8/9
🕊WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL🕊
🍁EPISODE EIGHT🍁
I felt numb, my br@in refused to function, my knees felt
like they wouldn’t be able to bear my weight any minute.
The hall was abuzz with people laughing, chatting, skrie-king
and singing. But I wasn’t hearing, wasn’t seeing anything.
The world seemed to be a blur and everything was moving
in slow motion. I felt like I was in a tragic film. And the only
difference between a heartbreaking movie scene and my
reality was the cinematic score.
I blindly walked towards the girls’ room and locked
myself up in a cubicle.
He’s back. He’s perfectly fine!
I felt that moment of weakness as happiness, sadness
and relief enveloped me all at once. I silently let go of the
tears that I was holding back since I saw his face again.
Hunter made it!
His operation was successful. He could be whole again.
He nee-d not feel that he was useless and worthless. He
could go back to his old self, live a normal life and enjoy the
best of what life had to offer him.
He looked into my eyes and saw my face. I sadly
realized that he looked right throu-gh me. Like I was…
invisible.
How ironic that I had always wanted to be invisible since
I went back to school. But now, I wanted Hunter to look at
me… and see me the way he did when he was blind.
I had waited for this moment for the past five hundred
forty-eight days. Each night, I would imagine throwing
myself in his arms and giving him a ti-ght embr@ce. I would think about how it would be when he finally said he loved
me… and how I would say I loved him too.
But now that he was here… the first time he saw my
face… he didn’t even seem like he recognized me at all.
Maybe he didn’t. He didn’t t©uçh my face. When he was
blind, he t©uçhed my scars, and tried to memorize my facial
features. He wouldn’t know what I looked like until he
t©uçhed me. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he would
eventually realize who I was and things would go back to
the way they used to be… the way I imagined they would
be.
When I went out of the ladies’ room, the hall was empty.
I decided to make a quic-k escape and headed home. I
couldn’t face Chaise and Denise. They would ask questions
as to why I was crying. And I could not answer them. Not
yet. I waited for this moment for such a long time. But now,
I felt like this moment broke my heart more than when
Hunter left.
I held Hunter’s n£¢klace in my hand.
I believe in you. I believe in us.
I called Mrs. Bailey and told her I could not come to work
tonight. I was not feeling well. That wasn’t a lie. I wasn’t
sick, but I wasn’t well either. When I got home, I went
straight to be-d and curled up un-der the sheets.
I remembered the things he said to me, the promises he
made that kept me together for the last one and a half
years.
“You smell like strawberries. You have this sweet scent
that is engraved in my mind now. I would recognize you
anywhere.”
“I see you… angel. And you’re beautiful to me.”
“Because of you… I want to see again. I want to take
care of you. I want to see you smile, as much as I love
hearing you laugh. I want to build a future with you… where
I can protect you, where I am capable enough to chase your
nightmares away.”
For the first time since Hunter left, I didn’t feel like
writing in my diary at all. So, I sought refuge in sleep. I was
woken up by the sound of my phone ringing. I had more
than twenty missed calls coming from both Denise and
Chaise.
The phone rang again. I answered it this time. It was
Chaise.
“Where are you?” His voice was not too plea-sed. “You
had me worrying all afternoon!”
My heart warmed at the thought that Chaise genuinely
cared for me, that he could see me from the beginning. I
cared about him now too. He was a dear friend. I liked to call
him my guardian angel. But I know now why I could not fall
in love with him. He wasn’t… Hunter.
“I suddenly had a headache. I went home,” I replied.
“Stay there. I’m coming!”
He hung up. I made no effort to get out of be-d. The
phone rang again. This time it was Denise.
“Where are you?”
“Home.”
“You cut clas-ses?”
“I have a headache,” I lied again.
“Shoot! Stay put. I’ll be there in a few.”
She was about to hang up but I said, “Denise?”
“Yes?”
I took a de-ep breath. “Your cousin? What’s his name?”
I waited nervously for her answer. After what seemed
like forever, she replied, “Hunter. Hunter Vaughn. Now, wait
for me.”
After a few minutes, the doorbell rang. I finally got up
from be-d to get it. I opened the door and the minute Chaise
saw me, he snatched me into his arms and gave me a ti-ght
hvg.
I closed my eyes and let him hold me. I knew it was
wrong, but I just felt drained… and broken. And I nee-ded
someb©dy to comfort me… be strong for me. I could never return Chaise’s feelings but right now… I nee-ded him. I
nee-ded someone to catch me and pick me up… because I
felt like my whole being was about to shatter into a million
pieces. The only person that kept me strong for the last one
and a half years couldn’t see me… couldn’t remember me…
couldn’t even recognize me.
Chaise rested his cheek against my head as he kept his
arms around me. We stood there in the porch for a couple of
minutes, with me locked in Chaise’s embr@ce, trying my
best not to cry, not to whimper.
Suddenly, I heard a sound of a car door closing. Chaise
and I turned to look behind him. I saw Denise approaching
us. The car behind her drove away, its engine ma-king a
loud, angry roar and after a few seconds we heard a
screeching sound of tires. Even Denise ran back towards the
streets to check if everything was okay. She shook her head
and muttered, “What a prick!”
I pu-ll-ed away from Chaise. He reluctantly re-leased me.
“Who was that?” Chaise asked Denise.
“My douchebag cousin,” she replied in an irritated tone.
“Hunter Vaughn,” Chaise said.
“The one and only,” Denise said sarcastically.
“Did you have a fight or something?” Chaise asked. “He
sounded like he wanted to ram his car into a tree.”
Denise shook her head. “We did not even speak to each
other the whole way. He’s just a j£rk sometimes. Well, he
always seemed angry. He outcasts himself, engages in
fights. And in his condition… he should have been very
careful.”
