Chapter 43 – Tying Loose Ends
There was once a quote about how life was all about waiting for the right time to act. The truth was, though, that it was all an excuse.
Patience was a lifeline for anyone who didn’t have the courage to act right away and after all of the things that had happened in the past few months, Kelsey had managed to create an ideal of what courage truly was, according to her.
Kara had been in jail ever since that day at the factory. Kelsey had attended all of her court hearings and she had also never testified against her sister in the courtroom. She’d testified against Caleb and also against Ricardo Ortega. Ricardo had died. The shot Kara had fired had hit a vital artery and it had proven to be very fatal to him.
But Kelsey had never directly spoken to her sister. Kara had been locked up for almost a month, now, and Kelsey wasn’t sure if she was ready to talk to her sister. She didn’t know what she would say. She didn’t know how she could possibly apologize for all the things they’d had to go through. She didn’t know if Kara was still in love with Caleb.
It would have been very easy to fall in love with him for any girl. He was just like the kind of guy they described in romance novels: handsome, charming, and damaged. He wasn’t the kind of guy Kelsey would fall for. Her type was entirely different.
She felt a small ache in her heart when she thought about Alex, but she didn’t think about that for too long. She was here for Kara, now.
She sensed movement in front of her and she quickly looked up with wide eyes. Kara was dressed in an orange jumpsuit. Kelsey thought it suited her, but not in a bad way. Her hair had grown a little longer than she had last seen her in the trial. She smiled a little when she saw her.
Kelsey smiled, too. She picked up the phone, sitting on the side of the wall. Kara did the same on the other side and for a moment, they were mirror images of one another.
They just stared at each other. Neither said a word for the longest of time. There were a long, comfortable silence between them and neither seemed to want to even say a word.
Kelsey knew she had to take the first step, though. This was her sister and Kara probably felt a lot more ashamed than she did.
“Hey.” She breathed out. That was the only word she could say.
“Hey.” Kara breathed from the other side of the glass.
Then, there was that awkward silence again. Kelsey couldn’t believe it, still. Despite all the fights she’d had with her sister as a child, she’d never thought that Kara would ever land behind bars. It was surprising to her, but she now owed Kara her life.
“Thank you.” She said.
Kara looked up at her surprised. “Why?” She asked. “Why are you saying thank you to me? I almost got you killed. I almost killed you, myself.”
“Yeah.” Kelsey agreed. “That was a really mean thing to do.”
“Mean and deadly.” Kara responded in agreement.
“But I owe you my life, now. If you hadn’t shot Ricardo when you did, I know he would have killed me. I think something like that warrants a thank you.” Kelsey smiled at her sister. “But also, because of you, I’ve experienced adventure in my life. You brought me out of my shell.”
“I guess we should thank destiny, then.” Kara said. “If we hadn’t been born with the same face, this might not have ever happened.” She paused. “I know that you know I’ve never wanted to be twins with you. I thought I was cursed. I also hated you for the longest of time because a part of me blamed you for mom and dad’s divorce. I never wanted our family to separate.”
“I know.” Kelsey said. In her heart, she had known. She wished she had tried a little harder to see things through Kara’s perspective. “Maybe we should have just sat down and talked about it, but that’s my forte more than it’s yours.”
“We should have tried.” Kara agreed. “Also, I’m sorry Caleb kidnapped you. I think I was jealous of you. I mean, he was mine, you know? At least, I thought he was. I would have done anything for him.”
“Would have? Was?” Kelsey asked, surprised. “Has something changed?”
“Yeah.” Kara nodded, with a small smile on her face. “A lot of things have. Being locked up like this gives a person a lot of time to think. I’ve been thinking a lot and I keep thinking of all the time I spent with him. He’s great, you know? It’s easy to love someone like him, even if they don’t love you back. I was so convinced he loved me. I used to think he’d do anything for me. I suppose you could say I was living in an illusion.”
“He cares for you.” Kelsey told her sister. “I know he does.”
“I know. But he doesn’t love me, not the way I love him. I realized that when I was sitting there and he didn’t say or do anything for me. But you did. That made me realize a lot of things. I just didn’t want to believe it at first.” Kara looked down at the table, letting silence fill the time for a bit, before she looked back up with wide eyes. “Has he…” She started reluctantly. “Where is he? Is he locked up somewhere? Did they move him or something?”
Kelsey chuckled. “They had him behind bars until the end of his trial. He was sentenced to death.” Kara gasped at that.
“What happened? Is he dead?” She asked sounding shocked and panicked all at once.
“No.” Kelsey shook her head. “He got away.”
“How?”
“Inside help. Actually, it was Alex’s boss. Agent Burke had been the one helping him and feeding him information right from the start.” She responded. “They were moving him to a maximum security prison. The van got into an accident and everyone inside died. The thing blew up before they could get help and they say the whole thing was a mess. They traced it all back to Burke.”
