Chapter Sixteen;
Regret
Kalea 'Ruth' Kingston
New York City, New York
The next morning, Kalea shot up in bed because of the slight head ache she got. She sat up before rubbing her face and then standing up from the bed, her jaw dropped when she saw a dishevelled Sky had been sleeping right next to her. They'd slept together for the whole night.
Kalea wanted to smack herself as she hurried off to the bathroom, she splashed her face with cold water, multiple times in a futile attempt to try to remember what happened last night. She couldn't even brush her teeth or do anything because everything was in her own room.
Stepping out of the bathroom, she glanced at the clock to realise that she'd woken up at 6:30 am, most people wouldn't be awake so she grabbed her purse before leaving the room. Quickly rushing to her own room, Kalea shut the door behind her.
Unaware that she'd been spotted.
-XX-
Kalea munched on some breakfast, she was eating a fruit salad. Loads of delicious fruits sliced up and coated with plain yoghurt, she ate absentmindedly, not even joining the conversation happening. She could only hear mumbles as she tried to think about how she'd ended up in her bed.
How come she didn't remember what happened last night?
Sighing, Kalea glanced around the room and noticed Sky laughing with Liberty as they ate breakfast, they seemed close. As much as Kalea was suspicious of Liberty, she envied her. She was a confident, no-bullshit woman. Someone Kalea aspired to be.
The dining area was filled with noise, conversations bounced around the room but Kalea still failed to join in. It was only when the Head of the Fine Art and Sculpture and Head of Religion announced that it was time for everyone to get ready and leave by 1pm.
The students filtered out of the room, still having conversations. Kalea watched them as she put her dishes away, still feeling stressed out by her lack of recollection. She finally left the dining area and hurried to grab her stuff before dashing down stairs and grabbed a list of what her jobs would be.
She would simply answer any questions and make sure everyone was safe, Kalea had a simple job. She brushed up her jeans, which had a baggy shirt tucked into them and began walking with the crowd, slowly but gradually, she found herself walking besides Sky.
Sky had slowed down her pace to the point where everyone had passed her and she was next to Kalea. Her expression was filled with happiness as she glanced at Kalea, who contrastingly looked stressed and frustrated.
"What's wrong?" Sky asked with a low voice, so low that the sound of the conversations bubbling around them nearly consumed it.
Kalea glanced at her for a second before sighing, "What happened last night?"
Sky listened to Kalea's question before nodding, she sighed.
"You don't remember anything? Nothing at all?" She continued to ask, her brows knitting together in frustration as she stared at the older woman. Her tone dripping with disappointment.
Kalea shook her head, still missing the fact that Sky was hurt.
"All I remember is waking up in your bed. What if someone caught us?" Kalea exclaimed, of course she kept her voice down though, her main concern was always whether or not someone was listening.
Sky rolled her eyes before exhaling deeply.
"You got drunk, we went to the bridge and watched the water. I had to carry you home but couldn't find your key so I just let you sleep in my bed." Sky explained, "That's all that happened."
A humid breeze flowed around, giving a sensation that seemed to worsen the heat. Sky frowned but she quickly closed up any expression, leaving her face blank before she sped up to catch up with her peers. Leaving Kalea alone once again.
Since Kalea hadn't even been looking at Sky, she failed to catch the heart-broken expression on the woman's eyes. She'd been looking around instead, making sure no one was listening.
-XX-
As the crowd dispersed to look at the things that suited their majors, Kalea and the Religious department walked into a grand Cathedral, everyone walked off in their own group and Kalea stood alone. She stared at all the beautiful details, the many symbols that represented Jesus and she felt at home.
For some reason, church always felt the happiest when her father wasn't around.
It wasn't that Kalea despised her religion, it was how her father went about teaching it to her.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A man said beside her, he was a bishop.
Kalea nodded, "Stunning doesn't do it justice."
"Are you a believer?" He asked.
Kalea hesitated. If she was a believer, then she would be admitting that she was an immoral being. A smudge in God's crowd. A parasite.
"What troubles you?" The old man asked, sitting down at one of the furthest towns before staring at her, waiting for her to sit beside him.
He was wearing a white robe with grey patchy hair, his skin was decorated in wrinkles and a beautiful smile graced his face.
"What do you think God thinks about homosexuality?" Kalea asked after taking a deep breath, avoiding eye contact with the old man.
"I wouldn't know. Only God knows the answer to that." The old man replied, making Kalea's heart sink, "However, I can say that Jesus walked with bandits, prostitutes and even protected a sinner."
"God doesn't want perfect beings. He just wants a kind soul who spreads his love through kind actions." The old man said simply, "That's all there is to it."
He stood up and looked at her, "Being a believer doesn't have one rigid definition. It could mean anything."
Kalea looked up with a solemn expression, "I understand. Thank you."
-XX-
After showering, Kalea slipped on some pyjamas and pulled out her Bible. She looked at it with a blank expression, feeling her heart race.
She slipped the Bible under her bed and decided that she would leave it here. It would be disrespectful to throw it in the bin but she wanted to find God in her own way. Not through her father's way, not through education's way.
On her own. If she found God, it was meant to be. If she didn't, that was all there was to it.
Sighing, she slipped into bed and watched some tv before she started fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. She couldn't even remember buying this.
It must've been a part of last night. Deciding to ask Sky once again, Kalea pulled out her phone and sent a message to Sky only to see that it hadn't even been delivered.
Sky had blocked her.