The Real Me is back! This chapter is dedicated to Mvresidentandreader123. I love all the sweet reviews. They push me to write. Thanks
Katerina was still sitting on that bench next to the carousel again, gazing out at the ocean when a figure sat beside her. She assumed that it was just another random person and didn't even bother to glance his or hers way. Katerina just kept gazing at the infinite blue-green ocean. It was her favourite place on the ship.
"You won't even talk to me now." the voice suddenly piped up. Katerina's head snapped to the speaking figure and saw it was Aydin's.
"That is not the case." Katerina said sharply. She was still mad.
"Oh, so this," gesturing around her. "Is a case. Well then, I implore you to tell me what "this case" actually is, since I have no idea."
"You are unfit to raise a child. More or less, my child." Katerina's eyes blazed with blue fire as she met his gaze. His eyes blazed green as well, so it was like blue battling green. A battle of wills.
"She is mine. You left her a child. A helpless child. Where were you all these years, huh? Were you there when she first spoke, when she took her first step. When she first asked for her mother? You weren't, were you. She is not yours."
"None the less, I have seen the way you act. You are an incompetent parent. You are not fit to raise any child."
"You keep presenting one argument. That I am unfit. Tell me, why am I unfit to raise a child?"
"You are rude, have no manners, you drink and the way you act and treat women is disgusting. What, are you teach Aimee that women are inferior to men?"
"No. I will not teach Aimee that women are inferior to men. You have not known me ever. How do you know I drink? How do you know I have no manners? How do you know that I am rude?"
Katerina had no answer for that. Aydin smirked when he saw that she had no more arguments to make. Aydin spoke first.
"Are you still mad at me? Or, is it something else?" he asked. Katerina just lost it.
"I just miss her, s-so m-much." Katerina started to stutter in between sobbing. Aydin drew her into an embrace and circled his strong arms around. Katerina felt safe, and in a matter of minutes, she stopped crying on Aydin's shoulder and sniffled. She pulled away a little, so he was still gripping her upper arms.
"I'm sorry about your jacket." Aydin was wearing a full on suit complete with the jacket. He looked hot.
"No worry. Nothing a dry cleaner can't handle."
"No, I'm really sorry."
"I said it was alright."
"Are you sure?" Katerina persisted.
"YES!" Aydin said it with so much force, Katerina couldn't help but start laughing uncontrollably. When she started, she couldn't stop. What made her laugh more, is the sour expression on Aydin's face as he watched her laugh. When she did finally stop, ten minutes had gone by, and Aydin was still staring at her, but in a different way. He was staring in a way. A different way. Like, she was the most beautiful and mesmerising person he had ever met. The attention made Katerina flustered and suddenly he was kissing her.
It felt good. This new attention, but immediately she felt guilty as if she were betraying Jace in some way. But she wasn't, and he didn't think of that when he was kissing Celeste. Katerina decided to dismiss all guilt she was feeling and lose herself in the kiss.
- The Real Me -
Jace was walking down the alleyway looking for Katerina. He hadn't seen her all day and now he wanted to show her something. He always loved the stars at this time of the night, when they twinkled brightly and weren't hidden by light pollution.
"Are you sure?" Jace heard Katerina ask someone. He stopped in the alleyway and peered around the corner. She was sitting with some man, handsome with black hair. That was all he could see
"YES!" The man shouted and Katerina started laughing. Jace instantly grew jealous and the sight of someone else being able to make Katerina laugh. He wanted that right only to belong to him. Alas, it couldn't because they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend and he had no connections. Shaking out of reverie, Jace noticed that Katerina's laughter had died down. Jace once again peered around the corner and saw the most unimaginable sight.
They were kissing. Jace was fuming and jealous. "How were they kissing already?!" Jace assumed that they had only met today. He guessed they had a deeper connection than Katerina was letting on, because Katerina didn't seem like the girl of woman that went around kissing people as soon as she met them.
Jace walked back at the alleyway. He thought he was deserving of this because of what he did last night. Celeste turned up at his door, she was a sobbing mess. The story she told was that someone passenger had tried to molest her in the very same alleyway, Jace was currently standing in. He tried to convince her to tell a ship worker but she wouldn't have it, saying she didn't want to mess her holiday up. Jace had comforted her and somehow it had turned into that kiss. Jace didn't regret the kiss, he actually enjoyed her company. So that's where he went for comfort. They had exchanged room numbers a while ago.
Making his way to Celeste's room, he was met with the little girl yesterday, Aimee. He was so shocked to see her in the room hallway, he halted. She spoke first.
"I told never to hurt my mother, how dare you hurt after I told you not to?" Jace still didn't know who she was talking about but at that moment, he lost it. He couldn't care less.
"Who the hell is your mother?" Jace shouted. It echoed through the hallway. He expected the child of her age to be shocked, but she didn't seem fazed in the least.
"Figure it out, Jace Wayland." With that she walked back into her room and closed the door in his face, leaving him standing there unbearably shocked. When Jace got over his shock, he kept walking towards Celeste's room, scanning each number on the door in the process and shaking his recent conversation with the little girl out of his mind.
When he got to Celeste's room , he took a deep breath and waited for a few minutes. "Was he really ready to betray Katerina so soon? Was he ready?" He knew the answer. Yes. He didn't know how betrayal could hurt so much, but it did. Like a stake to the heart. Knocking on the door, he waited a few seconds before it opened.
"Jace." Celeste seemed surprised.
"Hey. Can I come in?"
"Sure." she opened the door wider and invited him in.
Okay I know you guys might be mad but I promise it will be Jace x Katerina later. This is your Christmas chapter. From tomorrow, I'm going to New York and Florida for a two week holiday and although I will write chapters on the plane trip, I might not be able to publish them, so don't expect anything for two weeks, but if in I get hotel wifi, I might. This chapter is dedicated to Mvresidentandreader123. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!
Eashi Chand