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LOSALINI
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It happened three years ago.
To be more exact, it was approximately one year, eleven months after my parent's tragic accident.
8th August 2012.
The date was forever etched into my mind, my soul and even my very being.
How could it not be? How could I even forget the day my parents, both of them were ripped away from me, all because of a freak storm that had torn the plane from the sky?
I sat still on my bed, my knees hunched up and pulled up against my chest, my hands wrapped around them as I leaned against my floral patterned wall. The sun had just graced the sky for at most fifty minutes and the cold breath of dawn was still lingering.
I could hear Nancy on the other side of the door, rushing around, pots clanging and the sound of sizzling goodness accompanied it's delicious aroma tingling my tastebuds. I checked the clock on the wall just above my door. 7:28 the digital display read.
My stomach rumbled, reminding me that it was empty, empty because I had skipped on dinner after our disagreement when I had gotten home last night.
I realised that if I was to make it to the Burns mansion on time, I should probably be getting ready right now, but the thought of confronting Nancy again this morning left me glued to my place on the bed.
I knew without a doubt she was waiting for me to continue our conversation from last night. Nancy was stubborn, even more so than me sometimes and right now I was not up for another confrontation.
If anything I thought I had made myself very clear last night. I didn't want anyone else there, especially strangers from my parent's past. Having the Burns there was more than I had the heart to welcome to my parent's memorial, but I knew that they were coming and I had no say in it.
My eyes lingered again on the photo that sat on my vanity. It had been taken when I was twelve at Gold Coast. We'd gone on a family vacation there because it was on mom's bucket list. I still remembered the day like it was yesterday.
I had my face buried into a chicken kebab wrap, my face red from the extensive exposure to the sun with two lines of sunscreen on my face while mom stood beside me, wearing a bright red summer hat, her lustrous locks of hair framing her otherwise bright face. Dad stood next to her, he was the only one not looking when the local we asked had snapped the photo. His eyes were on mom, looking down lovingly at her as if he wished for nothing more than time to freeze and that he could stay in that moment forever.
Two damp lines streamed down my face and I realised that I had cried without meaning to, although a small smile formed on my face at the memory.
"Krystal," Nancy's voice from the other side of the door drew my eyes away from my parents photo with me. "Krystal."
I involuntarily held my breath as my eyes darted to where her shadow preened from the gap under the door.
She shifted her footing, balancing her weight on her other leg before I heard her sigh. "I'll see you in the evening then."
I noted the clock reading that it was already nearly eight, and I realised she was probably heading to work now.
Then her shadow disappeared and I heard her footsteps walking away from the door. Thirty seconds later, Nancy had left and I was at home by myself, a coward in the face of confrontation.
When I finally walked out into the living room, I saw that a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs with some toast was on the kitchen counter with a glass of OJ.
A wave of guilt flooded me at my act of cowardice and I planned to make it up to her later today. I would make sure that Nancy and I would sort whatever rift had started to form in the past few weeks.
* * *
A pair of hand covered my eyes as soon as I walked into the Burns living room. The rather large hands were warm and smelt like ground coffee and soap.
"Guess who?" the voice whispered into my ear, the warm breath leaving behind a shiver that ran through me.
The voice was an octave or two higher than usual, but even without the fact that I already recognized his scent or the fact that he was the only one I knew in this household who would pull something like this, I recognized it.
"Maybe a burger thief that couldn't still a burger successfully if his life depended on it, or... "
The hands disappeared before I felt them wrap around my shoulders and forcefully turn me around.
It took me a second later to open my eyes and meet the frown Will was giving me. "I already told you. It was a mistake."
I smiled at him. "I know you did. But I like reminding you though."
He shrugged placidly before he picked up something from the table just off to the side. "Then I'm guessing you won't mind while I enjoy some of this then, would you?"
I stated at the brown paper bag with no markings on it now in his right hand. "What is that?"
He shrugged before putting a hand inside. "Just a certain burger that you can only find if you go to a certain big city in the East Coast." His eyes burned with untamed mischief. In his hand was something wrapped in the now recognizable paper wrapping with the name of the hamburger joint in New York where we'd first met.
"Is that what I think it is?" I could tell hunger bubbling up from the pits of my stomach as if it hadn't just consumed a generous breakfast from home courtesy of Nancy.
Will nodded as he placed the delicious package back into the brown paper bag. "It is exac-" before he could finish his words, I had reached over and grabbed the brown bag from his grasp. He didn't tell me off or try to grab it bag. Instead he smiled at me as if I could do no wrong.
Evan's words from last night echoed in my mind.
He was right. If I valued my friendship with Will, I should tell him straight up that that was it. I shouldn't lead him on. Granted I had told him that before, but I needed to make a stand.
Will didn't deserve to be led on, not did he deserve someone like me. Especially now that I was having strange new feelings for Douglas, feelings I have yet to acknowledge.
"Will..." I began.
The smile on his face made me almost rethink my decision. Almost. But I knew deep down Will deserved the truth.
"No need to say sorry. I got it for you. That's where I was yesterday."