“Condition?” Chaise echoed as we all went inside my
house.
I closed the door behind me. I didn’t have to wait for
Denise’s response. I know what she meant by Hunter’s
condition. He just had a successful corneal transplant. He
should take care of his eyes because a simple head trauma
alone might cause him to lose his eyesight again.
“Hunter had a car accident that killed my aunt, his
mom,” Denise said. “It… blinded him.”
Chaise’s eyes wi-de-ned. “Blind? He didn’t look blind to
me.”
Denise nodded. “He was. For more than a year. He
stayed in an institution here, didn’t want to live with any of
us. But one day, he just told his dad that he was re-ady to
give transplant a chance. His father immediately got hold of
a donor and made sure he had the best doctors, in the best
facility in the world. When he has fully recovered, he
returned to town, saying he wanted to stay here until he
goes away for college.” Denise sighed. “I ba-rely liked him
before. We just didn’t get along well. He was so… perfect.
Smart. Talented. Good-looking. He was so blessed.”
“But he lost his mother and his eyesight,” I said to her
then I shook my head. “You still have both. You should
realize how much luckier you are than him.”
Denise stared at me for a while. Then I saw
embarras-sment and guilt cross her face. She nodded.
“You’re right. It must have been very difficult for him.”
“It was!” I almost snapped at her. I couldn’t help it. I
didn’t just guess Hunter’s feelings. I knew them! I knew that
it was hell for him to lose the most important things in his
life.
Chaise stared at me for a second. “You okay, babe?”
I shook myself back to reality. Denise was giving me a
weird look, like she didn’t un-derstand what c@m£ over me. I
realized I c@m£ on too strong on her and she didn’t know
that I knew Hunter from before he had his operation.
“I’m sorry. It must be my headache,” I lied again. I sat
down on the couch and Chaise sat beside me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Denise asked me.
I nodded.
“You must be hungry,” Denise said. “It’s almost time for
dinner.”
“Why don’t we order pizza and we’ll all do our
homework together?” Chaise asked.
Denise shrugged. “Sounds like a good idea. I can’t be
home for the family dinner. For sure my parents would again
hail King Hunter for acing his first day in school, although he
was practically catching up with us since he missed out a lot
during his accident.”
“So he won’t be graduating with us?” Chaise asked.
“Oh, he will. After his operation, he did a lot of home
studying to make up for the time he lost. And he’s taking
extra clas-ses and acceleration exams now, so he can
graduate this year,” Denise replied.
“They can’t do that, can they?” Chaise asked.
“I’m sure they can make an exception,” I said. “If
someone is exceptionally smart then his br@in just might be
able to take twice or thrice the learning an average person
takes.”
Denise stared at me for a moment and then she
nodded. “And Hunter is exceptionally smart.”
Chaise raised a brow. “Really?”
Denise nodded. “Yeah. He’s like Einstein smart!” I
thought I heard pride in her voice this time. Then she
sighed. “I guess that’s why I didn’t like him. Because no
matter how many times I aced my tests, my parents still
held a torch for their nephew… who had been officially
tested to have a genius IQ. They were so proud of him, they
sometimes forget that I am their kid.”
“Seriously? That’s tough.” Chaise sounded like he’s
disliking Hunter more and more by the second.
“Yep! Genius and h0t! What a rare combination,” Denise
said, rolling her eyes.
“Maybe you’re just frustrated you can’t d@t£ him
because he’s your cousin,” Chaise said to Denise with a
teasing grin on his face.
She picked up a pillow and threw it at him. “Perv!” she
muttered un-der her breath and Chaise laughed.
“How was… his transplant?” I asked, trying to sound
casual.
“It was successful. But he has to take good care of it.
Though transplants can last for a very long time, apparently,
they don’t last forever. He might nee-d to get another one
when this one wears out.”
I nodded slightly, but something inside me broke. Again,
I couldn’t help feeling bad for Hunter. But I was happy too.
Ten or twenty years… a guy like him could make giant
leaps… epic years.
I remembered he told me that he decided to go throu-gh
with it because… because he wanted to see me, he wanted
to be able to protect me. Those memories pinched my
heart. I wanted to know if he still meant those words, now
that he’s perfect again.
We all managed to finish our homework by ten. Meredith
was out of town again. And although, at first I wanted to be
alone, I was thankful that Denise and Chaise decided to
hang out with me.
“I’m gonna call Hunter to pick me up,” Denise said.
“No nee-d,” Chaise said. “I’ll drop you off.”
I smiled at that. Denise and Chaise seemed to be
getting along just fine now. Sure they still tease each other
a lot, but at least they know how to co-exist now.
They gathered their stuff and then headed for the door.
“Good night and have a good rest,” Denise said, leaning
forward to k!ssme on the cheek. Then she went outside,
leaving Chaise and me for a little while.
“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay here?” Chaise
asked.
I nodded.
“If something happens, call me first before 911, okay?”
I giggled. “You pl@ythe guardian angel p@rt too well.
Thank you. But don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”
“Good night,” he said. Then he leaned forward and
k!$$£d the t©p of my head. “Sweet dreams.”
“You too.”
The next day, I felt more conscious when I walked the
halls. When my normal routine included dodging legs that
were meant to s£nd me flying face first on the floor and
ignoring the snide remarks and insults thrown my way,
today my mind was actually on something else. I was on the
lookout for Hunter.
I didn’t see him all morning. We didn’t share any clas-s.
And I didn’t know whether I should be thankful or sad about
that. Lunchtime, I was lining up alone to get food in the
cafeteria. Denise and Chaise weren’t there yet.
I noticed that Queen Chelsea and Witless Candy were in
the line in front of me.
