Chapter 7
Atem woke up the next afternoon, his head feeling like it had been in a vice. As he sat up, the deep throbbing intensified and he was forced to lay back down. He sat staring at the ceiling and quickly realised that he wasn't in his room. He sat up again, his eyes staring blankly around the foreign room. He saw records hanging from the walls, as well as newspaper clippings. It was then that he realised where he was. Téa's house.
"What? How did I end up here...?"
His head was throbbing severely from having to think in the state he was in.
"I remember heading back with Téa and then...well I can't remember the rest. God, I hope I didn't do anything stupid."
The distant sound of the song "Chandelier" playing in the garden drew him to the window. There, he saw Téa practising her dance routine. She was wearing a peach leotard with matching leg warmers and dance pumps. Her hair hung loosely down to the bottom of her neck.
"Wow, she really does take dancing seriously." He thought while watching her.
As she danced, Atem couldn't help but stare at the gleaming glow of sweat on her apricot skin, the way her body moved to the music, how her hair swayed when she span. It all drew him in like a moth to a flame, he just couldn't tear his eyes away. As the song ended, Téa made a final move, ending in an elegant split holding her arms to her front ankle. She drew herself up to her feet after a few seconds and moved to grab her water bottle, where she spotted Atem watching through the window.
"Hey there, sleepyhead!" She joked while waving.
Atem gave off a slight blush, which made her giggle. She'd never seen him like this and although it surprised her, she thought it was...cute.
She quickly made her way inside, where she found Atem sat on her couch once again.
"Glad to see that you're up. How are you feeling?" Atem smiled and turned to look at her.
"A little bit of a headache, but otherwise fine. And on the subject of me, how did I end up here?
"You really don't remember? Well, we were walking back after we help out the guys with Mai and Vivian, who were absolutely wasted by the end of the night. You started throwing up, which didn't surprise me considering how much you drank..."
Atem sweatdropped at her comment. He couldn't believe how much he had embarrassed himself in front of her.
"...After a while, you regained yourself enough to talk and told me that you would walk home after dropping me off. However, I could see that you were in no state to walk alone and after a little 'persuasion' I managed to get you to walk back to my place where you fell asleep on my couch."
"Persuasion? What do you mean?"
"Well, I had to tell you nearly 10 times the whole way back to my house that I wasn't letting you walk home."
Atem chuckled, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"I guess I can be stubborn at times. Sorry if I was a pain, Téa."
"It's OK, besides, you've helped me a lot recently so it's only fair I returned the favour."
She turned and smiled at him, to which he felt his heart melting. Even after all she had been through, her heart was still pure and good. She would do anything for anyone, even if it meant going out of her way for it. He now understood why every time he was around her, he felt a pull like no other: he had fallen for her. He wanted to be closer to her, to always protect her, know her wholly as a person. But did she feel the same?
"I mean, we only met just under two weeks ago, and she has had a lot of emotional stress to deal with. Is it right to blurt my feelings out to her?"
Téa noticed he was spacing out, his eyes seeming to have glazed over.
"Atem, you feeling OK? Earth to Atem?"
She waved her hand in front of his face, snapping him from his thoughts.
"Uh, sorry Téa, I guess headaches just make me a little dizzy."
"Well, you go sit down for a bit, and I'll make you something to eat and drink."
"Are you-"
"Yes, I'm sure so don't bother arguing with me."
She turned and squeezed his nose like a mother would to a child, making him blush.
Not wanting her to embarrass him again, he went and sat back on the couch. He decided to flick through the TV channels to pass the time, but it wasn't enough of a distraction. He couldn't help but side look Téa, her still being dressed in that dance gear of hers. It looked damn good on her.
Téa noticed Atem looking at her, which made her both excited and nervous. It wasn't the fact that he was looking that was making her nervous, it was the look in his eyes. It held a mix of admiration and hunger, and this wasn't the first time she had seen it. No, she had seen it the night Atem stayed at her house when the power shorted, when he had been watching her in that evening in the dance studio at school, and last night at the club when they were having their little contest.
"When we were dancing, I could see the hunger in his eyes. Then again he was seriously out of it. Maybe I'm just overthinking this. But, he kissed my hand last night. Although he did claim that was a distraction just to try and win that bet. Still..."
Leaving her thoughts, she finished making a plate of toast and poured some orange juice into two glasses and carried them on a tray, placing them on the coffee table in front of the couch where Atem was sitting.
"Thank you, Téa. I appreciate this." Atem smiled, taking a piece of toast from the plate.
