More Than What He Seems

Contact?

After their classes were through for the day, Luis walked out with his friends towards the cafe they were going to for dinner. His mind was still miles away from the situation with Aura, despite doing his best to cheer up. Chris, Angela, David, and Jesse all stared at him with concern before they found a seat at a table to wait for their server. It was not fun to be on the receiving end of being ignored, he thought, his attention on the table in front of them. Yet another sigh parted his lips.

“It’s going to be difficult to enjoy the meal with him moping.” Jesse stated with a chuckle. “How did you get to know her so well that you’re already this lost?”

“Well, we went on that coffee date when we first met. Then there was the Art Gallery.” Luis replied, refocusing on his friends. “Plus, we talked a lot online and on the phone.”

“So, you were already growing attached before you even met her.” Angela countered, her lips curling up into a mischievous smile. “They say it only takes about four months to fall in love with someone. Though I thought it took longer than that to stay in love. You seem hung up on her.”

“Yeah, normally you’re cold to any woman that approaches you.” Jesse agreed, wrapping his arm around Angela’s waist. “I often thought you had no interest in women at all.”

As Luis considered this, he looked up as the server came over to the table and thought about what he wanted to order. The steak meal would be good, or even a burger. While he thought about this, he barely noticed the server looking at him expectantly. Telling her he needed more time to place his order, his friends chuckled lowly. What had he missed? Looking up at them, he tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowed. What was so funny about this situation? He shook his head with a frown.

“She asked you for your phone number.” David said, laughing at the confused look on Luis’ face. “You were so focused on the menu, you didn’t notice?”

“The only woman on his radar is one Aura Bedisa.” Chris stated with a look of distaste. “Can’t believe you’re choosing to believe her over what other people say.”

Luis ignored that in favor of thinking about his meal. If he focused too much on Chris’s statement, his appetite would end up shot. They sat there discussing their classes a bit, enjoying each other’s company. He knew this group of friends for about eight years and had spent a lot of time with them. His eyes fell to the pocket he was keeping his phone in with a sigh. He had been following her blog posts for twelve years and he was happy that she would start it up again.

“We’re losing him.” David teased, causing Luis to flinch slightly. “Quick, someone get ahold of that Bedisa girl and tell her to stop ignoring him.”

“Haha, you’re going to make him mad, David.” Jesse replied, laughing as Luis shook his head. “Come on, man, you look like a kicked puppy.”

“Here’s your order, Sir.” The server came back, a smile on her lips. “My number is on the receipt. Will you call me sometime?”

“Thank you.” He replied before accepting the plate from her. “Sorry, I have someone I’m into right now.”

Once the woman walked away, his friends shook their heads in unison. It was clear what they thought about the outright rejection of the woman that had asked about him. He sighed at the attempt to point him towards a woman with fewer issues. Not that he minded her issues, he just wished she knew more of what she had. That she had more confidence in herself. Sure, that woman had been beautiful, but she was no Aura, and that was obvious. There were a lot of things he liked about Aura.

Her shy demeanor, the way she would turn her face away when she felt embarrassed. The reddish-brown hair she was constantly pushing behind her ear, even when it tied up in a hair tie, and the way her almost crystal blue eyes would focus on him when he spoke. There were a lot of things he did not know about her just yet, but he was looking forward to learning. She could be extremely shy, but then come through and say something so amazing it caused him to get embarrassed.

“Luis?” Angela said, her tone curious. “Why are you smiling?”

“Oh… uh…” He started, but the knowing smile on Jesse’s lips warned him to be careful. “Nothing.”

“Haha, you look like David said I did before I made things official with Angela.” He said, eyes narrowed happily as he stroked Angela’s hair. “I can’t wait to tease you about this.”

Of course, Angela and Jesse have been dating for three years now. The two were making plans for after their college career, which Luis could respect, especially since he had his own plans. He had a job to get to; something he had been working on for years. The thought made him sigh internally as he considered this before David knocked on the table, clearly to catch Luis’s attention. Surrounded by his friends, he was doing his best to enjoy the lunch before him. After they finished eating, they were on their way back to the college to pick up their cars when Angela stopped him.

