted to punch something so hard because of the frustration. But, it was not the moment and the place. Besides, he learned to only punch stuffs that are meant for it (yeah, before, he was punching everything that was around because of his impulsiveness. But as I said, he learned to control himself).