Kada
Location: Grimm HS: Outside the Gym Hall >> Parking Lot >> Kai's Truck >> Grimaldi Manor
Interacting With: Each other.
Interaction Tags: @Charnobylisk
"Don't you come near me!" Ada yelled as Kai came closer and closer to her. Kai continued forward, not uttering a word. He realised how intimidating he must look but right now he was past caring. For the first time that she could ever remember she didn't want to be anywhere near him. She tried to hobble back and smack at him with open hands but nearly toppled over. A screeched yelp came out of her mouth as he lifted her effortlessly into the air. Her fists balled up as she began to beat his back, her legs flailing wildly as she kicked. Kai gripped his arm around her waist and the other across the back of her knees to stop her from kicking him too hard in the stomach. He didn't want to lose all wind and then suddenly drop her. He grunted at each of the hits but he took the beatings on his back from her fists, they were ten years over due and he knew that he deserved them. He wouldn't complain or fight back.
"Put me down you Neanderthal!" Her voice was full of rage, all the pain and hurt that had been festering since that night had finally bubbled to the surface. She was furious and it showed in every scream, punch, and kick. For years she had wished he had shown back up just to sweep her off her feet but right then she only wanted to spit in his face. Shifting her body weight over his shoulder, Kai walked away from the Gym Hall and carried Ada towards the parking lot. He really did seem like a Neanderthal right now but she had to see something so that she'd at least trust him to look out for her just now in this moment. Put! Me! Down!"
He reached his truck in the parking lot and, as gently as she would allow, he placed her on the ground against his truck behind the driver side door. Ada leaned back against the truck and took a final swing at him as he put her down, slapping the side of his neck. She had been wanting to get him right across the face but she had nearly forgotten how he towered over her. "What the hell is wrong with you lugging me around like I am some cave woman?!"she demanded to know as she tried to catch her breath.
"I'm sorry for that, but you wouldn't have came here if I had asked." He rubbed the spot of his neck that she had slapped.
"No I wouldn't have and I am not sticking around to find out!" she growled as she tried to get around him but it was useless. Compared to Ada, Kai was a mountain; grumbling she crossed her arms over her chest and gave up; for now. He opened the door of his truck and climbed inside. Happy that Ada couldn't see where he was looking inside his car, Kai rummaged around inside for a couple of minutes before climbing out again with a single envelope in his hand. It was a little yellowed and looked as if it had been thumbed more than a few times.
He held the envelope out to Ada, face up so that she could see her name and her parents' address written on the front in his messy handwriting that she would be all too familiar with. It was how he wrote in high school. Kai said nothing as he held it there, his face staring at hers, waiting and watching for any hint of reaction. His breathing was shallow and his face actually looked completely broken. He couldn't pretend anymore. This was it. Ada looked down at the envelope and turned her head away from him, her fingers drumming against her arms as she stood there. "What? I don't want that," she lied coldly. She wanted to know what it was but she was beyond angry right then and was determined not to just mindlessly go along with what he wanted; last time she had given into to what he wanted had been one of the most painful moments of her life.
His face fell even further when he heard her words. He didn't think it was even possible to feel any worse than he already did. He was clearly wrong. He hesitantly took the envelope away, holding it tightly as he let his hands fall to his side. "You wouldn't be this angry if you didn't still want or need answers. You don't have to read it, you can take it and burn it if that's what you really want. I mean, I don't want you to burn it but inside this envelope is something that I've owed you for a very long time." He held the envelope out to her one more time. Ada looked over to him frustrated and snatched the envelope from his hand but still didn't look at it, just tucking it under her arm as she stood there. "If you really don't want to know what is in this envelope then that's fine. But I won't be sticking around to be hated for the entire reunion. Marc can hunt me down and kick my ass seven ways to Sunday if he has to but I refuse to stay here if all I'm going to get is guilt from you." He knew he was pushing her buttons but he felt like he had to, otherwise she was just going to remain as stubborn as ever. He didn't raise his voice, he didn't speak out of turn really, but he knew that it would rile her up.
"And what exactly did you expect when you showed up? That I would smile at you and forget everything? Just treat you like everyone else? Well you aren't just another one of the guys and you know that. So deal with it. Or are just gonna shut me out completely again because you don't want to deal with shit? That's your M.O. isn't it? If there is even the slightest chance that things won't be perfect you're gonna turn tail and run. You can't run forever," she stated flatly. Her words may have been like ice to begin but by the time she was done it was more like those days back in high school when she was trying to help him get through his classes. Understanding but firm. His jaw tensed more than it had since they'd begun talking outside the Gym Hall. He could feel the anger and unspoken words bubbling up inside himself but this wasn't the time or the place for it. She'd taken the envelope, so that was always a step forward. When her words became less harsh and cold, his anger ebbed and his face relaxed a lot more.