“Don’t forget to make things official with Aura.” She started, a bright smile on her face. “And ignore Chris. He’ll get used to the idea soon enough.”

***

 I was back and forth on this blog post, but now, I am kind of glad I created a new post for my fans. The biggest defining factor was exactly how many fans I had that I did not realize kept hoping I would come back. After I pressed the post button, I stood and stretched my tired limbs. The satisfied feeling of posting something I was proud of filled me as I looked over the information I had gathered. I loved doing research on new topics, and some new artists had made some things that worked well for the ideas I had gathered for this blog.

 I also had to remember the point I was trying to make with my last post, and that was difficult. Luckily, I still had the documents I had used when I made that post and I stored them on my laptop I had dedicated to that stuff. Pulling up past research materials and pictures of artifacts that were free to public use was pretty easy. All I needed to do was organizing my thoughts in a way that made it easy for anyone to understand. 

 Instead of staying in front of my laptop, I made myself some dinner and watch some television. I rarely turned the thing on, but there was a new historical documentary on one of the many streaming services I used. It is funny, really. I did not have a job and had no formal source of income. Since I became independent, my last foster parent continued to provide funds to me. The kindness had surprised me, considering I always felt out of place in their home, though I guess they felt terrible for being unable to take care of me in the way I needed.

 It is hard to know what exactly it is I need concerning family, but they still show they care in their own way. The money came in every two weeks, so I could live a pretty comfortable life on what they gave me. It was really kind that they still thought of me, even now. The last letter they had sent was that even though they could not care for my mental needs, they still hoped for the best for me. As I prepared my dinner, I thought about them. 

The O’Hare family. The reason they were fostering was because they could not have children of their own. I had always been grateful to the families that had taken me in, but they had done the most out of all of them. They were the ones that introduced me to my current therapist and provided a lot of the emotional support that I had not received before.

I could not stay with them though, because of the darkness of my past. They became the target for a lot of harassment from their neighbors and lost a lot of friends. It did not help that I looked so much like my mother, except with reddish brown hair instead of her black. As much as I appreciated all they had done for me, I could not drag them down, so I left for their sake. But they continued to provide for me from afar, although being around me had ruined their lives.

“Such kind people.” I whispered offhandedly; my show forgotten as I got wrapped up in my past. “Where would I be without them now?”

 Some families that had taken me in had only done as much as necessary to take care of me, while receiving a bonus from the government for providing for me. Others just took the money and locked me away, only for my removal to happen a short time later and they would always end up arrested for lying and child neglect. The O’Hare family was the only family I had any wonderful memories of, and I remained with them for four years before I left. They had been a rather rich family, but despite how much money they had, they could not stop the negativity that came from my past.

 The negativity surrounding my probable witchy-ness, or that I am performing spells like my mother did. Even if I moved out of state, those rumors followed me like the plague once people found out what my last name was. Since my father was an unknown, I had taken my mother’s last name, Bedisa. Even though the cult she ran had not gained popularity when I was a child, it became really popular when she got arrested.

 Because of her “sacrifices,” Michelle Bedisa became a household name, and her cult encouraged more people to either follow God or become cultists themselves. Once people found out Bedisa was my last name and I was Michelle’s actual daughter, the taunting and harassment never stopped. Of course, rumors of me had got out when she got arrested. Unfortunately, none of my foster parents ever wanted to adopt me to change my last name, nor have I had the time to go to the courthouse to change it myself.

“Once people find out about me…” My phone interrupted my thoughts, causing me to sigh. “Probably Luis…”

 I missed him greatly, but I still felt weird about what those girls had said. He was persistent though, and still messaged and called at least once a day, trying to fix things. Unfortunately, there was nothing to fix, at least not with him. The problem was with my past, and unless he wanted my history to bring him down, he needed to stay away from me. He could end up like the O’Hare family. I sighed again, watching as the phone went to voicemail.

 I do not want to cause him trouble, and I hated that my anxiousness and nervousness always got in the way when I talked to him. What can I do to improve his life? Absolutely nothing because I am the daughter of a self-proclaimed witch and a shut-in and… the phone rang again. Him calling again. I left my phone on the kitchen counter and walked into the living room with my food. He will give up eventually.