Chapter 34: A new beginning

The above cover was made for me by _0ANDY0_. Thank you so much for your kindness and amazing work! <3

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R A Y N A

I did not expect to end up at the hospital again so soon after Elisabeth Anderson's death. However, I find myself in the same sterile-smelling waiting area as several weeks ago.

Truth be told, I do not know why I am still sitting here. It's not like I need to wait around for Caleb. I helped him to the hospital, and that is all I agreed to do. So why don't I just go home?

"Relatives of Mr Caleb Fitrei?" A female doctor calls loudly upon walking into the waiting room.

I stand up and slump my way over to her, not thrilled by the idea of facing Caleb once more. "That'd be me," I respond.

The doctor plucks her glasses down from their position on her head before looking down at the clipboard in her hand. "Can I please ask for your name and your relation to Mr Fitrei?"

I fight the urge to groan in this poor woman's face. If I say I am just a mere acquaintance of his, they are very unlikely to update me on his current condition. So, with great reluctance, I grimace and lie through gritted teeth. "I'm his... girlfriend. My name is Rayna Harris."

"Ah, Miss Harris, yes. He mentioned you back when we were assessing him," she speaks as she scribbles a few notes down. "Please follow me."

With a nod, I plod along behind the woman as she walks through the bleak and barren corridors of the hospital.

"Your partner is lucky, you know," the doctor informs me after poking her head through a doorway and waving at a colleague of hers. "The only wounds he has are a broken rib, a mild concussion, and a few nasty cuts and bruises. We should be able to discharge him once we've run a final few checks."

I breathe a sigh of relief. I want to believe this is staged and all a part of this 'girlfriend' act I am putting on, but I know deep down that it is not. "That's good to hear."

She stops outside a closed door and places her hand on the handle, readying herself to open it and step inside. However, before she pulls it down and enters, she turns back and faces me—eyes filled with concern and expression serious. "It could have been a lot worse than it was, and I cannot promise that he or anyone else would be so lucky should this occur again," the woman tells me. "Do you know anything about who did this to your partner? I would also advise you to report the incident to the local authorities."

I bite my lip, divided. Telling the police that it was Caleb's landlord who orchestrated the attack seems like the most logical plan of action, yet it is not my place to say. It's up to Caleb to report it, not me. "I don't have a clue," I lie, shrugging my shoulders. "It was probably just one of those reckless gangs looking for something to pass the time with. You know what people are like around the more dodgy areas of the city, right?"

The doctor looks to one side and lets out a small hum. I get the impression that she does not believe me, but she does not say another word concerning the matter. "Right," she says, finally pulling down the door handle before glancing over her shoulder at me. "I suppose you're rather eager to see him?"

I force a smile. "Yes, that would be... nice."

#

Much to my relief, no real opportunity for Caleb and me to have a proper conversation came up whilst his wounds were being tended to. There were far too many doctors, nurses and HCAs heading in and out of the room for it to be a possibility. But like in everything in life, moments like these come to an end.

Around an hour later, I find myself standing beside Caleb as he is being discharged from the hospital. He cracks one last joke to the doctor who treated him and offers his thanks, before turning around to face me.

"We're all set... wanna head out?" He says.

"Yeah, let's go." I reply with a nod before walking ahead of him toward the exit.

Once we are outside, I try my best to just leave. It's nearly midnight, and I want nothing more than to head back to my flat and crawl into bed. However, Caleb appears to have another plan.

"Rayna," he says.

I exhale deeply and turn to face him. "What do you want?"

Caleb scratches his head sheepishly, pausing for several moments before talking. "I... look, I know you don't owe me anything—I mean, if anything, it's the other way round after tonight," he babbles. "But I was just... wondering, could you possibly—"

"Could I what?"

I find it strange. I thought I would be extremely angry, but I'm not. I feel more let down than anything and I cannot exactly pinpoint whether it is a better or worse sensation than rage.

"Can you hear me out?" He asks. "I know I don't deserve it, Rayna... but, I don't know, I just—"

"You know what, yes," I intervene, stopping his ramble. "I'll listen to you, Caleb."

"You will?" Caleb replies, sounding surprised by my lack of resistance.

"Yes... providing you answer a question, that is."

"S-sure... ask away."