Sighing she looked down at the envelope and ran her fingers over the words written in his hand writing. "And for your information, I've never hated you, not even for a moment. There was never room in my heart to hate you... It was always occupied with something else," she admitted as she turned the envelope over in her fingers. Opening it slowly she pulled out the contents held within and began to read. He watched her opening the envelope and he waited with baited breath, his body leaning against his truck as his arms remained crossed across his chest.
To my dearest Anela,
You'll probably hate me by the time you ever get to read this letter. I'll honestly be surprised if you ever even read this, I fully expect you to set it on fire and roast some damn s'mores with the flames. I mean hell I don't even know if I'll ever send it to you but I need to get this down on paper before I forget anything. Just in case.
I've done something that has destroyed you inside and for that I am truly sorry. It didn't go down the way that I wanted it to but I had no other choice. After Simone's death I was a mess. Everything was dark and dead in my eyes. I put on a front for you and everyone else, even my makuahine wasn't aware of how deeply Simone's death affected me. I was lying to everyone. Simone and I weren't exactly friends, but I felt responsible on some level for her death. She was cut off in the prime of her life, Ada. That was a scary thought that ran through my mind at a million miles a minute every single day after prom.
I couldn't stand the idea of you never reaching your full potential. You were meant for so much more in this world than living in this small hick town with me. I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. You had plans for us, I know that, but I felt like a dead weight. I was going to hold you back and I would never be able to forgive myself if I did.
That's why I had to let you go. The whole conversation was so difficult to even think about having and when it happened all of my planned words fell apart and it was raw anger and fear that spoke through. I know I swore that I'd never lie to you but the fear pushed me over the edge. I lied when I said I didn't love you anymore. It was the only words that I could find at the time to make you want to leave.
I'm sorry for a lot of things. I'm sorry for lying, I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry that we can't have our future together anymore and I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough.My deepest love, your Makana
There were points where some words were smeared by drops of liquid, most likely tears, especially towards the end. As Ada read the words tears began to well up in her eyes, her chestnut orbs glistening as she covered her mouth half way through reading. That same pain she had felt that night when he told her he didn't love her anymore returned and it nearly knocked the wind out of her once again. Slowly she sank to the ground, her body pressing to the side of his truck for some sort of balance; if it had not been there she would have collapsed fully at that moment. Her breath went weak as she reread the words, still unable to say anything. Her eyes focused on one phrase over and over again. I lied when I said I didn't love you anymore. Her trembling fingers reached out and touched the words, nearly smearing them away with the dampness left from the tears that had rolled over her hand. Pulling them back quickly she folded the letter back up and pressed it to her chest as she lowered her head.
"Our destiny is frequently met in the very paths we take to avoid it..." she croaked, her voice breaking as she tried to speak; quoting Fontaine as the words and their meaning fully sunk into her mind. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat she slowly looked to Kai. His eyes met hers and he struggled to hold them there but he pushed through the shame and drunk in every part of her eyes that he could. "You broke my heart to set me free but in the end you tethered me to a life where I couldn't fly because you weren't there. You caged me in cold bars. For ten years I've tried to figure out what I did to drive you away, what I did to make you stop loving me," she quavered, averting her eyes and letting out trembling breath as her dry lips parted. He lied to her, broke her heart that night. Over the last decade she had been a walking shell of her former self because of what happened. Now she was finding out that he had put her through all of that, let her believe he didn't love her because he was afraid. She felt like she was breaking all over again. She was angry and hurt; she couldn't even feel a hint of relief, it didn't even register that perhaps he still loved her right then. All she could comprehend right then was the anguish.
"Do you have any idea the level of hell I have been in since that night?" Her voice was hoarse, rough like an elder who had smoked two packs a day for the last fifty years. He stared at the side of her face and couldn't find the words as quickly as he would have liked. He cleared his throat and shook his head trying to force it all together. As he finally spoke, his voice was edged with regret and pain. "Probably about as much as I've been in all these years and then some." He crouched down and then shifted his body to lean his back against the truck as he rested his arms across his knees. "I know you're going to be hurting even more and if you want me to go, I'll go. Just please let me get Ash to look out for you or someone. I really don't want you being alone right now. Please, Ada..." He was pleading with her now, he refused to leave her alone but he'd respect her wish if she wanted him gone.
"You have no idea what you have put me through! The last ten years I haven't been able to get close to anyone, too afraid, too broken. Afraid that if I did I would end up having someone else walk away from me, push me out of their lives because of something I did wrong. That they would stop loving me and I would once again have no idea what I did! Afraid that if anyone got close to me it wouldn't be fair to them because every one of the million pieces of my broken heart still belonged to you..." she growled through clenched teeth like she always did when she was angry. Shaking her head it dropped as she looked down at the pavement beneath them. "My mind has been a storm raging since that night and it has never stopped. It haunts my dreams and invades my thoughts at nearly every waking moment. Didn't stop after the wreck, after the coma, after the proposal, the wedding, it never stopped," Ada rambled on; about things that Kai may never have known about, things she begged Marc and Ash to never utter a word to Kai about.
