Healing Together

Chapter 3: Curious

Wednesday, 9 am.

Megan’s POV

“Joshua Vasquez?” - “here”

“Monique Walker? - “here!”

As Mrs. Morgan was finishing up attendance, I noticed that Sen still hasn’t shown up, making this his third day being absent. I haven’t heard from him since Saturday, when our kiss happened. Maybe I was the one who felt it was a special moment... not him. But still, I was eager to find out where he’s been. I haven’t even seen him outside of school, which was odd, considering the fact that he lives on the same street as me. I just wanted to hear from him. I didn’t know if he was avoiding me or not, but it sure felt like it.

I missed him...

After class

“Meg, cheer up. Maybe he has a reason.”, Joyce said.

“Well if he cared, he would’ve told me that reason.” I responded, “I haven’t seen him at all. Not once. Does he even care about our kiss? Our conversation? Anything?”.

Joyce looked at me, “I know you’re upset but think about it Meg, you two aren’t together. That was one day. I don’t mean to be hard on you or anything but...”

She paused.

“You gotta cut the guy some slack. I’m sure the kiss you guys shared was amazing and yeah, I’m pretty sure the way he opened up to you was amazing too. But it all happened in one day. You never know, maybe that was too much for him. I’m not justifying him avoiding you or anything. I’m just saying, maybe he’s a guy who has a hard time opening up to someone.”

I thought about what Joyce said for a while and although I didn’t want to admit it, she was right. We aren’t together. Everything happened so fast between us. The strong feelings I developed for him literally happened in the course of one day. Maybe it was too much for him. If so, I still couldn’t wrap my mind around why he hasn’t been coming to school. It couldn’t be because of me; it had to be something deeper.

“You’re right.”, I responded.

Joyce smiled, “I know. Now let’s go to class.”

...2:15pm

*Last period bell rings*

I began making my way to my locker where I saw Joyce waiting for me.

“On our way home, let’s stop at the store. I want some snacks”, she said.

I put my books away and stuffed my homework folder into my backpack, “Okay. By the way, we have that project for Mr. Wayne’s class that we never started. You wanna start it at my house or yours?”

“Damn, I forgot all about that! Let’s go to yours, it’s quiet there.”, Joyce responded.

I chuckled, “Okay, let’s go.”

Sen’s POV

“Hey ma.”, I said while closing the front door behind me.

Hanging her head down low, my mom’s eyes began to water. “Hey baby”, she said before walking up to me and giving me a hug.

“Everything will be fine, ma. I promise.”, I said.

I told my mom that it’ll be fine, hoping that I could convince myself that. I’ve been leaving home late nights and coming back the next day. I was tired. I was scared. I was broken. Tired, because I barely get any sleep due to these “steps” I have to follow. Scared, because something could go wrong and me and my mom would be in danger. Broken, because I’ve been pulled away from the one person who made me feel like my life could be better. Megan. I needed to see her, it was killing me...

“Go upstairs and get some rest, you look tired.”

Staring at me, she had nothing but fear in her eyes. “Sen... Lo is a dangerous man, baby. He is a dangerous man. I stayed up all night long waiting for you to come back to me. I did this for the last three nights. I’m sorry.” She fell to her knees, “I’m so so sorry baby boy. I-“

“Ma...”, I cut her off before standing her back up on her feet. “This will all be over soon. I’m getting his money ma, I’m almost there. Once I have it, he’ll leave us alone for good. I promise you. We’ll be fine.”

“I love you so much”, she said while wiping her tears.

“I love you too, ma. Go get some sleep.” I responded.

...5pm

Exhausted, sore, and drained, I woke up in my bed.

“I must’ve fell asleep... I don’t even remember walking to my room.” I said to myself.

Fuck it.

I rolled over, pulled the cover over my head and tried falling asleep again.

ding dong

I sighed, “Who the hell is this at the door?”

I lazily rolled out of bed, walked out of my bedroom, and cracked open my mom’s bedroom door to see if the doorbell had awaken her. She was still sound asleep.

ding dong

I closed her door and started jogging down the stairs, “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Megan’s POV

...5pm

“Joyce, I don’t think this is a good idea.”, I said.

“There’s no running back now, you already rang the doorbell!”, she yelled over the phone.

“Oh, wait! Someone’s coming! Uh... Bye!”, I said before hanging up.

The locks on the door started turning. I began fixing my hair just in case Sen actually answered... which I doubted. I assumed it would be his mom who’d come to the door. I even had what I was going to say to her mentally rehearsed. The door finally opened, I took a deep breath and looked up. It was him.

He answered.

His hair was a little messy, he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his red and tired eyes were focused on me.

“S...Sen?”, I said in a low voice.

I looked at him and I couldn’t read the expression on his face at all. He just looked terribly overtired. I tried so hard to form my words but nothing was coming out. Absolutely nothing. I just stood there, looking up at him... looking foolish.