“I don’t really un-derstand why Chaise is with her!”
Chelsea said.
“Come on! Is he blind? She’s a monster!” Candy agreed.
I didn’t have to guess. The ‘her’ and the ‘she’ in those
statements, actually referred to ‘me’. I wonder if they
realized I was just behind them. Maybe they knew, but they
just didn’t care.
I took a couple of steps back to increase the distance
between us. I didn’t really want to hear what they were
saying about me. I was about to eat my lunch and I was a
bit hungry. I didn’t want to lose my appetite.
When I took another step back, I bu-mped into
something ha-rd and solid behind me. I spun around and
found Hunter staring down at me with a frown on his face.
He looked like he found it literally annoying to have a little
bit of physical contact with me.
“Are you going to collide with me every single day
throu-ghout the entire school year?” he asked with a bored
expression on his face. “Let me know the program, so I’ll be
prepared.”
“I’m… I’m sorry,” I said in a weak voice.
He turned away from me and scooped himself some
mashed potato. I was frozen in my place, unable to make myself move. I just stood there staring at him with a dazed
expression on my face. When he turned back to me, he saw
that I hadn’t budged. He raised a brow and then as if
realizing I wasn’t going to move soon, he moved past me
and never looked back.
I stared at the food in front of me, not really finding
anything interesting to eat now. I had completely lost my
appetite.
“Hey, dude,” a guy beside me said. “You’re holding up
the line.”
I apologized and took a carton of milk from my tray then
I paid for it at the cashier. I walked to our usual table. I saw
Hunter sitting in the middle of the cafeteria, where all the
popular boys and girls sat. My heart sank. I wondered if he
was really like this before he lost his sight. He looked like he
belonged there—to the group of privileged snobs, rich br@ts
and high school bullies.
I drank my milk and stared into space. I remembered
our first d@t£. He treated me like a princess even though he
was blind. It was one of the best times of my life after I lost
my family. He made me feel like I mattered to him, that he
would always stand by me. Even when he was blind, he saw
what was inside me, spoke to my soul… got throu-gh to my
heart. But now…
Are you going to collide with me every single day
throu-ghout the entire school year? Let me know the
program, so I’ll be prepared.
It was almost like saying, Stay the hell away from me.
How could he say that when before he left he said, ‘I
want to see you smile, as much as I love hearing you
laugh… I want to build a future with you… where I can
protect you, where I am capable enough to chase your
nightmares away’?
Now, he looks at me like the rest of them… like a
vermin… like the mere sight of me boils his blood. How could he do that when he said he wanted to see the face of
his angel, that he wanted to see me the way that I saw him?
How can everything be upside down and inside out? For
more than a year… I have our love as my refuge. I have the
hopes of his return to hold on to. That it doesn’t matter what
the other kids in school say or do to me. Because Hunter’s
love was enough for me to move on and live each day with
a smile. But now… what have I got?
Tears rolled down my cheeks and I wiped them before
anyb©dy could notice. I took a sip of my milk. Just then,
someb©dy shoved a tray with an apple on it in front of me.
I stared up and saw Chaise sit on the empty chair beside
me.
“Milk is not enough,” he said. He settled his tray on the
table. “Just yesterday you have a headache. I don’t want
you to get sick.”
I smiled at his thoughtfulness. “You really make a great
guardian angel,” I tea-sed him.
“That, I am!” he said dryly. “Unfortunately, I would
rather be called your b©yfri£nd.”
I sighed.
Here we go again!
“Chaise…”
“I know!” He heaved a frustrated sigh. “You can’t,
right?”
I nodded.
“Alice… why not? Is it me? Is something wrong with me,
you couldn’t like me?”
“I like you,” I said. “Just not…”
“Not like me, like me,” he finished for me, sighing
heavily again.
I bit myl-ip. God knows how loveable Chaise could be.
He was really handsome, like a model who stepped out of
the covers of a magazine. He was sweet and funny and
when he wanted something, he worked ha-rd for it… when
he cared about something, he did everything to protect it. I should have fallen in love with him alre-ady. But I couldn’t. I
was in love with someb©dy else. Remembering the
shattering pain inside my che-st, I realized that I was still in
love with that person.
“Chaise… you’re so good to me,” I said. “Even with the
way I look, you still liked me. But… I can’t.”
He raised a brow. Then this eyes went to my che-st,
where my n£¢klace was.
“There’s someone else?” he asked.
I didn’t want to hurt him, but I also wanted to be honest
with him. I nodded slightly.
“Where is he?”
About twenty feet behind us.
I wanted to tell him. But I didn’t know how to. I didn’t
even know if Hunter was still the same person he was when
he was blind. As I heard laughter coming from the table
where Hunter was… I realized that he belonged there. With
the charmed ones. He was, after all, a golden boy before he
lost his sight. And he wasn’t blind anymore, so it was easy
to go back to old habits. Maybe that guy who loved me was
never coming back. Because the guy who looked at me with
annoyance a while ago… that wasn’t my Hunter. They look
alike, but my Hunter would be strong enough to fight for
me, and would see that something in me was worth loving.
“He’s… gone,” I replied in a weak voice.
Chaise stared at me for a moment and then he
whispered, “Then babe… get him out of your heart, so I
could come in.”
I felt for Chaise at that moment. I wished it was that
easy. I wished my heart had a switch bu-tton that I could turn
off for one guy and on for another.
I reached out for Chaise’s hand and squee-zed it. “I’m
sorry, Chaise.” Tears were beginning to well up in my eyes. I
didn’t want to cry, but since Hunter’s return, I had been
feeling emotional.
Chaise sighed and pu-ll-ed his hand away. “Hey!” he said
in a soothing voice. He cu-mpped my face between his hands.