Kai let her ramble on and on, she clearly needed to get it out. He was reeling as all this information poured out and he had no idea how to handle it, he had been out of it since he'd ended things with Ada but she probably already knew that through Ash and Marc. He'd never said they couldn't tell her anything, he just never verbally gave them permission or denial on that front. It was their choice who they told what stories to and he wasn't going to gag them, especially not when they were talking to Ada. He had no idea about a wreck, no idea about a coma, he assumed about the proposal and wedding but it was hard to hear that they'd actually happened... He sat in stony silence, his fingers picking at his cuticles as he just sat there and listened. He wasn't going to interupt her, he wanted her to get this weight, that he was responsible for placing on her all those years ago, off of her chest. He never imagined that his actions would have caused this kind of reaction in her, not in a million years. How he felt before hearing all of this had nothing on how he felt now. He was surprised he could still breathe.
Ada shook her head at his silence. She really had no idea what he had been going through. She never asked much to Marc and Ash about Kai, only asking how he was doing from time to time. It was the only thing she would ask, he had driven her out and she had always felt that if he wanted her in his life he would have reached out to her. All these years she figured he hadn't because of that night, because he truly didn't want her around anymore. Leaning forward she just sat there staring at the ground, still as could be. Her hair fell away to the side. Kai couldn't stay crouched any longer, he felt numb and had to do something to get some feeling back into himself. He stood up and stretched his legs out, watching Ada as he did so.
On her back was the tattoo she had gotten years ago. At first glance it looked to just be an intricate eagle perched on a sword. Kai would probably recognize it on some level, it was the insignia of her family. But there was something very different about it as familiar as it may have been. It had been redone and looked nearly Tribal Hawaiian in design. Looking closer he could see the scars the tattoo hid beneath the dark ink. Where had those come from? He opened his mouth to speak, his words ready to finally come out but her voice stopped him in his tracks again and he simply stood over her, listening to every little thing she had to say to him.
"You know... When my husband died I barely mourned him. Losing him felt more like that night at prom, it felt like losing Simone to me. Losing some distant person that you really didn't know; that you may have called an acquaintance or even a friend but nothing like you would think a wife would mourn a husband. I couldn't, I was still mourning the loss of you. And in the back of mind I even think I felt some sort of relief. That maybe, just maybe, if you ever walked back through my door that there would be nothing holding me back," she said quietly. She didn't know why she was opening up right then, she was still furious he had lied to her and hurt; but that fog that had been in her mind all these years seemed to be clearing, it always cleared when he was around. Closing her eyes her lips rolled together, her tongue trying to dampen the dryness.
Opening the door of his truck, Kai grabbed something from the cubby in the door. He closed it over and handed a half empty bottle of water down towards her. "Even if you didn't mourn him how you feel you should have done as his wife, I'm sorry for your loss. I..." His words trailed off as he steeled himself to admit something that she probably wouldn't want to hear right then. He decided to keep it quiet, she'd find out everything soon enough. Now wasn't the time to add more shit to the show. Ada reached up and took the water bottle and shook her head somewhat. "I did what he would have done if I had died. He didn't love me, just as I didn't love him. We just married because it was the next logical step," she admitted as she undid the cap and took a small sip from it. It was true, neither of them loved each other but at the time it was what was expected of them. He sat on the ground this time, his legs stretched out in front of him and his head resting on the metal of his door. He turned his head, his ear cooling against his truck as he watched her again. "You know I never, not for one damn second, imagined that you'd never move on. I always thought that I had been the lucky one, that I'd never move on from us even if I was the one that chose it." He chuckled then, a hard and stupid chuckle, showing just how ridiculous he realised his words were now.
Ada joined in on the chuckle as she looked over to him, placing the cap back on the bottle and closing it. Resting it on the ground she gave him a solemn half smile. "How could I? Didn't matter that you ended it, didn't matter the pain, to me I was the lucky one. You were my makana," she said as she looked away and found her mind wandering to something from her past. Slowly she stood up, using the truck as balance as she hopped on one foot and glanced down at him. "There is something I need to show you, something I probably should have that night," she said holding her hand out to him.
He frowned a little in confusion but took her hand without a second of hesitation, he wasn't going to risk upsetting her again right now. Ada helped him up as best she could, which wasn't much, but she found she didn't mind his touch right then. His mind was reeling and he wondered what she was going to show him. He realised then, after a moment of watching her hobble around that her leg was still hurt. "Hang on, your leg. Here, this'll be easier and less... man-handly than earlier." His face flushed a little as he realised just how caveman he had been. He ducked down in front of her and motioned for her to jump on his back. "I can at least give you a lift to wherever we're going, just point and I'll walk."