I tried being strong for once and stepped an inch closer to him, “Sen. What is going on? You can’t just leave me in the dark... Y-you...” My voice started trembling and I felt my eyes water. Struggling with what to say to him, I looked up just to see the same blank expression across his face.

“I knew it... I knew you didn’t care. Why aren’t you saying anything?!”, I said with tears running down my cheeks. “You know what, forget it.”

I turned my back to him and started walking away. I hated it. I hated the whole moment. It was like he was empty inside. He wasn’t the same guy who lied next to me in my bed and opened up to me. He wasn’t the same guy who kissed me. The way he disregarded my feelings just wasn’t like him... or maybe it was. I’ve only ever seen one side of him. That one side is who I fell in love with, not this. It just didn’t feel the same.

“Megan”, I suddenly heard Sen’s voice behind me. Before I could do anything, he placed his hands on my waist and twirled me around to face him. He then slowly slid his thumb across my cheek, wiping away my tears and let out a small, “I’m sorry.”

I looked at him and watched his eyes focus on mine. He leaned it, placed a small kiss on my lips, and pulled me into his house.

“Sen... why-“

He interrupted me, “Shh. Come on.” He locked the front door behind him, took my hand, and started to lead me upstairs. He then took his index finger and placed it on his lips, signaling me to be quiet. I listened. When we finally made it upstairs, he led me to his bedroom.

“Sit down.”, he said while shutting his door.

I sat down and watched him pace back and forth. “Sen, what’s wrong? You can tell me.”

He sat down next me and looked into my eyes, “Megan, I’m sorry. No, I wasn’t avoiding you. Yes, I still feel the same way about you. It was hell going days without seeing you. I don’t know... it’s like you’re the only one who makes me wholeheartedly happy. When I opened the door and saw you standing there, everything that’s wrong with my life suddenly didn’t matter anymore. I see that I hurt you but trust me, it wasn’t intentional... not at all.”

As mad as I was at him, I couldn’t continue to be. He gave me his sincere apology. The way he kept eye contact with me the whole time, it would’ve been impossible for me to stay mad at him. I still get nervous around him. I still feel uneasy whenever I’m near him. He was still the most attractive man I’ve ever been around. How could I not forgive him?

I blushed, “I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“Now you know.”, he said with a small smile.

“So... What’s been going on? I haven’t seen you at school. Well, I haven’t seen you at all. Why?” I asked.

It got silent for a while and he looked down at the floor. I watched his eyes wander while he held one of his hands in the other. It looked as if he was hesitant to tell me.

I wonder what he’s thinking about.

Sen’s POV

I can’t let her know what I’ve been doing... How Lo is threatening my family... How I’m working for him and doing his dirty work. She won’t want anything to do with me. Little does she know, I didn’t even want to be seen with her because that alone, can put her in danger as well. f**k.

I turned towards Megan and held her hands, “Listen...”

I paused.

“What is it, Sen?”, she asked.

“My mom is sick.”

Why the hell did I just say that? Sick with what, sick with what?

Megan’s eyes instantly widened and in a concerned tone she asked, “what’s wrong with her?”

I paused again, trying to think of what to say... “She has Celiac disease. She’s always in pain... she throws up more than twice a day, she’s losing weight, she constantly has to use the bathroom... I just hate seeing her like this.”

“Oh my gosh, Sen... I’m so sorry.”, Megan said.

I mean, I didn’t fully lie... she does have Celiac. It just doesn’t affect her as much because of the treatment she’s on. But damn, now I made Megan feel bad. I hate myself.

“Nah, don’t be sorry. You didn’t know. Plus, you had the right to be upset with me. I kissed you, caressed you, and made you feel all lovestruck then disappeared.”, I responded with a smile on my face.

She blushed, “Shut up.”

I pulled her closer to me and hugged her. I hugged her because I made her cry and I hated it. I couldn’t stand seeing her cry because of me. I hugged her because I missed her. I missed her bright eyes, I missed the scent of her, I missed the way her voice trembled when I made her nervous. I hugged her because I wanted to tell her everything. She doesn’t deserve to be lied to. I wanted to tell her the real reason... but I couldn’t do it.

“I’m sorry I made you cry. I really do care about you, Meg.”, I said.

“It’s okay, Sen.”, she said before hugging me tighter.

I looked down at her and instantly felt guilty. I didn’t want to continue to lie to her like this but I had to. She’s the only girl that made me feel this way and I still couldn’t figure out why... I just knew that I wanted her.

I laid her down on my bed and pushed her hair out of her face.

She is so beautiful.

