"Overthinking won't make it any better!"
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
....................
"Kath, wake up. Come on, I have got something to say to you", Janice pulled away her duvet making her groan. Janice would never disturb Laura and her beauty sleep in the mornings as that wouldn't end well at all. So she decided to wake Kathleen first.
Janice couldn't sleep the whole as she kept thinking about Gerald and their fight on the previous day, due to Doris. Janice thought maybe she over reacted like usual and she realized that she should have let Gerald speak and he deserved a chance.
Her mind and her heart were having a war with her. Her mind convinced her that 'what she did was right. And Gerald doesn't deserve a chance at all. He shouldn't have let doris do that and he was the reason behind all this.
Janice strongly believed that staying in a relationship just because we love somebody is not worth it. Love is not that she needs. Respect is what she needs, reassurance is what she needs, happiness is what she needs, knowing everyday that she was his favorite person for forever.
While her heart said, 'she will never find a man like Gerald again in her life. And she can't blame him until she knew how that kiss took place. Deep down she knew that, without hearing him out, she can't take decisions about this. And she was trying to hold on and walk away at the same time. So it's hard to sleep when her mind is in war with the heart.
Anyways, the heart wants the root yet the mind wants the wings. Finally her heart won the battle of two and she decided to meet up Gerald after classes to sort it out and planned on giving him a chance to explain it himself. She woke up right before the sunrise, she wanted someone to hear her out and correct her if she was wrong.
"Kath, we can't give up on someone because the situation is not ideal. Good relationships aren't great because they have no problems, they are great because both people care enough about the other person to find a way to make it work", Janice signed and Kathleen had no idea on what she was talking about in the early morning.
"Go away Jay", she moaned snuggling into her bed.
"No... no! I want you to listen. Come on wakey wakey. It's 6 already", she urged Kathleen to wake up before the sun which is tougher to her than anything in life.
"Jay...... have you gone crazy or something. What happened to you?", she groaned but Janice put on her fullest effort in dragging her out the bed and she succeeded. She made Kathleen sit on the chair and Janice helped herself with another chair.
"I feel jealous of Laura", kathleen mumbled on hearing her snore. She rubbed her half closed eyes. She put her hair into a messy bun and took a deep breath folding her legs and making herself comfortable.
"Yes, so tell me now, what's bothering you in the middle of the night?", she asked squinting her eyes.
"What?? Seriously? Middle of the night? Come on Kath. This is called the 'morning', maybe I hope you are seeing this for the first time in your entire life", Janice teased making her roll her eyes.
"Whatever. Oh my god, look at your face! You look like shit ! Did you ever sleep at night at all?", kathleen teased her back.
"Hahaha, very funny", she mocked.
"Okay fine! I'll take a rain check of 'teasing each other' game, now split it out, Jay!".
"Ahmmmm, the thing is... I having a feeling that I just over reacted with Gerald and I acted like the worst drama queen ever", she cried covering her face.
"Unbelievable that you have accepted the truth finally", Kathleen's laughter filled the room.
"You..... bratss. .. go to sleep", Laura mumbled rolling to the other side of the bed.
"I feel embarrassed for what I did and most importantly I was debating with myself the whole night and I have decided to give him a chance to explain about the kiss by himself" she uttered with a small smile.
"That's sounds good. Yeah, maybe what if it happened the other way and Gerald has nothing to do with that", kathleen says rubbing her arms to warm it up.
"Most importantly I don't think Gerald would ever cheat on you like that. I'm not a person into relationships and other stuffs but I can say you this, 'never leave a relationship which seems to be forever to you, for a few faults. Nobody is perfect, nobody is correct, and on seeing you guys I can understand that affection is always greater than perfection".
"Oh my god, you have got brains Kath", Janice chuckled making her frown.
"But my sudden outburst would have hurt him for sure, like mentally", Janice mumbled and sadness laced her voice.
"Come on Jay. He would definitely understand you. And you have every single right to get angry on seeing something like that. Like, which girl wouldn't react on witnessing someone else kiss her man", kathleen shrugged.
"Mmm- hmmm, I think my brain has no heart and my heart has no brain. That's why when I speak my mind seem heartless and when I do what's in my mind I seem thoughtless", she stuttered breathlessly.
"Calm down babs. Take a deep breath, keep your heads high, I don't want your crown to fall and go,? just talk to him as the same old Janice. I'm sure he will accept your apology no matter what", kathleen assured with a sunny smile.
"Aww, kath. I don't know what I would do without you", she moved towards Kathleen to hug her but Kathleen leaned backwards.
"Maybe I would appreciate to go without a hug", she giggled. Janice smacked her hand hard.