Ada smirked and opened the cab door to his truck. "Nope, gonna have to take your clunker. Just a quick jaunt, we'll be right back," she said before climbing inside and pushing stuff out of her way so she could sit down in the passenger side. She let out a laugh, an actual laugh as she looked around. The thing was just like she remembered, a mess. It was a different truck but it might as well been the same one as far as she was concerned. He never was the neatest person. Looking over at him she let out a reminiscent smile and motioned for him to climb in. "You really haven't changed have you?" she asked softly; poking a bit of fun at him as she held up a bag of fast food wrappers. "Come on, drive me to my parents. You remember the way don't you?" Leaning back she rolled down the passenger window and leaned against it. Her parents home wasn't far from the high school, just a few minutes drive through the small town. She knew she had things to take care of in the gym but this wouldn't take long and seemed to be way over due. If they were going to at least get along enough to get through this reunion they both needed to get everything out.
Ada closed her eyes while he drove, just letting the wind cut through her hair. There was something peaceful about the moment and it brought back many memories of them just driving along the back roads in the county when they were younger. Kai had always loved to drive and Ada just enjoyed the time with him. After the break up Ada had taken up to driving a lot more since he wasn't around to escort her nearly everywhere. She had found solace behind the wheel. When she drove these days she felt a small connection with him and with the time they were together. It was one of the few things she had anymore to bring her peace. Once they arrived at her parents home she hopped out of the cab of the truck and hobbled to the front of the grand manor.
"Alright you neanderthal, your gonna have to carry me from here. Destination, my room," she quipped. She was glad her parents weren't home. They were off in Italy for the fall so she had the place to herself. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with the questions and looks they would surely have when they saw Kai carrying their daughter over the threshold. He let out a genuine but short laugh and shook his head as he lifted her like a groom would lift a bride. Ada slipped her arms over his shoulders and clasped them behind his neck. She had forgotten how strong he was and how safe she felt in his arms; it took everything in her not to rest her head on his chest as he carried her. "I'll be careful not to knock your head on the frame, just tuck in." She still smelled the same and he had to stop himself from burying his face into her hair. She smirked slightly at his words and tucked her head down, her cheek brushing against the side of his neck as they entered before she righted herself and glanced around.
Gathering his thoughts back together, Kai walked them both forwards and through the entryway. The place seemed exactly the same, like it had been frozen in time. The only difference were some newer pictures in some photoframes but he tried not to stare as he carried Ada up the stairs and towards her room. Many of the pictures were the same, some had been updated. There were none of her husband, Ada had cleared those out after he died but still on the wall on the way up to her room was a picture of Ada and Kai that her parents had taken when he picked her up for Prom. He felt like he was twenty all over again. He looked around and took the place in as he sat Ada gently on her the ground. "Wow, I see your taste hasn't changed in the last ten years." He poked fun at her for living in such an old manor all the time back then, it felt only right to keep the joke going all these years later.
Ada sat down on her bed and shot him a look at she pursed her lips. "That is all mom and dad's doing. They refuse to change anything." Laying down she rolled over and started searching under the bed. It was easier than trying to squat down on a hurt ankle at this point. After a minute she let out a "ha! There you are!" and pulled a bag out from behind the bed skirt. Righting herself she sat up and let her legs hang over the edge of the bed as she pulled out a neatly wrapped package. It was done up with ribbons and bows, a layer of dust covering it but other than that it looked like it hadn't been touched in ages. Her fingers ran over it slowly, flicking at the tag that read "For Makana, From Anela". Slowly her head raised and she held it out to him, she was shaking a bit; nervous for him to see it but after all these years she figured it was time.
Walking forward tentatively, Kai took the dusty package carefully, holding it as if it might break. "Uh, it isn't gonna blow up in my face, is it? This being your master plan to destroy me after all these years?" He tried to make light of the situation, like he always used to do when he felt nervous or uncomfortable. "Maaayybbbeee," she said rolling her eyes a bit. He looked over the tag and ran a finger over the words that Ada had written who-only-knows-how long ago. The wrapping was so very Ada that it brought a gentle smile to his face. His eyes narrowed as his cheekbones rose and he licked his parched lips. "I guess I should open it, huh?" Blowing some of the dust off the top of it, away from both of them, Kai gently he began to open the parcel up. Ada bit her bottom lip slightly and could only nod as he unwrapped it.