“How do you know he’s alive, then?” Kara asked. “How do you know he got away?”
Kelsey smiled, reaching into her bag. “I got this a few days ago.” She said, pulling out a piece of paper. It was majorly blank but there were enough words to get a message across. “Someone slipped it under my office door. Read it.”
Kara did and her eyes widened. “H-how do you know it’s him?”
Kelsey read the words out loud. “I’m sorry for all the trouble you’ve all be caused because of me, but I’m taking a second chance at life. I hope you’ll take yours.” She smiled at the end. “It has to be him.”
“He regrets hurting me?” Kara asked.
“I think this is as close to an apology we’ll ever get.” Kelsey answered. “But yeah, I think he regrets what he’s done.”
“Are you going to tell the cops he’s alive?” Kara asked her.
She just shrugged. “They already think he’s dead.” Kelsey answered. “I’m not someone who condones people to death. Besides, I don’t think he’s going to hurt anyone, now. If he does, I’ll be the first one to turn this letter in.”
Kara sighed. “How’s Dad?”
Kelsey grimaced. “He’s upset.” She answered. “Really upset. But, he’s started dating.”
That sparked Kara’s interest. “Really?”
“Yeah.” She answered. “She’s one of my colleagues. Her name’s Penny. She’s really sweet and she’d been through a lot. They have a lot in common and they really get along. Mom and Dad are nicer towards each other, too. They’re almost friends, now.”
“I wish I was out there, too.” Kara remarked.
Kelsey didn’t know what to say, so she stayed quiet. “It would have been nice.” She finally said.
Kara laughed. “Yeah right. I know why I’m in here. I deserve it.” This time, Kelsey didn’t say anything at all. “It’s okay, though. I’m only in here for a few more years. I’ll make it. When I get out, I was kind of hoping that we could refresh our relationship.”
Kelsey smiled. “I would like that.”
“I didn’t think you’d come visit. Mom always told me that you were going to, but I didn’t believe her. If you put me through half the things I put you through, I don’t think I’d visit you, either.” She said, sounding very genuine.
“I’ve forgiven you for it.” Kelsey said. “I didn’t think I could. Before, I used to be furious with you and I thought you were horrible. You weren’t even my sister, but now, I’m not so upset anymore, even if I did have to spend three days with Caleb to reach that conclusion.”
“Everyone must have been really worried about you.” Kara said. “I know Agent Diaz was. I think he suspected I wasn’t you right from the beginning. I even got your birthmark tattooed on me. I know it was a little too far, but we’re now identical in that matter. How is he, anyways? Your cop?”
Kelsey frowned a little at the mention of Alex. She hadn’t seen him for a very long time, either. “I don’t know.”
Kara frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I haven’t been speaking to him very much. I mean, after everything that happened, I think I just wanted normalcy in my life and being around him reminded me too much of what happened. Caleb’s gone. Ricardo’s dead. I think I see Alex as my last link to what happened.”
“What about me?” Kara asked.
“You’re my sister. We have a bond.” She responded, evenly.
“I don’t know what you see, but I think you have a bond with him, too. I don’t know how it came to be. Only you know what, but I can tell you that it’s there. I’ve seen it.” She responded. “You shouldn’t ignore him for something neither of you are responsible for.”
“I don’t know.” Kelsey responded. “I know that, but I don’t know how to start. I mean, this is what brought us together in the first place: the thrill and excitement. I told him I’d talk to him, but I’m scared. I’m meeting him after I leave from here. I’m worried that after talking to me, he’ll realize how boring I am when the thrill and excitement isn’t there.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Kara said. “Agent Diaz is a professional, isn’t he?”
“I guess.” Kelsey reluctantly responded.
“He is!” Kara determined. “And he’s probably handled a ton of cases like this. Do you think that he’s the kind of person who gets attached to his witnesses and whatnot every time? No!” Kara answered for Kelsey. “He’s professional. Something obviously happened this time. Besides, you’ll make a good couple.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Think about it. You’re always busy with your school work, but your schedule is mostly flexible. His isn’t. He has to go to work whenever. You’ll have a ton of time to spend together and you’re both boring and dull. I think your match was made in heaven. He’s not my type, though. But I approve.” Then, Kara hesitated. “Not that my approval should mean much to you.”
“It does mean something to me.” Kelsey answered. “And I think you’re right. I think I should give it a try.”
Kara beamed. “You totally should.”
“What will I say to him, though?” Kelsey asked. “I haven’t talked to him in months.”
“It doesn’t matter. Just talk to him. Don’t chicken out or anything. And remember that at the wedding, I want to see pictures and everything.” Kara smiled.
“I’m glad to have you back in my life.” Kelsey smiled at her sister. “I will talk to him. And I’ll keep visiting you a lot, too. Hopefully, you’ll get parole or something.”
Kara smiled. “I doubt it. I’m a most wanted criminal, remember?”