“Don’t cry, babe. I’ll be okay. As long as you let me care for
you and love you… even as a friend. That’s good enough.
Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll wake up and realize
that… you’re in love with me alre-ady.” He grinned smugly.
“It’s not like your ex-b©yfri£ndis around to make you feel
otherwise, anyway.”
I bit myl-ip.
If only you knew.
“You say it like you’re hoping for a miracle.”
Chaise smiled at me bitterly. “When it comes to you, I
don’t believe in miracles anymore,” he said. “I rely on
them… like my life depended on them.”
“Chaise…” I whispered. I didn’t know what to say really.
I felt both guilty and sad. But I couldn’t lie to him. I couldn’t
f0rç£ myself to fall for him. I couldn’t even f0rç£ myself to
forget Hunter.
We heard loud laughter from the center where I knew
Hunter was sitting in with the rest of the ‘beautiful ones’.
But shortly after, we heard a commotion. We turned around
to see what it was about. Everyb©dy froze. I felt like time
was frozen. The only ones moving were Hunter and Don
Winston.
Hunter held Don by the collar, then he swung his arm
and his fist connected with Don’s jaw. Then he pushed him
to the table.
Hunter turned around and walked away without a word.
Everyb©dy was shocked, everyb©dy felt scared. They
expected Don to fight back, but he was only looking at
Hunter like he had no idea what just happened.
Hunter had a furious look on his face. He glanced at my
direction and our eyes met. He raised a brow and then he
turned away, shaking his head slightly. Then he pushed the
cafeteria door open with a strong f0rç£.
The world moved again when he was out of sight.
Everyb©dy wanted to know what happened. People went to
Don’s side to ask him if he was alright.
I turned away from them. Don must have said
something stupid, which he didn’t know was offensive.
Hunter was a very s-en-sible, level-headed guy. His time
being blind should have taught him to think first before he
reacted. Don must have done something to provoke him.
“I can’t say Winston didn’t deserve that,” Chaise said,
shaking his head. He stared at me for a moment. “Denise’s
cousin seems like a firecracker, though. Worse than her.”
“Where is Denise anyway?” I asked, trying to change
the t©pic. “She’s been too busy to have lunch lately.”
Chaise inclined his head to the right. “Ask her yourself.”
Suddenly, Denise sat down in front of us, settling her
tray on the table. Her face was flu-shed.
“Everything okay?” Chaise asked her.
Denise shook her head. “Hunter is out of control
sometimes.”
“We could tell,” Chaise said. It didn’t sound like he
cared.
“I just don’t get why he’s a dynamite in p@n-ts. Before
his accident, he was just pla-yful… conceited even. When he
lost his mom and his sight, he was angry at the world. I get
that. But now that he could see again… I thought he’ll go
back to being the smug, mischievous boy I used to know. I
was prepared to handle even that. But not this… quiet,
brewing, impatient trouble-maker that c@m£ back as him.”
“Maybe he’s still adjusting to school again,” Chaise
suggested.
“I hope so. I didn’t want to worry about him all the time.
But I can’t help it.”
I can’t help it too. This was not the Hunter I knew. Even
when he was blind and mad at the world, he wasn’t like this.
He wouldn’t start unnecessary fights… especially not when he was in an institution with rules to follow and authority to
respect. He was smarter than that.
I told Chaise and Denise that I would be heading off. I
still had to pas-s by my locker and my next clas-s was starting
in a couple of minutes.
The hall was still almost empty when I got there. Most of
the kids were probably still in the cafeteria, having lunch
and gossiping about the incident with Don and Hunter.
I saw Hunter standing in front of his locker. My heart
pounded in my che-st. I took a de-ep breath and gathered my
courage. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to know for sure if
he knew who I was. If he did… and he didn’t care about me
anymore, then I knew I should move on. I should let go of
any hope I still held on to in my heart.
I stood a few feet behind him. I took a de-ep breath
again and then I said, “Hunter…”
The minute I called him, he st©pped what he was doing
but he didn’t turn around to face me. He took something out
from his locker.
“What do you want?” he asked in a cold voice.
Yes. What do I want?
I drew in a de-ep breath again. “Do you… do you know
who I am?” It was the only question I could think of…
simple, short and direct to the point.
He paused for a second, but he still didn’t turn to look at
me. I waited for like an eternity before he closed his locker
with a stronger f0rç£ than required and then finally he
turned to me. A cold expression was pasted on his face. He
stared at me for a moment with narrowed eyes, as if he was
trying his best to recognize me, remember me.
“No,” he finally said shaking his head. “Apparently, I
don’t know you at all.” I thought my heart broke at that
instance. Then he added, “Oh, wait. Right. You’re Chaise
Anderson’s girlfriend,” he said flatly, his eyes were devoid of
any emotion… like he didn’t care at all.
That surprised me. The last time I checked, I was his
girlfriend but he was acting like he wasn’t interested in me
anymore. He was acting like we didn’t have a past and the
mere pres£nce of me disgusts him, just like the rest of the
kids in this school. I couldn’t find my voice. My heart was
breaking inside and I was struggling to stand straight or
breathe properly.
He took a step towards me. His eyes were boring
throu-gh me. He stood too close, I could almost feel his
warmth. I could smell his sweet, masculine cologne. I could
see his pupils dilating.
He continued looking down at me with that angry
expression on his face. I couldn’t recognize him at all. He
looked the same as the guy I loved… but this wasn’t him
anymore. Even though he couldn’t see me before, he never
looked at me this way.
“Is there a problem here?” a familiar voice asked behind
us, taking us both out of the trance we were in.