Within the wrapping paper lay a thick scrap book that had been done up obviously by Ada. On the front was a picture of Ada and Kai beneath a tree in her parents back yard that had been taken during a party one night. Ada just resting in Kai's arms as he held her close; the two gazing lovingly towards each other. The title read "Just Forget The World." Within the first ten pages there was nothing but pictures and memento's of their year together. Movie and concert stubs from their various dates, score cards from miniature golf, little key chains they had exchanged tickets for after playing in the arcade. Flower petals from boutonnieres and corsages. Pictures of them on dates together, images of Kai cheering Ada on at swim and fencing meets; Ada leaned over Kai as she helped him study for his finals; Kai strumming away one his guitar as Ada listened; them together with Ash and Marc at graduation, each of them holding up their diploma's. Everything pulled together to tell the story of their senior year of high school. Each image showed just how wrapped up they were in each other and how no matter what happened the world seemed to fade away around them when they were together. That was until the tenth page, it was the last one that was filled in and the rest of the book was just blank pages. On the last page there were no images, only a hand written letter in Ada's perfect script. It read as follows...
My Dearest Makana,
Today we begin a new chapter in our life, one that has yet to be written. The pages may be blank now but before we know it they will be filled with memories we can one day look back on and cherish. This year has been one that I had never expected and even with the tragedies our past now holds I could not be more grateful to have shared this time with you. You have grown this year, from an sapling caught in the winds not sure which direction to grow to a mighty oak who is strong and sure of himself. It has truly been surreal to witness.
I know you have said that I was the one that gave you direction; this humbles me for reasons you may not know. Which is why I have created this gift for you, to repay the gift, the makana you have bestowed upon me. To you I may seem to be driven, to have direction in my life but all I have ever known is point A and point B. The beginning and the next step. I never understood how to go beyond that. Something was missing in my life, a reason to keep stepping forward beyond the end of the line.
You have given me that reason. Your love, your happiness has been my driving force over the last year. A force I know will remain as long as we are together. I have always feared that I would end up holding myself back because I had no passion. You have filled me with that missing piece; that hunger for life. To see what unfolds. I know now that I can spread my wings and fly because I have you with me. Together we will soar to heights untold and touch the stars. You are the spirit to my soul.
You say that I am your Anela, your angel. In my families tongue it means something very different. It means to yearn for, to long for, to crave. When you say that word, when you call me your Anela it makes me blush. To think that I am the angel you long for. How serendipitous is it that apart neither of us could find a reason beyond what lay before our own eyes but together we fill in the pieces that were missing?
A flower cannot thrive without the sun to help it grow; the sun has no reason to shine if there is no flower to bloom. We are each our own flower than needed the others sun to bloom. As the suns sets on today, remember that tomorrow it will rise again and we will enter the next stage of our lives together. As long as we rise each day we will find each other, no matter the distance between us. No matter the darkness that enveloped the night before.
Let us now step forward, knowing that as long as we have each other we will grow, we will thrive because of the other. Our only goal is each other, our only path is the one we create. This last year was the first stone, it is time to lay another; together.
With all my love,
Your Anela
He had to read the letter over a few times before the words really sank in. He looked through the book and was enveloped in memories and emotions from years gone by. By this point, he felt like he should just be made of ice considering how numb he felt. His numbness outside the gym hall and in the parking lot had absolutely nothing on how he felt now. He stared at the pages, fingers tracing over various trinkets and photographs as he lost himself in it.
Ada was unsure what to do with herself as he looked through the scrapbook and read the letter from so long ago. She was never one to just hold still, it drove her nuts. Rising from her place she hobbled over to her dresser, looking at the pictures that where there. Still the same ones from when she lived there so long ago. There were a handful from her years at Yale but what was mostly there were ones of her and Kai. Flicking on her mp3 player she placed it on random, she couldn't stand the silence, and picked up a single picture before making her way to the balcony. Leaning against the door frame and ran her fingers over the glass, tracing the lines of Kai's features; it was his senior portrait. As the song queued up she felt a tightness form in her chest and her eyes drifted close as she listened. She found herself mouthing a few of the lyrics. I had to make a choice that was not mine, I had to say goodbye for the last time. When the bridge came it became more than just lip sync at that point; her voice wobbled but she sung quietly along. "I'll always keep you inside, you healed my heart and my life... And you know I try." Taking a deep breath her eyes opened as she stared out to the back of her parents home, over the garden and pool, the tennis courts off to the west. Reaching up she brushed away the tears that threatened to spill over.
His eyes looked up when she began to sing, his eyes lingering on the back of her head before trailing down her body as she stood at the window. It was familiar but the roles were now reversed, as was the message being given from one of them to the other. He wanted to walk to her then, to wrap her in his arms and never let go but he couldn't move his legs. He closed the scrapbook and as he did, his chest began to tighten and his breathing became laboured. His shoulders began to shake as a growling sob escaped him, he fell to his knees as he clutched the scrapbook to his chest. Ada turned around as she heard the sob escaping him, her eyes widening as he dropped to the ground. She had never seen him like this, even that night he had been as if he were a stone and as cold as ice. This was a side of him she had never witnessed, one she hadn't wanted to see even after that night; the portrait dropping from her hand, it shattering against the marble of the balcony.