“You know Brett was bluffing.” Kelsey grinned.
“It made me feel all important, though. I was grinning when they took me from the hospital in handcuffs.” Kara said. “I thought they might send me to the psycho ward.”
“Whatever.” Kelsey rolled her eyes. Just then, the officer appeared in the room and informed the girls that their time together was up. Kelsey smiled at her sister. “I’ll visit again, soon.”
“I’ll wait up for you.” Kara said and they laughed together in a very long time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex was nervous. He wasn’t sure what he should be expecting. He hadn’t heard from Kelsey in a month and then, all of the sudden, she wanted to talk to him. She wanted to meet up with him. He knew that a woman’s mind was an unpredictable place to be and he had no idea what to expect.
No amount of training could have prepared him for this.
Even though he’d told Kelsey he’d meet her at three, he’d arrived here a half an hour early. He’d spent the first fifteen minutes in his car, and then, he’d waited up in the café for about five. He was almost certain that she’d arrive early.
He was proven right when the café door opened a few minutes later and Kelsey appeared. She looked a lot different from the woman he’d first met. Today, she was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a sweatshirt. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. He smiled at the sight of her.
He didn’t know what it was about this woman that made him feel so different from the way he normally did. Her eyes scanned the café before they landed on him. She seemed to freeze for a moment. Alex understood the emotion because he felt the same way as their eyes met. Then, she tentatively smiled.
Alex was so enthralled by the vision that he couldn’t remember to smile back. She made her way across the café and took a seat in the chair in front of him, setting her bag down on the ground beside her.
“Hi.” She smiled at him.
“Hi.”
She cleared her throat. “You must be wondering why I’ve called you here.” She said, staring down at the table in front of her. “Actually, I wasn’t sure why either, but I felt like I needed to talk to you about the things we have between us. I feel like we’re in a weird middle zone.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “I had been wondering why you wanted to talk to me out of the blue.”
Kelsey nodded. “I would wonder, too. I went to see Kara, today.” She said. She went to see her sister? Alex wasn’t sure how he felt about it. “We talked. I think I can forgive her, now. She regrets the decisions she’s made. I think we’ll be okay. It’s just that made me realize that I didn’t know if we’ll be okay. You and me.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.”
“So, what did you decide?” Alex felt like his future was hanging on a thin line.
“Nothing. I thought that we should decide together. A lot happened between us in a short amount of time and there was never a break to really stop and think and now with all of this over, I’ve had a lot of time to think and I realized that I don’t love you.” She said the words quickly and easily. “I had to tell you that.”
Alex was speechless. He had no idea what to say, what to think. Was he supposed to be heartbroken? He wasn’t. He liked Kelsey a lot, but he knew he didn’t love her. There was never any time to fall in love. “Oh.”
“But I do like you, in a weird way.” She added on. Her eyes left the table and met his. They were filled with expectation.
“Oh?” This oh was optimistic. She frowned a little. She’d clearly hoped for a slightly better response. Alex cleared his throat, trying to think of one. “I like you, too. But, I don’t love you.”
She smiled. “So we’re on the same page?”
“Not exactly.” Alex answered. “I mean, why are you telling me this, now? What changed?”
Her eyes widened. “A lot of things changed. I was kind of hung up on what happened and I couldn’t think of a relationship with you. I picked up the phone a thousand times to call you, but I hung up before I finished dialing the number every time. You never called. How was I supposed to know if I even had the right to call?”
“You should have known. And I’m sorry. I should have called, too. It’s just that I get busy a lot. My family keeps asking about you and I never have any answer to give them. Also, I didn’t want to rush you. I just wanted to know why…now?” He answered, sincerely.
“I see.” She stared at the table again. “So what do you think? I mean, everything’s over now. Kara’s in jail. Ricardo is dead. Caleb is gone, too. There’s nothing stopping us now.”
“You know, I’d decided that I would ask you out once this whole thing ended? I’d decided in my mind that I would. Then, that day in the factory, when you ran into my arms, I thought we’d be okay. But then you got so distant.” He paused. “I just wasn’t sure, anymore. I mean, do you think we have a chance?”
She smiled. “If I didn’t think we could have a chance, I wouldn’t be here to tell you that I feel something for you. It took me a lot of courage to come here, today. I’d been attracted to you right from the start. I’m glad I came here, though. I’m glad we talked. I’m glad we got to talk about this and I’m glad we can move past it now.”
“So then you’ll try this thing with me? A relationship?” Alex asked. Kelsey bit her lip.
“Are you asking me out?”
“Yeah?”
“Then, yes.” She beamed. “I’ll go out with you.”
I hope this tied up loose ends for you and managed to give you a satisfactory ending. I hope you've enjoyed this story as mcuh as I enjoyed writing it.
I hope you'll share this adventure with me again.
And yeah....Epilogue is coming soon :)
In fact, it should be up in a few minutes :)