Alluring Masquerade

          "Ok ... I tell you," Alec sighed, defeated, and looking down at the ground as his elbows rested on his thighs with clasped hands. "It's the reason mum, dad, and I moved back here." He sank back into his side of the bench, not looking at her and closed his eyes up at the sunny sky.

          Exactly five minutes later, Hira broke the silence. "Carry on?" she asked, in a half bored tone as well some concern seeping into her eyes. She was still angry at Kael.

          "I did something ... something that ... I shouldn't have..." he sighed, straightening his back up against the back of the bench. Alec took a deep breath and let it out nervously and his breathing looked haggard. He shook his head hiding his face. "You will hate me for it," he mumbled worriedly, hiding half his face with his left hand.

          She tried to see his expression and how he was doing. She saw his shoulder tremble. "Oh, my God, what have I done?!" she cried. "I'm so sorry for making you cry-!"

          "I'm not crying!" he shouted suddenly, whipping his hand away from his face to glare at her. He was ringing his fingers nervously and looked straight past her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he apologised suddenly.

          "It's alright, Alec," she cooed, putting at arm around his arm comfortingly. "You can tell me anything."

          "B – But I'm sacred you will hate me after I – after I tell you..." he said quietly, looking up at her like a small boy.

          She shook her head in protest. "I could never hate you! You're the best friend-slash-annoying-childhood-bully I could ever ask for," she joked, the serious clashing in her eyes.

          He looked incredibly worried as he searched her dark chocolate eyes. Then he hugged her, feeling helpless, and rested his chin on her right shoulder. He felt her embrace him protectively.

"What's wrong?" she cooed again. "Hm?"

          He sniffled, refusing to cry.

          "Oh, actually, if you don't feel comfy telling me anything I respect that," she said softly. "I'm sorry for snapping and taking my anger out on you."

          "I hurt someone really bad," he interrupted, barely whispering it.

          Suddenly, it was as if all the playful giggling and shouts of the kids playing on the wings in the playground died down to a dull noise, the birds chirping a far away cry, and everything else was just a low and muffled scenery since neither she all she could pay attention to was what he had just revealed.

          She pushed him away gently and held gripped his shoulders. "What – I mean how?" she asked in an equal whisper, feeling herself stiffen. "I – I don't understand."

          "When we were in London there was this girl, Hayley, erm..." he explained, moving back onto his side of the bench, but still facing her. "We were together for about three years after we met in year 10 and stayed but I broke up with her after our first year of college. She didn't want to. But I did. I couldn't help it, Hira, I wasn't in love with her and she was talking about spending the rest of our lives with each other! She was suffocating me unknowingly and she always kept tabs on me and we used to argue all the time. She was scared that I was going to cheat on her every time I would go somewhere." He shook his head at himself. "She was just too much to handle. She was never like that before but somewhere along our relationship, she changed. I just had to break up with her. Plus, I realised too late that I was in love with someone else."

          Hira nodded while she listened, encouraging him to talk.

          "After I told her that and that I wanted to break up with her – and I tried to make it as gentle as possible – however, it turned into another argument and she didn't want to listen any more. She snapped, saying that it was proof that I was a cheater! Which was not the truth. The girl who I liked lived miles and miles away. Anyway, she began sobbing as she threw things at me angrily. And then she ran out of the house – it was her parents' house – and I ran after her. I was scared she might do something wrong, so I wanted to make she sure was alright."

          "Yes, of course," Hira said.

          "I was running after her and in the process of trying to catch up with her, she crossed the road without looking and – and–" He stopped to breathe in some fresh oxygen. "I was right behind her about ... God, I could have stopped her!" He hid his face behind his hands.

          "What happened?" Hira said frowning.

          "She ran into a car ... she is no more."

          "Oh ... Alec..."

          "And it's my entire fault!" he shouted. A few people looked over at him. His blue soft blue eyes teared up a bit as he stared back into eyes. He stubbornly blinked them away. "I was right behind her and but I was too late to pull her away. She died right there. I didn't even get the chance to say I was sorry. I still loved and cared for her as I human, as I friend. I can't help but make it my fault. Maybe if I..."

          "Alec, you silly boy!" Hira cried, hugging her friend again for a moment to calm him down. When he had calmed down somewhat, she let him go and placed her right hand on his left cheek. "It isn't your fault that she ... died. It was her time." Her eyes clouded over, and she added, "Just like it was for my father." Shaking her head back at him, she told him not to worry and take the blame.

          "I know, I know," he sighed, holding her hand. "But I feel like I ... I could have helped her in any way." He looked down at her hand he was holding and absentmindedly watched the double bracelets glinting on her wrist. He felt her sigh and saw her nod understandingly in his peripheral vision. When he looked back up at her he was shocked to see her beautiful dark eyes watering.

          "Sorry," she laughed a bit, sniffling and looking away to wipe her tears away. "I had no idea you were holding such a heavy load on your shoulders. And look at me? I'm always whining about my stupid stuff. Remind me to make you some apple crumble."

          This time it was his turn to laugh, but it was still slightly forced. "Do you know who the girl was whom I had broken up for with Hayley?" he asked abruptly. His medium blue eyes looked solemn now.

          "No," she shook her head, confusion forming in her eyes.

          "You," he breathed, finally, the love he head held back from her all those years ago since their childhood blasting from his eyes. "You," he repeated. He leaned down to kiss her.

          Hira suddenly ripped her hand away from his hands and face, and instantly regretted it. She didn't want to seem mean but apparently that's how she had come across. She was just shocked. She didn't think that he had ever seen her that way. "Things have never been that way between us..." she whispered, and her eyes wide. "I've never seen you that way and I would rather be honest, Alec."

          Suddenly, the warmth from his eyes turned to pure dejectedness. He got up from the bench. His face was crestfallen. "I understand," he said sadly and smiled, walking backwards slowly. His was crouching slightly, making him look even more heartbreaking.

          Hira thought her heart was going to burst by this sight. "Alec, I..." she reached out to him, but he moved around and began walking away.

          She never wanted to hurt him. She loved Kael. Then she gasped. I love Kael, she thought. I love Kael?! She watched Alec's back disappear around the corner as he walked out of the park past the gates, and sighed sadly.