Tears streamed down his face and he realised just how much he'd thrown away all those years ago. He knew what he'd given up back them but on no level did he realise just how much he had fucked up both of their lives. He curled himself into as small a ball as he could, not wanting to let go of the memories within his scrapbook. Ada moved quickly to his side, kneeling down as best she could next to him. She wasn't sure what to do at that point. Reaching out tentatively she rested her hand on top of his head, her fingers slowly threading through his hair; something she really couldn't do when they were in high school because of his dreads. Seeing him like this was heart wrenching; she hadn't expected that type of reaction from him when she had handed him the scrapbook. "Kai..." she whispered, trying to get his attention through. Her hand slipping beneath his chin, she tilted his head back gently, the look in her eyes was one of worry and regret. She wished she had shown him this gift so many years ago, that she had taken Marc's advice and gone back to his place that night. Maybe it would have changed things.
"Makana? Please, say something..." she whimpered as she cupped his cheeks in the palms of her hands and wiped the tears away. He looked up into her chestnut eyes, those eyes looked as if they held as much pain as he felt right then. He had known it on some level, he must have, but it took this moment for him to fully claim his feelings. She could hit him or push him away if she had to, he wouldn't fight her but he also wouldn't fight his heart anymore. He gently placed his hands on her cheeks, mirroring her motions before tucking her hair behind her ears. Ada froze as he touched her, she didn't know what to think but her heart was racing in her chest and she felt her breath catch. His eyes devoured the sight of her face as if he would never see it again after this moment. "Fuck it." He pulled her face close to his and pressed his tear streaked lips against hers. Ada's eyes widened as his lips found hers, she was caught like a deer in headlights for a moment. She didn't know if she should push him away but she couldn't find the strength to. His fingers gripped into her hair just tightly enough to keep her there if she chose to be but not so tightly that she couldn't pull away if she needed or wanted to.
Slowly her eyes drifted close, her fingers caressing his cheeks; tears welling up in her own eyes and washing over her as she pulled herself closer to him. She had forgotten how it felt to touch him, to kiss him. The world faded away, as it always had. She could taste the salty sting of their tears in the kiss but it took nothing away from the moment. Her body trembled, her skin tingling as his fingers found their way into her hair. She knew she had missed for his closeness but she hadn't realized how hungry she had been for his kiss. Staggering breaths left her as she forgot everything else, too starved to pull away for that moment. Reluctantly her lips eventually peeled away from his as she gasped for air, warm breaths washing over him from her lips that were just a hairs width from his. "Tell me..." she begged of him, unable to even open her eyes right then. Afraid that if he pushed her away, that if he ran now she would have to watch him leave; she didn't think she could bare it if that was to happen. Not now, not after all this time.
His breathing matched hers, not that he intended to do it, they just seemed to be in sync again even after all this time. He forgot how good she tasted, how warm her body was. He felt like a kid again. He steadied his breathing before speaking in a low whisper, if they weren't so close she'd never have heard his words. "I never should have hurt you or pushed you away. I thought I was being selfless but I was really being selfish. I didn't want to live a life of guilt where I blamed myself if you didn't achieve all of your dreams. I truly felt like an anchor just pulling you beneath the surface and I couldn't have that happen. I thought it was because I wanted you to do well, and it was in part, but now I know it was also my fear and my selfish nature coming out all in one gigantic, hurtful moment. I've wasted ten years of my life not having you as part of me and I was so stupid to think that I was doing us a favour. I've ruined everything." His voice cracked as he admitted everything aloud. He had only cried this hard twice in his life; when his makuahine had passed away and when he had lost Wikoli. He hadn't even cried this hard when he had found out his father was dead.
Ada looked up to him slowly, her eyes drifting open as he spoke. Those were not the words she had thought he would speak and she could only sit there and listen to him as he let everything out. Her hands kept smoothing his hair back, her fingers slipping through the dark mass as she let out a shaky breath. Biting her bottom lip she could only shake her head as he said he ruined everything, the corner of her mouth curling ever so slightly. "And I should have come back that night, I should have fought harder. I should have known you were lying. I should have known better and refused to leave," she whimpered remorsefully. "Maybe if I had given you this that night everything would have been different," she said as she looked down at the scrapbook that was wedged between them. Reaching down she pulled it out and opened it to the last page, her fingers running over the words. "I may have written this a decade ago but I still mean them, all of them." Reaching into her back pocket she pulled out the letter he had written to her and unfolded it carefully; peeling back the next page of the scrapbook's protective sheet and laying it down on the page. Gingerly she sealed it and closed the book, her eyes slowly lifted to meet his; clearing her throat a bit. "But that wasn't exactly what I meant when I said tell me.."