I turned around and found Chaise looking carefully at
Hunter. Without taking his eyes from him, he reached out
and pu-ll-ed me away so I could stand next to him.
“Are you okay, babe?” he asked as he looked down at
me. I couldn’t answer. I could still feel Hunter’s clos£ness
electrifying me. Hi omeano on+233544142683 to be added to story headquarters room for more stories.
Funny, I could now see the hvge difference between
these two boys. Being close to Chaise felt like being safe
and comfortable. Like you’re snuggling your childhood
blanket. Being close to Hunter felt electric, like pu-lling away
from gravity or magnetic poles. No matter how ha-rd you try
to fight it, you won’t win against it… no matter how
dangerous and unsafe it is, no matter how much pain it
might bring you… you still want to suc¢v-mb to it… give in…
give it all up for him.
“Babe? Seriously?” Hunter laughed as if it was the most
ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. I wanted to sl@p him
because he made it sound like Chaise d@t!ngme was a laughable joke… like anyb©dy d@t!ngme was a laughable
joke.
Chaise apparently felt the same way too. “Yes!
Seriously! Do you have a problem with that?” he asked
angrily. He shoved me behind him, as if he was shielding me
from Hunter. I was reminded of the night he saved me from
those potheads. I almost forgot that Chaise felt it was his
mission to protect me.
Hunter looked at how Chaise stood in front of me and he
seemed disgusted even more. He balled his hands into fists
and raised a challenging brow at Chaise. My heart pounded
inside my che-st. I didn’t want this to get out of hand.
Oh no! This is not happening!
“Chaise… let’s go,” I said, pu-lling Chaise away.
Chaise was looking at Hunter angrily too, he didn’t even
move a muscle when I pu-ll-ed him.
“Chaise, plea-se,” I begged.
Finally, I felt Chaise relax. He pointed a f!nger at Hunter
and said, “Stay the hell away from her!”
Hunter glared at him said, “Gladly!”
Chaise finally took my hand and we walked away. After a
few seconds, we heard a loud ban-g. Neither I nor Chaise
turned around but we both knew what that noise was.
Hunter couldn’t resist punching his locker door.
Chaise shook his head coolly, as if he couldn’t believe
there was a guy who had such a bad temper and could stay
angry all the time. I couldn’t believe it too. Hunter, even
when he was blind and mad at the world, was cool. He was
quiet and he bottled it all up inside him. He was smart
enough to keep his emotions un-der control. But now… he
was randomly punching kids and insulting people… insulting
me. And he didn’t even know me. He looked like he didn’t
recognize me, not even my voice. If he really loved me… my
voice would have been familiar to him, even if he had no
idea what I looked like. And even if he didn’t remember me,I didn’t know Hunter could be so mean. The way he looked
at me… spoke to me… it was like he was disgusted with me.
“You okay?” Chaise asked, concern was all over his
voice.
I nodded. “I thought you were going to fight with him. I
felt scared. He just had a corneal transplant, and I’ve seen
you fight. It won’t be good for his operation.”
Chaise stared at me for a long moment. Then he
grinned. “Well… I don’t care if he gets blind again. He has
no right insulting you like that. You know I will always
protect you, right? I am your guardian angel, after all.”
I smiled at him. I may have forever lost Hunter’s love…
but at least I was thankful that for now… I have Chaise’s
friendsh!pto count on. It may not be fair to Chaise that he
was only a friend… a protector… a guardian angel to me.
But I was hoping things would all fall into place someday.
🕊 ~WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL🕊~
🍁EPISODE NINE🍁
Friday night, Denise insisted that I sleep over. She said
we’d been best friends for more than a year but I had never
even met her family. I didn’t want to go but she was
begging, almost crying even. She even spoke to Meredith
about it. And since I didn’t want Meredith to further inquire
what the big deal was, why I could not sleep over Denise’s
house, I decided to be br@ve about it. After all, Denise and
Hunter weren’t really close. And she had a big house. If I
stayed in Denise’s be-droom, I should be okay.
When Chaise picked me up that night, he asked me
about it.
“So you’re going to spend the night un-der one roof with
Mr. Short Temper?”
“Huh?” I stared at him blankly.
“Hunter Vaughn. He lives with Denise, right?”
“Oh,” was all I could say. I didn’t want to talk about
Hunter, I didn’t even want to remember him. Because if I
did… I would only remember the last time he looked at me…
with contempt and disgust. I wanted to preserve Hunter’s
memory in my mind. The one that was gentle, sweet…
wonderful.
“If he so much as insults you, you would tell me, right?”
No.
But I nodded slightly.
“Mr. Smarty p@n-ts thought he was above everyb©dy
else,” he murmured as he started driving. We drove all the
way in silence.
Chaise took me to Denise’s place. “I’ll pick you up
tomorrow.” He stared at me for a moment and then he looked down at my pendant again. He frowned slightly.
“He’s still in, huh.”
I bit my l!pbut did not respond. Right now… if the
choice was up to me, I’d get Hunter out of my heart and try
to move on. But sometimes, you can’t make decisions in
love. Your heart makes all those stupid decisions for you.
And I still loved Hunter no matter if he didn’t love me
anymore… no matter if he didn’t want anything to do with
me anymore.
I stared up at Chaise. “I nee-d to go.”
He nodded slightly, and I went down from the car. I
walked towards Denise’s front door. Before I reached the
front steps, I stared up and saw Hunter. He was standing in
the balcony two floors above me. He was wearing nothing
but a pair of jeans, his abs were expo-sed to my view. He
was holding a bottle of what looked like beer in one hand.
He was looking down, watching me. His brow was raised,
and I thought he didn’t look too plea-sed. But I was used to
that by now. It was his constant reaction to me since he
c@m£ back.