My eyes widened a fraction. "You flew all the way to New York yesterday to get me this?"
"Yea, but the burger was just made this morning. I had to pay extra of course for the owner to close later than usual and make it before I flew back here. I just arrived fifteen minutes ago. So it might not be fresh out of the oven fresh, but I hope you can do with it being seven hours old."
Only the option of my jaw breaking wide open could surpass the way I was gawking at Will right now.
He went all the way to New York to get me the burger and then flew straight back here?
I couldn't possibly fathom what had been going through his mind when he did this.
"You..." I couldn't quite process what you to say. If I ended things here, I would just come off as a bitch. On the other hand, if I didn't, Will will keep doing extreme things such as this in the hopes that I would like him more than as a friend.
So with as much guilt running through me as anyone could have running through them, I built up enough courage to hand him back the brown bag with the burger in it.
"What happened? It's yours." Confusion was clearly etched into his face.
"Will," I began, making sure my voice came out as determined and firm as I could be despite feeling like hiding in the corner with guilt. "You're a great friend, and even a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to date you. Heck, you fly all the way to New York because of some burger. You're the type of guy that I would let my daughter date, because you're kind, adorable, quite annoying at times but other than that you're the coolest guy I know."
Will's face scrunched up and I took a breather to collect myself.
"I like you too. Who wouldn't? You're really sweet. But I just see you as a friend and as your friend, I don't think it's right that I'm letting you pine after me and hope I'll eventually like you back in that way when I know, deep down that that won't happen." I tried to smile though my eyes felt like they were one step away from exploding with a flood of tears of guilt. "I'm sorry. I... I," felt like the biggest douche alive. I dropped my eyes from him. I couldn't stomach seeing his reaction. I couldn't look him in the eyes knowing I was stabbing him with a figurative sword right now.
It felt like hours had passed, most likely it was minites when I felt Will's fingers curve themselves around my cheek and he lifted my face up, forcing my eyes to meet his.
Will wasn't angry. He didn't look like he wanted to yell at me. Not did he look like he wished me a slow and painful death.
He was smiling at me, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. At the moment that was better than I had ever hoped or expected. His eyes were warm although they held a certain bout of sorrow within.
Then slowly, Will reached over and wiped away the lone tear that had broken through and had been making a lonesome tear down my face.
"It's okay, Krys," he began, smiling again as if to comfort me when he was the one who needed it more than me. "You don't have to apologize. If anything I'm the one who owes you and apology."
"What?" the words escaped before I could think twice of them.
"I basically forced myself on you. And I kind of already knew that you only saw me as a friend but my stubborn self felt like I could change that. I just thought you would like me eventually, when I knew that that was a long shot."
"You are a great guy Will. If we had met before everything or under much more different circumstances, I would-"
"Don't," he cut me off before smirking to reassure me. "Don't give me those thoughts, especially when we know that won't change anything." He nodded stiffly as if he was resigning himself to a fate. "I'm sorry I was pushing you. I shouldn't have done that. And I'm sorry I made you suffer with any sort of guilt because of my selfishness. He was right. I should've just-"
"He?" I asked, confused as to the identity of this 'he' he was referring to.
"Douglas already talked to me a couple of days ago about forcing myself on you. He said that by doing that I was hurting you more than anyone else. I didn't want to accept it, I guess I just wanted to prove him wrong."
I couldn't stop the flutters that ran though my stomach when I heard Douglas' name. And then I realised that he said that Douglas had stepped in and told Will himself that I didn't like him that way.
"I believe this belongs to you," he said before he pressed something against my hand.
I looked down to see the brown paper bag now in my hands again.
He must've seen the look of confusion on my face because he held an amused smirk on his. "I bought this for you. And only you can have it. Besides, I owe you for getting you in trouble, remember?"
I smiled, remembering our pact from before. He'd gotten me in trouble with Douglas and do we'd agreed on him buying me the burgers from New York. Although at the time I was just going along with it, knowing that it wasn't serious.
"Thanks, Will."
He shrugged. "Although I think I'm entitled to half of it. I did just have my heart broken after all."
I scoffed at the comment. "I wouldn't expect anything else, burger thief."
He frowned. "By the way, what you said before."
I arched a brow, confused as to what he was referring to.
"About you letting me date your daughter..." he chimed over that for a couple of seconds in his head before he shook his head. "I know you meant that in a nice way, but no thanks. That's just gross. Besides it would be totally wrong to date my niece, don't you think?" He said the last sentence nonchalantly but I couldn't help but tense.
Before I could even think up a proper response, my phone rang in my pocket.
I picked up, maintaining my gaze on Will who was smiling as if he knew the conflict within me.
"Hello?"
"Hi there. This is LA General Hospital calling to inform you that..." the last words that the bored sounding lady said faded as the phone slipped out of my fingers.
Nancy.
***
SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE.
ANYWAYS IT'S THE HOLIDAYS.
I HOPE SOME OF YOU ARE STILL HERE READING, ALTHOUGH I WONT BLAME YOU IF YOU'RE NOT ANYMORE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WILL NOW?
WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED WITH NANCY?
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT WILL SAID?
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