He blinked rapidly for a minute, utterly confused by her words and then it dawned on him. His cheeks flushed and he had to avert his gaze lest he start laughing at the most inopportune moment. It worked for a minute and then he laughed, looking back to her bright eyes, his hands raising up to stroke her cheeks again. "Well, to be faaair, this is the 21st century... Equal opportunities and all..." He grinned before leaning forward and kissing the tip of her nose lightly. "You could always say the words, you know the words." Ada smirked and leaned back slightly as she looked at him, oh he wasn't going to get away with that little quip. "And yet men are still making the same dumb mistakes they have been for thousands of years. Come on, I want I to hear it," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted to hear it but only if they were true. God help him if he ever lied to her again; she might very well end up hating him. He cleared his throat and wished in that moment that he had his guitar with him but his voice would have to do. He began to sing one of his favourite songs. "Three little words, eight little letters, which simply mean..." His eyes never left hers, not for one second but his face inched closer and closer, his thumbs circling her skin and his hands sliding deeper into her hair as his voice grew lower. "I love you."
Her hands fell from herself and rested on his chest as he began to sing; she had always loved the sound of his voice; especially when he sung. She had missed the sound terribly over the years. She couldn't help but smile as he sung, it was a smile that had not graced her features since that night. As the last three words came, as he inched closer the smile only grew; a few tears trickling from her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. Kai slipped his fingers from her hair and wiped the tears away with quick and soft motions. Three little words she never thought she would hear him utter to her again and as they came everything in her broke down. Slipping her fingers up his chest she cupped each side of his neck as she slid closer to him; there was a pain beneath her breast but for once it wasn't one she wished would fade away; it was sweet and warming. He felt the skin of his neck warming at her touch and he gave her a wide, bright smile. A soft laugh came from her lips, one of relief as she replayed the words in her mind. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear those words," she said in a breathless voice as she rested her temple against his. "I love you, I never stopped."
His grin became even wider, he didn't think it was physically possible, but it happened. "I'm just sorry that it took me so long to say them again." He stroked her hair down, tidying the mess that his fingers had made. He kissed her gingerly on the forehead before resting his against the same spot his lips had touched moments before. "As much as I don't want to, we should get back." His mind drifted to Ash and Marc then and he groaned. "Well fuck, those two are going to be smugger than the cats that got the fucking cream when they see this. Ash is never going to stop saying I told you so to me. Ever. Fuck." He laughed deep from within his stomach and shook his head at the impossibility of this moment.
"It can wait, they can wait," she said calmly through the gentle chuckle leaving her body. She knew they needed to get back but she wasn't ready yet. "I've waited a life time to be close to you again, I'm afraid if I move I'll wake up and this will only be another in a long line of dreams," she said as she pulled closer to him; slipping into his lap. "Just a bit longer." She didn't realise it but she was nearly pleading for just another moment alone with him. She knew once they showed back up it was going to be chaos, she needed this time with him even if it was only a short one.
He slipped his arms completely around her as she sat in his lap, his legs splayed out before crossing as she shifted into his body. He'd always loved sitting like this with her. "Yeah, you're right, they can wait. Also we gotta do something about you worrying, it really isn't healthy. I mean, it's not like someone made you worry for a decade... Too soon?" He leaned back and looked at her face as he delivered his punchline, it was probably a little awkward but he just wanted to break the tension, to show her that they were good even if it was a long, long time overdue. Ada looked up at him and smacked him on the shoulder, it wasn't hard or mean but it was enough that it was in fact way too soon for that type of joke. Shaking her head she curled up against him like she had all those years ago, just enjoying the strong embrace he gave her and the comfort that came with it. Her head resting against his chest as she slipped her arms around his waist.
"Please don't let me go," she said quietly as her eyes drifted close; taking a long and deep breath just to breathe him in. It had been far too long. He laughed lightly, his shoulder still stinging a little from her hit but it was deserved. He kissed the top of her head and rested his chin on top of her, holding her as close as he could. "Never again." Ada could only smile at his words as she tightened her arms around him. "I'm going to hold you those words," she whispered before pressing her hand to his heart. She intended to do exactly what she said, she wouldn't let what happened all those years ago repeat itself. She just lay there in his arms for now, knowing they needed to get back but she didn't care. They had missed far too many moments and she intended to make up for at least some right then. The Mp3 player flipped over to another song and she knew by the time it was over they would need to head back but for now she just listened to the words and enjoyed the feeling of his heart beat beneath her hand. They would do things right this time around.