I look up at him with furrowed brows. "Why?" is the simple, one-worded question that leaves my lips. "Why did you do it, Caleb? Yes, I can picture just how horrid your landlord is—it's hard not to when seeing the state they left you in. But was going against me like you did for a short-term profit really the only way around the problem?"

He exhales, blue eyes that are still bright despite the state of his face now fixed on the concrete below. "Rayna, my family wouldn't have helped in a financial or personal sense... you know that just as well as I do. Who else could I have gone to? I have nobody to lean on and go to when I—"

"You have me!" I yell, frustrated. "I would've helped you had you asked. My flat is small, but at least you would have had a roof over your head. Also, I'm certain Elliott would have been willing to help you. There are people who care about you and want to help you, Caleb! Why can't you see that?!"

"I... I didn't..."

"You didn't think, that's what." I finish his sentence for him. "You did what I do, Caleb! I'm usually the one who makes impulsive decisions, and you're the rational one! Why didn't you use your brain?"

"I don't know... I just... I feel so strongly for you, and I guess that got in the way."

I'd never like to think of myself as some sort of clueless movie character—the type whose life is just a string of events leading up to an eventual 'electric' romance. And yet, that seems like my reality in this moment. Allowing myself to listen to what Caleb has to say makes me feel like I'm playing with fire. Like I am bound to get hurt. But the potential of pain does not kill the thrill his words ignite.

Caleb chews on his bottom lip, clearly uncomfortable. "Look, Rayna... I'm sorry, I shouldn't start talking about my feelings after what I did to you, it's out of line and—"

"Why are you doing this to me?" I blurt out without thinking. "I don't know why I'm listening to you right now, or why I feel sorry for you. You betrayed me, and that's normally enough of a reason for me to cut a person out. I mean, I did it before, didn't I?"

He shakes his head and frowns. "I'm sorry, I—"

"God knows why, Caleb, but I still have feelings for you, even after what you did," I say. "For some reason, I don't think I can cut you out like I did with the others, and I hate it. So, I'll ask again... why?"

The question of 'why' has changed in meaning significantly since the first time it left my lips and, judging by the look on Caleb's face, he seems to realise this.

He looks one way and then the other, shuffling around and fidgeting on the spot a little before locking eyes with me again. His face drops, silently informing me that I am not the only one fighting an internal battle.

"I... I don't know," he finally mutters. "I've never felt like this for someone before, Rayna. I'm confused as well."

Despite my grave mood, the corners of my lips flick up ever so slightly upon hearing that. "Never?"

"Never. Nobody has made me feel quite like you have. You're special."

"Christ sake." I almost want the laugh at the irony of the whole situation. "What does this make us, then?"

"Two idiots who don't know what to do with their emotions?" Caleb says as he shrugs his shoulders and walks toward me, closing the distance between us.

I scoff and roll my eyes. "No, Fitrei, I think you mean one idiot who thoroughly fucked up, and another who ended up lost in the middle of... well, everything."

Caleb puts one of his hands on my shoulder and the other beneath my chin, tilting my head upward so that I am at direct eye level with him. When I meet his gaze, I cannot help but think that he looks just as muddled as I most likely do. "Believe me when I say that I am not expecting anything from you," he whispers to me. "I know you said that you can't cut me off, but please know that I will raise no demands for you to feel anything toward—"

I place my hand on top of his one as it sits on my shoulder, stroking my fingers across the back of it. "You confuse me, Caleb. I just... I don't..." I say, my words trailing off momentarily before I find my voice again. "Promise me you won't do anything like this ever again. What you did hurt me more than you could ever know."

"I swear," he promises me as he moves his hands from their previous positions and encircles his arms around my waist. He pulls me close, but not close enough for me to put pressure on his injured chest. "I promise I won't ever hurt you or undermine your decisions again. I'm so sorry, Storm Cloud."

In the past, forgiveness would have been out of the question for me, no matter how grand of an apology I received. But, contrary to this, I return Caleb's embrace and bury my head in his shoulder. "I forgive you, Fitrei," I say, my voice muffled by his T-shirt. "It's okay."

I do not know if I will ever be able to trust him as I had before, or whether our paths will separate or remain intertwined in future. What I know, however, is that this discussion marks the start of a fresh chapter for Caleb and me.

A new beginning.

Thanks for reading chapter 34! We are nearing the end. <3

What do you think the future holds for Rayna and Caleb?

Are we happy that Rayna found it in herself to forgive somebody?

Please remember to vote and comment.

Amber