The two evenings later... (Christmas eve)
Ryxel's POV.
Two days had passed from that day when I was in the forest with Caramel and I had not heard from her since then. Was she fine? I thought to myself as I parked my car outside her apartment and moved out. I reached her doorstep and knocked for sometime but got no response. I am not the patient type. I turned the knob and to my surprise, it was open. I entered and looked around but saw no sign of her. She was not in the living room. Not the dining room or kitchen. Which leaves me with no other place but bedroom. I lightly knocked at her bedroom door but I got no response. I just opened the door. She was not inside. I started worrying but I saw her bathroom door slightly open so I suppose she is inside.
"Caramel? "
No response.
"Caramel?"
No response.
I felt a breeze of deadly silence sweep by and I did not think twice before opening her bathroom door. What is she doing to herself? Is she trying to drown herself in the bath tub? Her head was in the water with her eyes shut. There were a few bubbles coming out of the water and I thanked God that she was still alive. I sat at the edge of the tub and reached for her head; pulling it from below the water. Her eyes widely opened in fear and shock.
"What the fuck were you trying to do, Caramel?" I furiously asked.
"I swear Ryxel; I did not try to drown myself." She said with a glitter of innocence in her eyes.
"She did. That woman did." She said pointing behind me but there was no one. A river of tears was rolling down her burning cheeks. I saw the pain in her eyes. The same pain I saw when I tore her bracelet. The same pain I saw the night we were from her grandma's grave.
"I did not, Ryxel. I did-" She lost her breath and started crying out loud.
"Come here." I said pulling her to my chest and stroking her hair.
She clung to me and her nails dug into my coat. She cried so bitterly till she started shivering.
"Ge- ge- get m-me out of here, Ryxel. I don't wanna drown." She pleaded amidst sobs.
Caramel does not use informal English. 'wanna' It is just not like her. What's bothering her?
I grabbed a white towel that hang from her sink and placed it over her shoulders prompting her to get up from the bath tub. But she still didn't move out. Her legs shook vigorously and I for a moment I was afraid she would fall. So I picked her up and carried her out.
"I don't wanna drown, Ryxel." She cried and clung tightly to me.
"I won't let you drown, Caramel." I assured her.
"He also said the same but he lied. He lied, Ryxel." She cried.
Who was he?
I wanted to ask but I was not going to unless she wanted to tell me herself. So I dried her hair and dressed her up in her pyjamas. She did not oppose. And I put her to sleep. I tried to get up but Caramel had clung to me. I have no problem with that. I slipped off my shoes and lay close to her and held even closer to me. Her vanilla scented hair just below my chin. I could feel her breathe in bits. As if fighting back the urge to cry the more and sleep at the same time. But she eventually slept.
In her sleep she said something like... "It was papa who lied Ryxel. He promi- promised."
I stroked her hair and she stopped talking and slept.
At one in the morning...
I woke up only to feel my side empty. Caramel was not there. I rose up and moved out of the bedroom. I could hear her shouting at someone over the phone in the sitting room.
" I will not come. You have no right over me. Mother? You call yourself my mother? Wow! The woman who tried to kill me. You tried to drown- me 'mother'! Too bad it didn't happen but one of these days it will. Don't! Don't ever call me sweetie again. Just insult me like you always do. Queen of materialism! What? Did I say the truth? Did I define you right? The truth is always hard to take in. I know. Don't let the devil ever tempt you to call my phone. Ever again. Don't call me sweetie Mrs. Kane! Rude? (Laughs sarcastically) I am your offspring after all. I am only a reflection of you. But no! The better version.
No! I can never be like you. I can never. In fact, just wish I would never. I wish I would write my own life. Just like a novel. I assure you that you would never be part of the cast. Family? Fa-fa-family? (She stuttered) I hate that word. If it was upon me, I would never- I would never be- I am not coming! I am not and I will never. Let your darling sons and daughters celebrate with you but Karmale Hale is not coming."
She hang up with a sigh only for her phone to ring again.
"What does this woman want?" She hissed.
Ella?
"How was your flight, Ella?" She asked in a relaxed tone.
"That's great. Anyway, I will call you tomorrow. Right now, I am not in the mood to talk to anyone."
She lifted the phone from her ear but it seems like Ella said something else that she did not hear. So she put the phone on loud speaker.
"Ella, I did not get your last statement well." She said.
"Karma, you should celebrate Christmas with your family this year." Ella pleaded.
"Don't call me again, Ella." She coldly said and hang up.
Hardly had she put the phone down than someone called again. She put the phone on loud.
"Michelle!" She exhaled.
"How are you?" She said with a smile of exhaustion on lips.
"K, please come home." She pleaded.
"Michelle, where is my festive gift." She asked ignoring Michelle's previous point.
"K---- Come home and you will get it." Michelle pleaded.
"I don't want to come home, Michelle. I don't want to get disappointed. I don't want to come on disguise of a family celebration and I am treated like a maid or some sort of outsider. I don't want my gifts from the neighbours to be given out by that woman."
"She is your mother, K. Our mother."
"You have really grown too fast, Michelle. How old are you now?" She asked with amusement from Michelle's words.
"I am only 15 years young. K, Stop changing the topic and come home. Mum has promised not to do any of the things you dislike. Please."
"I am sorry, Michelle. I don't celebrate festive season."
"Of course you don't celebrate it without your family. So please come home. Every one is waiting for you. Maria, Johannese, Xavier, Edwardinah, Kryzostom, mum, dad and of course me."
"Michelle? Only you are my family. They are not."
"K, if you are not coming, I am going to run away from home." Michelle threatened.
"I am going to text you my address. Come straight here when you run away from home. Bye."
"K, please."
"Nothing you say to me is going to change my decision."
"We all love you, K." Michelle pleaded.