Cynthia McMillan
It didn't matter what others were doing at that moment, it didn't matter what they were saying; it didn't even matter the fingers that wrapped around her neck. Cynthia was still painting her pretty pretty picture using Atlas's face as her canvas. It was stunning in her mind, such wonderful colors, such raw emotion. Like they had shown her to in Art Therapy but only this time she had a living canvas. What could be better than that? She kept cackling like the mad woman she was as her fists pummeled his face and she smeared the blood and snot around.
"The butterfly emerges from the cocoon!" she exclaimed proudly as she was drug off of Atlas by Ashley. She tried to kick at the man, she wanted more paint. More paint for her pretty pretty picture. Minimalist work was not who she was, she was avant-garde! As she heard Ash say Ada's name she snapped out of it and looked down at her hands and then over to Atlas. "He asked for it," she said calmly as she started to catch her breath, coughing slightly at the dryness in her throat and the pain on her skin. It still hadn't even dawned on her that he had tried to strangle her to get her to stop.
"Yes, yes must clean up. Ada say I must always pick up after myself. It's a moral imperative," she said emulating Ada's speech and hand gestures to a T. Turning on her heels she dashed off to the women's locker room without another thought to go clean up, muttering to herself about how beautiful her picture was and how proud Ada would be of her; then the voice would flip and she would start criticizing her work, telling herself that she should have used cleaner brush strokes.
Marc Tender
Marc slipped out of his car once he parked it in the lot behind the gym; fixing the button on his vest before quickly making his way down the sidewalk that lead to the main doors. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed something on the concrete. Leaning down he picked up a broken phone. He knew the phone, it was Ada's. Looking at the blank cracked screen he figured that was why the call had gone dead. Maybe she dropped it when he told her about Jessica? Still the fact that it was just laying here worried him as he looked around. Ada was not one to just leave things laying around. Standing up he looked around, her car was still there. Swallowing lightly he turned and decided to check out what was going on inside of the gym before he officially decided to get worried.
Stepping into the gym he looked about, still no sign of Ada and he couldn't spot Kai either. This was either really good or really bad. Letting out a short breath he arched a brow as he saw Atlas and then witnessed Cynthia skipping off to the locker room covered in what looked like red paint but after looking back over towards Atlas he put two and two together really damn quick and shook his head. "What did that idiot do now?" he muttered to himself. Oh well, wasn't his problem. He had a case already in town and little altercations such as this was below his pay grade. Clearing his throat he lifted his arms up a bit.
"Class of 2006 can I have your attention please!" he bellowed like a drill instructor as he cupped his hands around his mouth. Marc looked different than he had in high school. His hair was darker, he was dressed much sharper than he had in those days. After High School he had actually grew a couple of extra inches and thanks to his time in the military had put on some weight; his shoulders broader now. He had turned from a scraggly unsure kid into a confidant man of action. At least that is what he told himself in the mirror each morning. He was right though and he had only become that much more ruggedly handsome over the last teen years.
He waited for people to look at him, something that might have sent him running when he was a teen but now it didn't even phase him. Taking a few quick steps he climbed up the bleachers a bit so he could oversee the entire gym. Still no sign of Ada or Kai but he spotted Ashley and smiled at her as he rubbed his hands together. His smile faded quickly as he got down to business.
"Listen, before it hits Twitter and Facebook feeds I need to tell you something," he said in a serious voice. He hated breaking news like this but it had to be done, for their own safety. "Last night there was a murder here in Grimm. We lost Jessica Flaggstaff. Now, a murder in and of itself is a horrid event but this one will strike us even harder for several reasons. I normally would not share such information this early in an investigation but I feel it prudent to do ahead before the rumors begin to fly. Jessica was murdered in the same fashion as our Simone was," he said in a voice loud enough to be heard at the back of the gym. He waited a moment for initial reactions to pass and motioned with his hands for people to calm down.
"I know, the thought of it happening all over again is one that is hard to swallow but I have doubled checked everything with Deputy Grayson. We are sure of this. This does not mean the reunion is over before it begins but it does mean that I wish for each member of the class of 2006 to be extra careful. I suggest that none of you go alone anywhere until we have more information. Pair up at a minimal, do not go walking alone, stay together and in lit areas. Let others know where you are going and when you will return, keep your phones on you with the GPS locators activated. This will all help us remain safe. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me, I will be staying here until after the Mixer this evening to ensure each of you are safe and to give a ride home to any that need it. Those of you that are staying in hotels tonight, I suggest you plan a sleep over with an old friend and bunk up," he said before stepping down off the bleachers and bee-lining it over to Ashley.
Walking over to her he hugged her quickly and whispered against her ear as to not alert anyone else. "Where in the love of god is Ada and Kai?" he asked as he pulled back from the hug; obvious worry flashed in his eyes as he stood there before he looked over towards Atlas. "Well you never seem to fail at making yourself the center of attention do you?" he said as he crossed his arms over his chest before shaking his head and looking back over towards Ash, waiting for an answer.
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