Today has sucked! This whole week has sucked...what better way to make things better than posting the last chapter of a fic? Thanks for reading! This is it! First completed fic of the year...and it only took 4.5 months to post it all! But I told you I'd finish one! ;) Thanks LouiseX for reminding me!
Earlier that night...
From the balcony of the hotel, Kwame watches as Linka sits alone on the beach. He wants to go to her, but Ma-Ti insisted on letting her be. He said it was what she wanted. Kwame knew that wasn't true. He knew that there was one person that she would not turn away if he came to her, but that was not possible. He was off with another girl. Who knows what the two of them are doing at this point in the night. Kwame has a feeling that anything Wheeler does with Savannah tonight will be to spite Linka…or will he be spending his night pretending that Savannah is Linka? She did bear a remarkable resemblance to the Wind Planeteer. How many other girls has he done that with?
When Kwame sees Linka rest her head on her knees and her back heave with sobs, he decides to ignore Ma-Ti and go to her anyway…maybe she wanted to be alone before, but now she needs a friend, and Kwame cannot bear to see her so sad.
He turns to leave the balcony and go to Linka.
"You are a fool Wheeler."
As he says his name, he catches a glimpse of another figure approaching Linka on the beach. It is hard to tell in the darkness, but in the pale light that the moon offers, Kwame sees a hint of red hair and he's holding something behind him. He squints as he tries to make it out…a penguin. The exact stuffed animal that Linka wanted so badly and that he failed to win.
"Damn."
He knows he's missed his chance. Wheeler will give her that goofy smile as he hands her the prize, his form of apology, and she will forgive him. Tomorrow, things will go back to normal…until their next fight, and then the cycle will continue.
But why is he here and not with Savannah? Did she reject his advances? Was she onto his game? Did she know that she was only a pawn in the chess game that Wheeler plays with Linka's emotions? Good for her for figuring it out…too bad her good judgment led to bad timing for me.
Kwame wants to turn away. He does not want to witness this reconciliation. As much as he wants everyone to get along, he hates seeing Linka fall into the same trap.
"Walk away," he wills her.
He loses all hope of that happening when Wheeler sits down next to her and she doesn't move away. She's examining the plush toy and smiling. The two carry on a casual conversation for a while, but then it seems like things are getting heated and another argument is starting…but then the worst possible thing that Kwame can imagine happens…Linka grabs Wheeler and begins kissing him. Of course he responds.
When she crawls on top of Wheeler to sit astride him, Kwame can no longer watch. To the best of his knowledge, this is a new development in Wheeler and Linka's relationship. This is the next step. They've crossed that line that both of them have been toeing all these years and neither one of them will want to go back to the way they used to be. Kwame knows that he will never have her heart. It always has and always will belong to someone else. He's not sure why, but there is one thing that he is certain of…he's lost her.
He shakes his head and sighs.
"You cannot lose something you never had."
The End.