Just One Kiss

Just One Kiss Ch 41

back with him to begin her treatment and therapy.

With Johanna gone the entire castle was happier and they were finally able to enjoy the fact that there was a wedding coming up in a little over a week now. It was extremely hectic but it was fun and enjoyable kind of hectic and there was no one to cast a shadow over everything.

Three days after her mother's departure Tia had all but forgotten about her spill in the lake and thoroughly enjoying the attention she was getting from Rahul. Ever since her incident he had been extremely attentive and everyone kept telling her that he must love her. This would upset her a bit because she didn't want to hear from her friends and family that he loved her. She wanted to hear it from him! It was time she did something about it or she might be waiting for ever!

Going to the palace kitchens on the fourth day she had cook fix her a picnic basket and then went to find Wade and Gabby and told them what she planned to do and had them keep everyone busy for the rest of the day. By which time the basket was ready all she needed was to find Rahul.

Finding him in his suite she took his hand and dragged him off with her. They were both silent as they left the castle until Rahul realized that she was dragging him into the forest. "Tia, where are we going? And what's in the bag on your shoulder and the basket?"

"We're going into the forest so that I can talk with you and not be disturbed. Don't worry we won't get lost. Gabby, Nando and I have hiked this whole forest we all know it by heart. Because what I have to tell you will take a while I had cook pack us a picnic basket. My bag holds my art supplies. Anymore questions?"

Rahul shook his head and they continue walking in a companionable silence until Tia had determined they'd come far enough. Setting down her bag she reached into it and pulled out a blanket. Giving him the basket to hold she spread the blanket and bid him to sit. When he did she took the basket from him and reached in she took out a bottle of water and a cup. After offering him some she took a healthy drink as though to settle her nerves before taking out her sketchpad and some coloured pencils. Flipping to a new page she began to draw. For a few minutes that's all she did and Rahul began to wonder if she was going to talk at all.

Finally she cleared her throat and began even though she didn't look at him and her hand never stopped moving across her page.

"I'm going to tell you a story. One I always wanted to tell you but didn't know how and could never find the time. You must promise not to interrupt. You may talk after. Understand?"

He nodded wondering what story she could possibly tell him.

"This story is like any typical story. It's about a girl who liked then loved a boy but was unsure of how to tell him so she never did. Anyway this girl's name was Rachana and the boy's name was Jason."

Rahul's eyes widened and though she never looked at him Tia knew that he was surprised because she said, "This story is like the one you tell Shaka but with some differences. Listen please. Rachana and Jason met because her mother and his father was dating and had decided that it was time their children met. At the time they had been six and ten respectively. When they first met Jason didn't trust her because he had trusted before and they'd let him down. Their friendship really started after lunch and one of Rachana's friends had come to ask her if she'd join them in a game of soccer. Jason couldn't believe that another boy was asking a girl to play soccer and he asked Rachana if she was any good. As she didn't know she told him that he'd have to come play with them and see for himself or asked her friends when the game was done. Jason was put on her team and they'd won the match. That sealed the deal on their friendship and by the time his father asked her mother to marry him they were best-friends who could hardly wait until the next time they saw each other."

"Where you saw one you saw the other, the age difference between them was of no consequence. They were happy to be around each other and where other little boys were pushing away their sisters in favour of hanging with the other boys Jason kept Rachana close. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Rachana acted more like a boy than a girl who knew? But whatever the reason Jason never ran her off. As they grew so did their bound and when Rachana was twelve she realized that she liked her best-friend more than any other boy in her acquaintance and she agonized as to how to go about telling him for many weeks but every way she thought of was not suitable and including the live and direct way for fear he would do something hateful and laugh at her. So she decided, for the first time in her life to go the subtle route and show him how much she really liked him but nothing she did worked so she contented herself with just being his best-friend and confidant. Hoping that the feeling she had for him would fade into the background. Years passed and the opposite happened what Rachana felt for Jason did not fade but rather grew into love and she was in utter agony every time he went out on dates. She comforted herself by saying that at least she had his friendship and that one day he would see her as more than his best-friend."

"Then when they were sixteen and twenty respectively Rachana did something stupid. They had just come back from a party and were both slightly buzzed and she reached up and kissed him on the mouth. At first things were going well and Rachana began excited because Jason was finally seeing how she really felt about him but then disaster struck Jason pushed Rachana off his lap and rejected her. And for the first time since she'd met him he called her Rachana and began to keep her at arm's length even though he said that said that they were going to pretend their kiss which he called stupid and meaningless never happened."

"From that time on their friendship began to implode on itself. They began to argue and he started to say mean things to Rachana. Although to be fair the things she said to him were not exactly nice either. Things got so bad between them that in the middle of traffic one day Jason put her out of his car and told her to find her way home. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because in deciding to walk out her anger she discovered a new skill. Then one day their friendship bit the dust when after a huge fight between them Jason sided with Rachana's mother in her plan to change Rachana into a girlie-girlie. Together with her mother Jason criticize everything Rachana did and aided her mother in keeping her away from her friends and stopped her from playing sports. While all this drama was happening between them Jason had met and fallen in love with a girl who was Rachana's polar opposite and she knew she didn't stand a chance in Hades of Jason noticing her now but her heart refused to give Jason up. Anyway things went from bad, to worse, to worst then terrible and abominable at home between Rachana, Jason and her mother. If possible things became even more abominable when Jason decided to marry his girl-friend. This broke Rachana's heart and knowing that if she stayed she was likely to make trouble for the happy couple she decided to leave home. There wasn't like she had much over a choice thanks to the situation at home Rachana had become almost a shadow of her former self and she had to save the little of herself she had left so she disappeared from Jason's life. Hoping that if she ever returned all she would feel for him is brotherly love. Only that never happened. Her love for him never left her. It only continued to grow. He was the form her muse took and he came with her on every adventure 'til she decided ten years later that she had to come back home and face him. To her delight they rekindled their friendship and seemed to have stronger feelings that than for each other but Rachana isn't sure. She knows she still loves him though and would like more than anything for her love to be returned. But these things cannot be forced. So she still waits."

Tia fell silent for a little while before saying, "My story ends here Rahul and as you can see it doesn't have a happy ending. That depends on how you feel. I think you're smart enough to know that this is our story from my point of view. How it ends is up to you. The ball's in your court now. I've said my piece." Closing her sketchpad she packed up her things and waited for him to speak but he said nothing. Feeling drained and like she wanted to cry Tia packed up the empty picnic things and together went back the way they came.

When they got to a part of the castle grounds he recognized Tia went off and left him. Returning the picnic basket to the kitchen she bumped into Gabby. "Hey girl, did it work?"

Mutely Tia shrugged her shoulders, she honestly did not know but two fat tears rolled down her checks. Gabby cursed and went with her to her suite where Tia took one large sleeping pill and conked out.