"It's no trouble. Now, while you eat, I'm going to take a quick shower and change."
Atem turned and smiled.
"OK then, I'll wait here for you."
Téa then got up from the couch, turned toward the hall, and headed for the bathroom. A few minutes later, Atem heard the muffled sound of rushing water. As he sat there alone, he couldn't help but imagine Téa, how beautiful her body must look under all those clothes...
"NO! C'mon Atem. Get your mind out of the gutter already! She's your friend and you shouldn't be stripping her in your mind!"
Atem put his head in his hands a let out a frustrated sigh. He wanted to say how he felt but he didn't want to put Téa under any more emotional stress. He had a good friendship with her and had gained her trust and he wasn't willing to break that trust over his hormonal desires.
Five minutes later, Téa came into the living room wearing a floral tank top and green skinny jeans.
"Hey, sorry about that. I hate being sweaty around the house."
"Don't worry about it, Téa. I don't mind."
Atem smiled, causing Téa to gain a pink tint in her cheeks.
"Anyway, I should probably be getting back to my cousin's place. He will be wondering where I am and is most likely preparing to give me the riot act about staying out all night."
"Oh, I see. Why don't I come with you?"
Atem turned with slightly confused eyes. Téa saw his expression and sighed.
"Look, you're still hungover so I'm not letting walk back on your own. Oh, and before you start arguing, don't bother because I'm not backing down. I don't like leaving my friends when there's a chance that something could happen."
Atem smiled and nodded.
"Alright, of course, you can come. You can meet my cousin's family."
"Like I said, I wasn't going to let you walk back alone."
Atem laughed at her sternness and followed her out of the door.
Twenty minutes later, Téa and Atem arrived at his cousin's house. It was a detached two story house with cream walls and blue paned windows. It also had a large garden containing a white dining area with a blue parasol. Téa was in awe of its beauty.
"Wow, what a great garden. I love the dining set."
"My cousin's parents are very stylish, I agree. Blue has always been their favourite colour."
"So it's not your favourite? Then, what is your favourite colour?
Atem turned to see Téa's curious eyes on him.
"She seems like she wants to get to know me. It's like when I told her all about my parents the night of the storm."
Well, if I'm honest, It's purple. It's supposed to be a colour of peace and tranquillity. I think that's why I like it so much."
Téa smiled and nodded, understanding what he was saying. Atem tilted his head in curiosity.
"So what's your favourite colour, Téa?"
Téa turned her head away holding a deep blush. She hadn't expected him to ask back.
"Um, well...it's pretty stupid."
"Téa, I'm sure that's not true."
He smiled, hoping to invoke some confidence in her. Téa smiled back, seeing his sincerity.
"It's actually orange. Sunset orange to be exact. When I was little, my parents and I would always go to a special place in the city to watch the sun go down every Friday evening. We would take a picnic and eat as the night descended. That was until the recording company took off when I was five and they had to travel a lot. When that happened, Mrs Elliott became a nanny to me and took care of me when my parents were away and after...well you know."
Atem's heart fell heavy at that point, as he saw the glaze of sadness clouding his friend's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Téa. I didn't mean to-"
"You don't have to apologise. I've found that talking about it actually makes me feel better about it. It no longer ways me down and besides, it's not a bad memory it's a good memory so why should I lock it away?" Tea smiled and Atem nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm glad to see you happy, Téa."
"Thanks, Atem. It's good to know I have a friend like-"
"HEY ATEM!"
Both of them turned to see a blue-haired woman and a tall brunette man standing on the porch. The woman was waving while the man had his arm around her waist.
"Hey, Kisara, Seto..." Atem replied walking through the gate. He then turned to Téa, holding his hand out.
"C'mon, you can meet my family."
"Are you sure? What if they don't like me?"
"Don't be nervous, they'll love you."
Téa looked at his hand, and after a few moments took it.
"OK, then."
Together they walked up to the porch and into the house with the couple.
As the four of them walked into the house, the brunette smacked Atem round the head, making Téa gasp in shock.
"Yo, Seto. What was that for?"
Atem asked rubbing his now sore head.
"That's what you get for worrying me and Kisara sick when you didn't come home. You're just lucky that Kisara's parents aren't here or they would have read you the riot act."
Téa then smiled, realising that Seto was obviously very protective of Atem, giving what he had gone through with his parents fighting constantly. Seto then turned to look at Téa.
"Then again, I think I can see what kept you out all night, Atem. So tell me, where did you find this little beauty?" He asked with a sly glint in his eye. The comment made Téa blush deeply.