"How about a morning dance?", kathleen grinned.
"Pleasure is mine", Janice chuckled.
"Alexa, play 'favorite crime' by olivia rodrigo", Janice chirped and the music began....
*****Know that I loved you so bad
I let you treat me like that
I was your willing accomplice, honey
And I watched as you fled the scene
Doe-eyed as you buried me
One heart broke, four hands bloody
Those things I did
Just so I could call you mine
The things you did
Well, I hope I was your favorite crime
You used me as an alibi
I crossed my heart as you crossed the line
And I defended you to all my friends
And now, every time a siren sounds
I wonder if you're around
'Cause you know that I'd do it all again
All the things I did
Just so I could call you mine
The things you did
Well, I hope I was your favorite crime
It's bittersweet to think about the damage that we do
'Cause I was going down, but I was doing it with you
Yeah, everything we broke, and all the trouble that we made
But I say that I hate you with a smile on my face******
......................
The bell rings bringing the 'history of architecture' class to an end. Kathleen loves histories and she was a strong believer of the line, 'we are not makers of history! We are made by history'- said by Martin Luther King.
She waved a goodbye to her history teacher Ms. Swan, she made Kathleen understand that 'history is not just the past but history is the present' through her teaching. Kathleen walked out of her classroom to find Laura waiting for her arrival eagerly. Kathleen squint her eyes on walking towards her friend.
"Oh, ms. Thompson! What brings you here?", she teased Laura while Laura smiled, no it was a grin, she doesn't do that usually. She does it only when she is excited.
"You have to accompany me to a place", she chirped.
"To where? And why?", questioned kathleen, without answering it, Laura hooked her arm along with Kathleen's.
"Look who is excited like hell", kathleen said with a smirk.
"Kath, Peter wants to meet us all and I couldn't reach Janice. She is not answering any of my calls", signed Laura. Kathleen's face morphs back into a confused state.
"Jay?? Maybe she is busy with g e r a l d", she giggled.
"Whatever she will join us later. Now let's fly. He asked me to come to the Bean cafe", Laura dragged her off the classroom.
"The one outside the campus?", kathleen scratches her head doubtfully.
"Yes, I referred it. I don't want him to be?a part of our college and it's drama", Laura rolled her eyes.
"Ohh how protective", smirked Kathleen.
"By the way, tell me how you became friends with him on the first place", kathleen was eager to know how a girl from usa and a boy from uk became friends over the internet.
"You remember our intercollegiate events, back before few months??", they continued to walk towards the entrance of the campus.
"Yes, I do".
"I posted a picture, tagging the Nottingham University and he gave me a request, I accepted his request back and it gradually started........", she said with a smug smile.
"Ohh, is it some online crush or..... what is Peter to you?", kathleen teased her.
"What? Hell no. He is in love with grace.?You remember the girl from the Nottingham University?? Natalie??, grace??", she explained.
"Oh, that's so nice. Grace was a dynamic personality indeed, I remember her", kathleen sounded surprised.
"But it is so sad that I really never tried to talk to the girls again", kathleen mumbled. Laura agreed to her.
"So, you guys are like good friends? You and Peter??", kathleen squint her eyes again.
"Yes, to be frank, I really never had a male friend in all these days of my life. Actually, I....I'm choosy about my friends but Peter is something different", Laura stated.
"I don't speak much to other people except you guys, not even Noah. I feel like not so many would understand me. But Peter is like some special person who changes your life by just being a part of it. He made me believe there is really good in the world by staying so many miles away", she declared. Kathleen mouthed a 'oh' and continued to walk towards the cafe.
"Mmmhmmm, I get it now", kathleen nodded in approval.
"He convinced me that there really is an unlocked door in the world out there just waiting for me open up. No one has ever made me believe I'm perfect enough but he did. I text him in Instagram, we have exchanged numbers but never really spoke and time is the biggest enemy of all for us", she signed.
"Yeah, you are right. So why is he here? I mean in DC, USA?? Seriously, did he travel away from a continent just to meet up with you?", scoffed Kathleen.
"No, he is here for an internship, and he is not a full Briton. He is half American as well", she explained and Kathleen nodded.
"So, you are sure that you guys are just best friends.?", she asked her again.
"Kath, Peter loves grace kelly, a girl from the sophomore year belonging to his university. He fucking loves her so much and he can never really a love someone else and for God's sake I'm not into Peter", she grunted impatiently.
"Okay, calm down. I just wanted to make it clear", kathleen matches her speed. They walk out of the entrance and move in the direction of the cafe.
...?? ....... .........
Hey readers! Hope the story is getting better and the next chapter has a twist that we never saw it coming.