Hunter Vaughn was slowly entering my “Ignore List”. I
wished I could also ignore this throbbing pain inside my
che-st every time I saw him, or even thought about him.
I took a de-ep breath and rang the bell. I looked back and
saw that Chaise had not yet gone away. He was waiting for
me to go inside the house. Of course, like a true guardian
angel, he was waiting for me to be safely inside.
Denise’s house was mas-sive. The living room alone was
twice the size of my entire house. The ceilings were high
and they were adorned with beautiful crystal chandeliers.
“We alre-ady had dinner,” she said. “But I had something
prepared for you.”
She led me to the dining room. I saw a beautiful blonde
woman standing there, giving instructions to the maid.
“Mom! Alice is here,” she said to the woman.
Mrs. Wesley smiled at me. “Hello, dear. I have heard so
much about you. It’s good to finally meet you.” Denise’s
mother extended her hand to me. I shook it shyly. “Your
dinner is re-ady. I’m sorry, we alre-ady ate without you.”
“It’s okay. It’s quite late, I know. But my shift does not
finish until ten,” I said.
“Yes, Denise mentioned you work for Alibri.”
I nodded.
“I know Agnes Bailey. Nice woman. The shop is doing
well, I suppose.”
I nodded again. “It is, Ma’am.”
“Call me Susan,” she said.
“Okay… Susan.”
Susan smiled at me and I could see that the warmth on
her smile was genuine. Then she turned to Denise, “Join
Alice while she eats.”
We approached a ten-seater porcelain table with
luxurious green and cream cushioned chairs. The table was
set for two.
“I’m not going to eat dinner again, Mom,” Denise said.
“But I will have some dessert.”
“I know. The other plate was for Hunter. He didn’t eat
yet.”
My heart pounded in my che-st at the mere mention of
his name. My knees alre-ady felt weak and I was sure that
my cheeks were turning pinkish. I was quite certain that I
wouldn’t be able to eat dinner properly if Hunter was sitting
a few feet away from me.
“Can we eat first and you call him later?” Denise asked,
rolling her eyes.
“Denise…” her mother sighed. “You know… Hunter’s
having a difficult time coping up with everything. He
constantly nee-ds warm company, right Alice?”
Susan looked at me, expecting me to agree with her.
“I… I guess.” I tried to smile.
“Have dinner now. I will call Hunter,” Susan said, not
giving any of us time to argue.
Denise gro-an ed when her mother was gone. She pu-ll-ed
me to sit on one of the chairs. “Come, eat quic-kly so we can
go to my room!”
I couldn’t agree with her more. I was hungry too and I
knew that the minute Hunter c@m£ to the dining room, I
wouldn’t even be able to chew my food.
There was salmon carbonara and garden salad. I started
eating while Denise talked about a trip to their lake house
that she was planning soon.
I only half-listened to her, I was concentrating on
chewing fast without losing my table etiquette or choking on
my food.
I was alre-ady finished but Hunter made no appearance. I
thought he also did not have the appetite to eat with me in
the dinner table. And I didn’t know whether I should be
relieved or even more heartbroken about that.
I was eating Susan’s famous carrot cake when Denise
st©pped talking. I realized that Hunter went into the dining
room. I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. He was
t©pless and ba-refoot. He went to the fridge to get something
and while he had his back on us, I took the opportunity to
look at his well-sculpted back. He was lean and his muscles
were very well-toned. They weren’t wrestle-mania-bulging
but damn! Hunter knew how to take care of his b©dy.
Then I was looking at his torso. His muscles were even
more toned there. He had a perfect six-pack, a proof that he
spent several hours a week working out. I remembered that
Hunter was a black-belt in Karate. But I doubt he was able to
spend time sparring lately. That would be very bad for his
transplant. As I stared at his perfect muscles, I bit my lower
l!pinvoluntarily to keep my mouth from gaping.
My eyes darted up towards his che-st and shoulders.
They were broad and I remembered how it felt like to lean on them, rest my cheeks on them while his well-toned arms
were around me, keeping me safe… keeping me warm.
Finally, my eyes went up to his face. They locked with
his and I realized in horror that he was watching me stare at
his b©dy. I felt the heat rise up from my n£¢k to my face.
“Can you put something on?” Denise asked him in an
irritated tone.
Hunter raised his beer to his mouth and took a gulp, his
eyes never leaving me. He didn’t say anything, but before
he left, hisl-ips curved into an arrogant sm-irk that I knew
was meant for me.
I was sure that I was turning crimson. I stared down at
my cake. That was embarras-sing! He caught me staring at
him. Maybe he even thought I was gawking… or worse,
ogling!
Oh my word! Earth! Open up and swallow me quic-kly!
“I’m sorry. He could be a brute sometimes. He knows he
looks good,” Denise said, rolling her eyes again.
I didn’t say anything. Instead, I just continued eating the
cake.
That sm-irk!
I was embarras-sed to be caught staring but at least, it
was the first time since he c@m£ back that he didn’t look at
me with disgust or contempt.
After I finished my cake, Denise led me up her room.
“Where is your dad?” I asked her.
“He’s on a business trip.”
We reached the second floor and walked down the
carpeted hall. There were at least five be-drooms on this
floor.
“How many be-drooms is your house?” I asked.
“Oh, seven,” she said. “There are two more guestrooms
upstairs and then the libr@ry and the game room. I would
like to take you there, but lately the game room has been
Hunter’s territory.”
“Why? What’s in there?”
“A snooker and pool table. Big LCD screens where you
can pl@yvideo games. Hunter spends more than two hours
a day there… pla-ying pool and… I think chess. No one in this
house could match him in a game of chess anyway so no
one bothers to pl@ywith him. I think he pla-ys with the
computer or he joins online tournaments.”
