Page 21 of Reverence

Amala

“You scared us,” Gabriella said, squeezing my forearm gently. “Are you sure you’re feeling better? Let me know if you need to lie down and I’ll walk you back to your room. I’ll even stay with you if you like.”

Sometimes I found it genuinely difficult to accept help from anyone, including my friends.

Even affection made me feel peculiar.

My mother told me I’d been the most affectionate child she’d ever encountered.

Constantly reminding her how much I loved her, showering her with kisses on her cheek and always running up to her just to embrace her with the tightest hugs.

However, that changed very suddenly.

Probably because there wasn’t any reciprocation on my mother’s end once I reached a certain age.

I must’ve been eight or nine but she no longer wanted me to hug her or be anywhere near her for that matter and I never understood why until much later on.

For a long time we didn’t have a relationship or a connection and we only really started communicating again in my early twenties.

Even in the present moment, I didn’t have a bond with her.

I suppose I loved her but it seemed to be an obligation, not unconditional.

Navigating my friendships when it came to this particular subject sometimes seemed so daunting but I learned to push myself just a little bit more with each passing day.

“Thank you Gabs.”

I smiled. “You have my word, if I’m not feeling well I’ll let you know but you and Madam over there really need to stop with this. You’re both here with your partners, you shouldn’t feel obligated to constantly spend time with me.”

Kehlani narrowed her eyes. “You’re being ridiculous. We’re here as a group and you’re my best friend. Kayden and I spend time together every day, so of course I’m going to opt for hanging with the two of you.”

“Same here,” Gabriella added. “Besides, you had a medical emergency. Do you really think we’d just leave you alone?”

We waited for the men to arrive while we looked over the menu. Initially, the married couple would’ve had dinner alone at this beautiful establishment but Mrs Sato changed the plans last minute after my unfortunate incident.

The restaurant was approximately five minutes away from our hotel, with a direct view of Vista Beach.

The sunset looked breathtaking and after earlier’s occurrence, I found myself feeling extremely grateful for a multitude of reasons.

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” Joking during serious situations was my magnum opus.

“Somebody asked me the other day if I ever planned on having children,” Kehlani randomly said. “Then I told them that I’ve got friends who stress me out daily, why would I add children to that list?”

Gabriella and I chuckled. “Are you implying that I stress you out?” I asked.

“Both of you, actually.”

“What did I do?” Gabriella gasped.

The men finally arrived, with Kayden at the forefront holding two bouquets in hand. Nicolas followed suit, with a bouquet of roses but upon further inspection, I realised they were satin roses.

When Kayden stopped next to me, holding out one bouquet for me to take I frowned.

“What is this?” I eyed it suspiciously, making him laugh. I heard Gabriella and Kehlani laughing in the background too.

“They’re for you silly.” He said. “We’re glad you’re feeling better.”

“That’s dumb.” I looked up at him with a straight face.