Atem quickly stepped in placing himself in front of Téa.
"Seto, I did not 'pick her up' as you may think. Her name is Téa and she was out with me and my friends. She allowed me to stay at hers last night after I drank too much. She's a friend of mine as well so why don't you show a little respect since she came here to make sure I was OK and to meet you all?"
Téa went wide-eyed at the way Atem had defended her. He almost sounded irritated, while she had only seen him calm and level-headed. Just then, the women came and put a hand on Seto's shoulder.
"Seto, now stop teasing him. It's clear to me that she's a kind-hearted person and NOT a gold digger. Forgive him, he can get carried away with that mouth of his."
"In more ways than one, right Seto?"
Atem added, causing Seto to glare while the woman shook her head and turned her attention back to Téa.
"Forgive me, my name is Kisara. I'm Seto's girlfriend. Thank you for helping Atem out, he is terrible when he drinks too much."
"Ah, it's no trouble at all. I'm Téa, I go to Atem's school."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I must admit I have been wondering why Atem has been taking longer to get home from school as of late. And why he didn't come home at all last weekend. I guess he was with you."
"Um yeah, he was. Would you excuse me for a moment?" Téa turned and walked out of the room through the front door that went out to the front garden.
Atem stared after her, sympathy coating his eyes. Kisara turned to Atem.
"Atem, is she alright? I didn't offend her, did I?"
"No, Kisara, it's not like that. The reason I was with her is that I went to find out the truth that's been troubling her. I followed her home after I realised she was keeping something hidden. A friend of mine had told me about how she had become distant since her 8th birthday. When I got there, she collapsed from a serious fever."
"Oh my, that's awful."
"I took her inside and made sure that she was resting well. Then her neighbour showed up, to check on her. It was her who told me the truth about her: she lost her parents in a car crash on just before 8th birthday."
Both Seto and Kisara gasped in shock.
"That's why she became distant. Because she tried to hide her pain so her friends wouldn't worry about her. It's very difficult for her to talk about in front of new people."
"Oh, I feel terrible, Atem. I would never have said any of it if-"
"Kisara, it's not your fault, and I assure you that she will not be angry. It's just difficult for her. But I'm determined to help her any way I can, besides I know what it's like to feel alone like no one could understand what your feeling."
Seto came up to Atem slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's good that you to want to help her, Atem. But I can see that it's more than that. You can relate to her like no other, can understand her like no-one else which is why you've fallen for her."
Atem turned away, his face turning deep red. Seto and Kisara smiled.
"We understand one reason why you haven't told her, but I can see there's something else stopping you, Atem. Is it because you're afraid you're not good enough for her? Or is it your afraid that you may hurt her?"
Atem sighed. "Both in a way. She's been through too much pain and what if I do something wrong and cause more pain for her? I couldn't bear it if that happened."
"Atem, you're a smart kid, with a big heart. You just have to trust yourself and you'll be fine." Seto stated, squeezing his shoulder.
"He's right, Atem. You're the best for her and she's the best for you. Just trust yourself and when the time to tell her comes, you'll know."
Atem smiled, realising they were right. He had got through the tough times with his parents, he could get through this emotional struggle.
"I'll go out and check on her."
"I'll make us all some lunch, and we'll all eat outside."
Atem headed out the door and scanned the garden. He spotted Téa on the swing bench on the left side of the garden and began to make his way over to her. Not noticing Atem, Téa remained at mercy with her thoughts. The death of her parents still haunted her and she knew that that would never truly go away, but every time the subject was brought up she felt a heavy sickly feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was something she utterly despised.
"Hey, Téa."
She looked to see Atem coming toward her.
"Hi, Atem. Sorry about before I just needed some air and alone time."
"I understand, don't worry. It was written all over your face. I can see that your parent's death still affects you and that's nothing to be ashamed of Téa. Just know that if you ever want to talk about it, I'll listen and be there for you any way I can."
Téa smiled warmly. She knew that as long as she had friends like Atem and the others she could get through anything that life threw at her. She couldn't have asked for anything better.
"Thank you, Atem. I also promise to be there for you and the others too."
She replied taking his hand and squeezing it. Atem smiled back before pulling her up from the chair.
"Now, let's go inside. Kisara is making lunch and you better believe me when I say she is incredible at cooking."
"OK, sounds like fun."
The two made their way inside where they had lunch and after a few hours of chatting, Tea waved goodbye to Atem and headed home.