Megan’s POV

I looked up at Sen who was staring down at me me while I was lying down. He looked so gorgeous. He leaned in and placed his hand under my head. With his eyes piercing my soul, he moved his head in closer to mine and began kissing me. Once again, I felt like I was in heaven. I I felt like I was floating. I felt alive again…

Maybe that’s what it was about Sen... He made me feel like I was actually living for once. For years, I’ve always felt empty. I felt worthless and used. I was so used to coming home from school and dealing with my father; I never got the chance to explore. Sen reminds me that I am a person who deserves happiness. He regenerates me with life.

Sen gently pulled his lips away from mine and lay down next to me. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“Make what up to me?”, I asked.

“The fact that I made you cry. The way I left you alone without giving you a reason. I’ll make it up to you, beautiful.”, he explained.

A huge smile formed across my face, “Aww, you don’t have to do that. You already apologized to me, Sen. And you had an actual reason behind it. I accept your apology.”

He shook his head, “No, I wanna show you how sorry I am.”

“Okay, and how would you do that?”, I asked.

“Let me take you out.”, he responded.

I couldn’t help but smile. I never went on a date before and the fact that Sen asked to take me out, reassured me that he was actually interested in me. For days, I have been wondering if he cared about me and now it was no longer a thought of mine.

“Okay, I’ll let you take me out.”

He smiled, “Saturday?”

I nodded, “Saturday.”

“Come on, I’ll walk you to your house. My mom should be waking up soon”, he said.

I sat up on his bed and watched him put a shirt on. He then took my hand and we walked out of his room, downstairs, and out the front door.

As we began walking, I pulled out my phone and handed it to him. “Your number, please.”

He laughed, “What happened to asking for my number?”

“What happened to you asking for mine?”, I responded.

“Yeah, Yeah.”, he said while stopping in front of my house.

“When will you show up to school again?”, I asked.

He handed me back my phone, “soon.”

I rolled my eyes to his vague response, “Okay.”

“Here”, he said while handing me his phone. “Put your number in.”

I began putting my number in his contacts and while doing so, I noticed a text that popped up on the top of his screen. It read: need the money by 5/5.

I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t any of my business anyway. So after I was done, I just handed it back to him.

He hugged me, kissed me on my forehead, said “goodbye, beautiful” and walked away.

“Goodbye, Sen.” I whispered to myself before walking inside.

I was relieved. I finally got to see him after assuming that he didn’t want anything to do with me. Seeing him made my day one hundred percent better. I couldn’t stop smiling after I walked into my house. I no longer had to worry about anything, the fact that he liked me was crystal clear. I could finally sleep at night without feeling neglected.

“Where were you?”, my aunt Denise asked me.

“Oh, I was just with Sen.”, I answered.

“You mean the boy you like?”, she asked.

I playfully rolled my eyes at her, “No.”

“Come on Megan, I’m not dumb, okay? You came in here with a big ass smile on your face. You like him. Now, moving on.”, she responded.

I stared at my aunt for a while and finally decided to give in, “Okaaay, you’re riiight. I like him.”

“I know, I didn’t need confirmation. You’re just like your mother.”, she responded.

I smiled and headed upstairs to my room.

“Dinner will be ready in an hour!”, she called from downstairs.

I sat on my bed and began to call Joyce, “Okay, Auntie!”

“Hello?”, Joyce answered.

“Oh my gosh, Joyce. So listen to this. . .”

Saturday morning.

Today was the day of my first date. I was panicking. We never established what time it would be or where we were going. I still haven’t decided what to wear because in order to decide, I’d have to know where he is taking me. I thought about texting him but I only text him when he texts me first; I didn’t want to seem annoying.

“Come downstairs and eat breakfast, honey!” My aunt called.

“I’m not hungry!”, I responded.

“You have to eat! Come down here, now!”, she called again.

I ran downstairs to the kitchen to see my aunt cooking a nice and big breakfast. “What’s all of this?”

She turned around and placed an empty plate in front of me, “It’s me celebrating you for your first date!”

I laughed, “Auntie, really?”

“What do you mean?! I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long! I knew you’d break out of your shell!”, she said while filling my plate with pancakes.

“Thank you for this.”, I said.

“No problem, honey.”

A half hour went by while I sat down and ate with my aunt. She asked a lot of questions about Sen and she really seemed to like him. Not that it would’ve changed anything but, I liked the fact that my aunt was very accepting of him. He really is a good guy.

...2pm

I still haven’t heard a word from Sen, which kind of sucked. Although it was still kind of early, I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to look my best for my first date. I decided to blow out my hair and use Flexi Rods to curl it. I was already half way done but I still didn’t have a clue on what to wear. I found myself overthinking everything.

I don’t want to text him… What if his mom’s condition worsened? He’ll have to stay with her. Or what if he forgot about our date? I’ll feel so stupid.

I sighed, “Calm down, Megan. He -” before I could finish my sentence, my phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

“Be ready by 5, beautiful... and dress nice”, Sen said.