"Love?" (She laughed sacarstically) "Love? Love? Love?" Use your vocabulary well Michelle." (She laughed even more) but it was not the jovial kind of laughter. It was a laughter that had it's own definition. It was a laughter full of hate and disgust.
"K, please. Please."
"I am not coming Michelle." She emphasised and hang up.
"Festive season get done already so that I don't have to receive nagging calls." She prayed and turned only to face me.
"Oh my God! You scared the hell out of me." She said with her hand on her chest.
"For how long have you been standing there, Ryxel? " She asked with her expression turn from scared to angry.
KARMALE'S POV
"For how long have you been standing there?" I angrily asked Ryxel.
He did not respond. No! I did not wait for him to do so.
"Ryxel, leave." I said trying to keep my cool.
Ryxel did not move even an inch. He just stood there leaning against the wall looking sexy without a shirt on. Damn him!
"Ryxel, please leave." I said again sounding more audible.
"Too bad I don't intend to leave. So do something about it, Caramel." Ryxel dared.
"Get out, Ryxel! " I angrily shouted.
"Hold the sass, Caramel!" Ryxel shouted.
"Don't shout at me, Ryxel!"
"Karmale Hale Kane, I am not the fucking reason you hate all the people who love you!" Ryxel roared.
"Love? Don't say that word to me again! You know nothing about me, Ryxel. Nothing! So just leave!"
"Oh! Really? Nothing?"
"Yes, Ryxel. Nothing! No- wait. You stalked me once before. So you must know something at least. Like- Umm... my name...?"
"Get out, Ryxel! Get out!"
Ryxel's POV
"Get out, Ryxel! Get out!" Caramel shouted.
"Is the strong Karmale Hale Kane scared of me seeing her break down over her family?" I asked.
"Get out, Ryxel!" A tear rolled down her cheek.
Fuck the dim light falling on her face from the lamp. She looked frazzled but pretty. She actually looked prettier when she was angry. Worst of all, innocent. Too bad she was broken. Her brown orbs glittered like broken glass.
"I am not them, Karmale! I am not your family that hurt you." I said my voice becoming calm.
I involuntarily strolled to where she stood.
"So don't push me away because I am going no where. And yes. I did not judge you before so I won't do it now." I said capping her face in my hands.
She looked up at me and my gaze fell to her lips. I wanted to kiss her. I so badly wanted to.
"Why are you being nice to me?" She asked as she cleaned her eyes with the back of her hand.
Does someone need a reason to be nice to another? I don't think so. All I know is that I don't like seeing Caramel like this. When I did not answer she continued.
"Wait- I think I know why."
She looked up at me with a knowing look.
"Because I have never said thank you for all the things you have done for me. So I guess you are being nice so that I realise that I have not yet thanked you. Am really sorry. How could I forget to do so? Grandma taught me better manners. So, Ryxel for giving me a lift to grandma's grave, for that night itself when I acted like a kid and you tolerated me. That was so embarrassing.-
Oh so she remembers!
-- then the bears, then for saving me from the gunshots... Then last night... I am sorry."
I thought that it was supposed to be a thank you not sorry.
"Yes, I am sorry." She repeated as if reading my thoughts.
"I am sorry I had to entangle you in my mess. But I guess you brought it upon yourself. So we both take the blame. You are the one who got me drunk at the club and I guess my emotions betrayed me. I am also sorry for not saying thank you long before this but now that I have please accept it and leave."
"You are so talkative, Caramel." I finally got a chance to speak.
"You said you were not going to be judgemental." She giggled.
Fuck her pretty face! It glows even in the dark. Her cherry lips! Fuck! I want to kiss her so bad. She looks beautiful. Effortlessly beautiful. Perfectly beautiful with no filter. No makeup. Just natural Caramel.
"What are you looking at, Ryxel?" She asked and I shifted in my position.
She giggled.
"Am I boring you? Cause if I am-
I cut her off by placing my lips on her luscious ones.
How could I tell her that she could never be boring to me? Even just looking at her is enough. Her charisma is enthusiastic. She is not the boring type.
"Ryxel?" She moaned pulling out of the kiss. Her lips fell to my ear.
"Can I tell you something?" She angelically whispered.
"Anything, Caramel."
Whatever her whispering was doing to me. I could not contain myself. It was tingling and inviting. I wanted to do to her things that only my dirty mind would be able to explain. But I daren't do that without her consent.
"You won't judge me right?" She asked sounding so adorable like a child holding melting candy.
"Not before and never." I replied.
"Promise?"
"Pinky promise." I whispered back.
Making promises is not like Ryxel Grande Black. Not at all. I only make them when I know that I won't break them. I would never break a promise to Caramel. Never!
"I fear-" She hesitated.
I felt her try to move away from me but I did not let her. It felt like she had not trusted me when I said I wouldn't judge her. She never wanted to tell me anymore.
"Talk to me, baby girl." I persuaded.
"No, daddy." She nodded.
I hope I heard right. Did she just call me daddy?
"Talk to daddy!" I said with authority.
And she nodded with a yes?
"I fear-" She was hesitating again.
"Daddy won't judge you, baby girl."
"I fear relationships."
There it was. She had said it.
# MADAM LAWYER.
#philophobia
Hey! There you go...
So how did you love it?
Do some voting and commenting.
By the way, please don't judge the mafia's 'Caramel' harshly.
I know most of you are wondering which kind of child talks to their parent like that but her damn mum brought it upon herself.
Anyway, in my next next chapters. I will throw more light on her family.
So who hates festive season like Caramel and me?
Who thinks she should listen to her young sister (Michelle) and go home to celebrate Christmas?
Will she go anyway?
Next update says it all.
Thanks to;
Royalzzzzzzz
IslandTrooper
✌✌✌
Andria 💋