L.O.V.E.

Chapter 7 - Nerissa

Her stomach ache has gotten ten time worse than how it was in the morning. She wasn't expecting her day to be all rainbows and unicorns, however, she didn't imagine it will turn this bad. Meeting him was the worst thing that could have happened to her, and only thinking about it, is making her sick. She cannot believe what a condescending jerk he was, prodding her with his fingers like she was a child. What's that supposed to even mean? Her subconscious demands with pouty lips. The dialogue in her head ignites the flames of her frustration even more, her outrage fuming all the way home.

'Who does he think he is?' She bursts out through gritted teeth, as soon as the front door closes behind her. She fists her hands close to her body, striving to hold on to the little self-control she has left. Her fingernails are digging mercilessly in her palms, while she channels all the anger out of her system. Closing her eyes, she lets out a deep cleansing breath, but the image of him hovering just a few inches above her face, keeps unrolling inside her eyelids. Soon, she becomes a victim of her own mind, trapped inside her head and forced to recall the few moments when she dared to look at him.

His wavy onyx hair has been cut a little too long on top, making his curls bounce as he moves. Sometimes, the longer locks cover playfully half of his forehead, hiding one of his aquamarine eyes and adding more mystery to his exotic look. She wonders how someone with such a dreadful character can be so attractive, almost unearthly looking. How could those full, heart-shaped lips can be so seductive, yet capable of speaking such awful things.

Tormented and gasping for air, she opens her eyes only to find two crystal oceans watching her... somewhere from the back of her mind. They imprinted on her, showing details she never thought she would ever remember. Hazel sandy specks intertwine with dark blue waters, revealing a hidden realm in the depths of his blue gaze.

'What happened? Are you hurt?' Susan's startled voice brings her back, saving her from a cataclysmic meltdown.

Then, wiping down her hands on her polka-dotted apron, she checks her granddaughter's temperature with the back of her hand. The truth is, Nerissa looks as bad as she feels, and she still has yet to deal with the aftermath of the inner battle later on.

'It's just a stomach ache. Nothing to worry about.' She sugar-coats the truth, leaving the whole deal out.

She wants nothing more than to tell her grandmother everything. But, how can she? Susan has already lost her daughter, and now, she could lose her grand-daughter, too. Instead, Nerissa puts on a miserable smile, adding one more name on the growing list of people she deceived today.

Remorseful, or maybe it's just the exhaustion taking its toll on her, she struggles to keep the dam of tears from flooding her eyes. A deep sadness, a kind she had never felt before, emerges from nowhere, subduing her rage. Susan hugs her tightly to her chest, knowing too well that now it's not the time to dig up for answers. Nerissa has always been an open book to her, in spite of all her efforts of hiding out the truth.

'Go upstairs and change. I'll make you my secret remedy for upset tummies!' She jokes, hoping that it will make her feel a little better.

The rest of the evening passes in a blur. Susan's attempt to light up the atmosphere turns out to be a real success. She reminisces, long after the lights are out, about her daughter's childhood and how Amanda met Ethan, her son-in-law. Hearing about her parents, Nerissa shifts her focus on the story, rather than on her own misery, forgetting for a while about her problems. That's it until she goes to bed and finds herself alone again. The inexplicable sadness envelops her once more, delaying her sleep and torturing her soul. Her mind fills up with thoughts of him, of how divinely the spiky, black-haired chin bones are highlighting his olive complexion.