Hunter Vaughn, chess master at age fifteen.
I remembered him saying that during our first d@t£.
Even when he couldn’t see, Hunter was unbeatable. I
wonder how I would fare against him now that he didn’t
have to just imagine our chess pieces in his head.
Denise’s room was hvge. She had a princess be-d, a
couch that was big enough to be a day be-d, a hvge plasma
television screen and a hvge walk-in closet. Her bathroom
was covered in light pink tiles and there was a hvge Jacuzzi
in the center.
“Come on, let’s try out the Jacuzzi. You look tired. It will
help you unwind.”
As long as we’re staying within the confines of her room,
I wouldn’t argue with her. I dressed in a pair of two-piece
suit and then I joined her in the Jacuzzi.
“So… what’s up with you and Chaise?”
I stared at her blankly. Then I shook my head.
“Come on, Alice. Chaise is absolutely crazy about you.
At first, I was skeptical because it seemed abrupt that he
wanted to be your friend. But over the last few weeks… he
seemed genuinely into you.”
“I feel bad about it though. I can’t… return his feelings.”
“Because of him?” she asked, pointing at my che-st.
My hand went to my n£¢klace again. I still hadn’t
st©pped wearing Hunter’s n£¢klace. I couldn’t. I felt like
removing it and never wearing it again would mean saying
goodbye to the old Hunter… the blind Hunter who fell in
love with me… the wonderful Hunter that I fell in love with.
I gave Denise a slight nod.
“Where did you meet him?” she asked. “What’s his
name?”
I couldn’t answer that. I couldn’t tell Denise that the
person she was asking about was just in a room above us.
Hunter couldn’t even remember me… or refused to
recognize me. How could I tell his cousin that he was the
one I was waiting to come back to me all this time?
“Let’s just call him H,” I replied. “He went away.” I had
to keep my responses to the minimal. I couldn’t keep lying
to Denise. I wasn’t a good liar to begin with.
“Does Chaise know there was someone else?”
I nodded. “I told him why I couldn’t bring myself to fall
for him. I don’t want to hurt him. But I am. And the least
that I could do is be honest with him. I owe Chaise a lot. Kindly
When I first started working for Alibri… I was ignoring him,
being rude to him even. But he didn’t st©p showing me that
he cared.
“He even followed me home at nights. I got so scared, I
thought someb©dy was stalking me. And then one night
some potheads thought to have fun with me, I couldn’t be
more thankful to Chaise for saving me.” I sighed. “Chaise is
my guardian angel, my protector… my dear friend. But even
though I wanted to try being more than that, I just… can’t.
Maybe it isn’t time yet.”
“But don’t fall for him just because he’s your guardian
angel and that you owe him a lot, okay?” Denise said. “You
deserve to be swept off your feet and fall head over heels in
love without a s-en-se of reason or logic. That’s what love
should be all about.”
I stared at her for a moment and I thought she looked
dreamy. Suddenly, I realized that since I met her, I haven’t
seen or heard her d@t£ anyb©dy from school. There were
many guys interested in her, but she just sh0t them down.
But now… she looked like she was over the moon.
“Denise…” I started. “Are you in love?”
She snapped back from her dreamlike state and stared
at me. A blus-h crept over her face so fast she didn’t have
time to hide it.
“Oh my God!” I breathed. “Who is it? I didn’t even know
you were d@t!nganyb©dy.”
“It’s umm…” she hesitated. “You know Arthur Buckley?”
I scanned my br@in for the reason why that name was so
familiar. And then it hit me. Arthur Buckley was the new art
professor.
“Denise, he’s… what? Twenty-five?”
“Twenty-four. He’s smart, he graduated early.”
“But… it’s illegal for a student to d@t£ a professor!” I
hissed at her. I wasn’t plea-sed at all. And I knew her
parents… even Hunter… would berate her for this.
“I think I’m in love, Alice,” she said.
“But you’re eighteen and he’s too old for you!” I argued.
“Age does not matter.”
“Is that why you’re always M-I-A p@rticularly during
lunch breaks?”
She sighed and then nodded.
“Oh my God, Denise!” I gro-an ed. “This is bad!”
“Alice! I haven’t told anyone. And I thought you would
be on my side.”
“I am,” I said to her calmly. “But… your parents are
going to kill you.”
“They would,” she said with absolute certainty.
“Does Hunter know?”
She shook her head. “And I don’t give a dang what he
says or thinks.”
“But your parents?”
“I know they will be disappointed. But this is the first
time I felt like this.”
“Denise… are you sure he’s not taking advantage of
you?”
“He said he loves me.”
“A guy can say anything you will believe just so he can
get into your p@n-ts!”
She stared back at me for a moment. Then she said,
“Sure, was that what H did to get into yours before he left
you?” Obviously, she was pissed.
I fell silent after that. I knew Denise was upset. She
knew what she was doing wasn’t right and she desperately
wanted me to be a friend… to be on her side. And I was
being a friend. But I couldn’t help feeling scared for her.
Sure, Arthur Buckley was cute but he should know
better than s£dûç£a high school kid who was young enough
to be his baby sister. He was a teacher. He should know
better.
I took a de-ep breath. “Denise… I just want you to think
this throu-gh.”
“I did. And I believe him.”
“You love him?”
She nodded. “So, can’t you just be happy for me?”
I wanted to be. But I couldn’t. Denise was gorgeous
enough to have any boy she wanted. Any boy—her age!
Why did she settle for someb©dy who should have been old
enough to know better and might not have the best
intentions for her?
“Did you sleep with him yet?” I asked.
She took a de-ep breath. “We could only see each other
in the campus. We made out a lot. But we were both afraid
that if someb©dy caught us, he would lose his job.”
“And he could go to jail if your parents could have it
their way.”
I was glad that at least she was s-en-sible enough not to
go farther than she should.
“You’re not happy for me, are you?”
I sighed. “I’m worried about you.”
“I can handle it, Alice. I’m old enough to make my own
decisions and judge what’s right and wrong!” She said that
with so much emotion that I felt like she was practicing the lines she was going to say to her parents when she finally
c@m£ clean to them.
“Just be… careful,” I said to her in a quiet voice.
She nodded.
We were silent for the next ten minutes. I felt bad about
not supporting her with her decision. Denise had always
looked out for me. It was supposed to be my time to be
there for her. But I couldn’t help worrying. I had a bad
feeling about Arthur Buckley. Denise was rich and sheltered.
She wasn’t expo-sed to the real world like I was. She may not
be able to identify danger even if she was looking at it face
to face.
Finally, she stood up. “I’ll go ahead,” she said quietly.
“I’ll take a shower on the other bathroom. You can take this
one.”
I went out of the Jacuzzi after her. “No. I’ll take the other
bathroom, if you just tell me where it is.”
She didn’t argue. Apparently, she was not too plea-sed
with me, too.
“Third door at the end of the hall.”
I towel-dried myself and wore the bathrobe that she
gave me. Then I took my bag with me and went out of her
room quietly.
The hall was dark. The lights were all off. I didn’t know
where the switch was. I felt my way towards the end of the
hall, keeping my hands on the wall to make sure I didn’t trip
on something. I was not sure I would be able to afford to pay
for whatever I broke.
They were rich. Couldn’t they afford to turn on a light or
two? Was saving up a couple of dollars on electricity worth
risking their n£¢ks for?
The walls were covered with wallpaper. I felt a curve and
then smooth wood after. I thought I reached the first door. I
felt the cold steel knob against my f!ngerti-ps.
Good! Two doors to go!
I took each step carefully. I was desperately hoping my
hands would feel the light switch soon.
All of a sudden, I bu-mped into something ha-rd in front of
me. It was solid and still, as if it was just waiting for me to
collide into it. I pressed my hands in front of me and I felt
smooth, solid skin un-der my palms.
My heart pounded inside my ribcage and I thought I
forgot how to breathe. Even without looking, I knew what…
or rather, who I bu-mped into.
I stood still, unable to move, afraid to make a sound. I
felt him move in front of me. He didn’t take a step back
though. Instead, I felt his hand entra-p mine against his ba-re
che-st, holding me in place. Then, I felt his f!ngersgraze my
cheek, almost tou-ching my scars. Then his hand t©uçhed my
nape lightly. I took a de-ep breath and closed my eyes.
His t©uçh was electric and my knees were slowly turning
to jelly, I was almost sure I wouldn’t be able to support my
own weight any minute.
In the dark… maybe Hunter would remember what it
was like between us. Maybe when he couldn’t see my face,
his t©uçh would remember who I once was in his life.
I feel his breath against my cheek. It smelled fresh and
minty. I could almost feel hisl-ips against my skin.
I felt him tug at the chain of my n£¢klace. Gently, he
pu-ll-ed it out from inside my robe. His f!ngersfollowed the
chain down towards the pendant. If he could t©uçh it, I was
sure he would know… that I was still wearing his n£¢klace.
The inscription was in br@ille. He would know that he was
still in my heart. That he was still the one.
But before I could be sure that he t©uçhed the pendant,
I heard a door open behind us and a little light went throu-gh
the dark corridor.
“Alice?” I heard Denise call behind me.
A second later, light flooded throu-gh the hall as Denise
switched on the lights. I stared up at Hunter’s handsome
face. He was looking down at me, his expression was fathomless. He had taken a step back, his hands were on his
sides, no longer tou-ching me.
“I told you to let me know the program the next time
you decide to bu-mp into me,” he said in that arrogant tone
that I was starting to hate now.
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a de-ep breath. I
wanted to sl@p him but I know that would be dangerous to
his health. No matter how tough he wanted to look, he
wasn’t as invincible as he wanted to appear.
“Alice?” Denise called again. “I’m done. You can use the
bathroom now.”
I gave Hunter one last glare and then I turned on my
heel and headed towards Denise’s room. I closed the door
behind me, steadying my pulse, not letting Denise suspect
that something was up.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “Was he being rude?”
“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “I just bu-mped into
him. The corridor was dark, I couldn’t find the switch.”
“Hunter prefers the dark sometimes so he turns off all
the lights in the hall when he retreats to his room for the
night. He’s very efficient in the dark. It was as if he could
see. He could walk around the house in complete darkness
and he won’t fall down the stairs or bu-mp into any furniture.
I think he got every corner of this house memorized at the
back of his mind. Sometimes, I wanted to rearrange the
furniture when he’s out late just so he would trip or bu-mp
into something when he comes in.”
I smiled at that. Denise would try anything to annoy
Hunter. “When you’re blind, darkness will become your
friend, your only companion. You will learn to trust your
memory and your other s-en-ses.”
Denise nodded. “Sometimes I think you un-derstand
Hunter better than I do. And you don’t even know him.”
I bit myl-ip. I thought I knew him better than anyb©dy.
“I’m sorry, Alice,” she said. “I know you’re worrying for
me. But really… trust me on this. Arthur is wonderful. Maybe someday… the four of us can double-d@t£.”
“The four of us?”
She shrugged. “When you finally decide to throw Chaise
a bone and give him the d@t£ he deserved since the night
he rescued you.”
I gave her a weak smile. But inside, what I really wanted
to say was, I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon.
Your insanely h0t cousin is still messing up with my head
since the day I first bu-mped into him.
Tbc