Chapter 26: Desire

"She was there?" Riven softly whispered, almost struggling to say the words.

He was sitting on Sky's white sofa while his friends stood around him with matching looks of uneasiness. Brandon had just told everyone about his encounter with Stella and had then gone onto tell Riven that Musa had been at the club too. Everyone at first had wondered whether Riven had understood what had been said. He had been expressionless; so oblivious that he could've been mistaken as deaf. But only he knew about the sudden awakening of the turmoil within himself. Only he felt it at the mention of her name. It was a piercing pain like something that had been constantly jabbing him finally breaking through.

He had been so close to her and he hadn't even known it. They had been in the same room. For all he knew, he might have brushed past her shoulder on the dance floor. Might have caught a glimpse of her and not known it. Might have sipped out of one of the drinks on the bar that had been hers. He had been so close. So damn close.

But maybe it had all been fate. Maybe they hadn't reunited because they were never meant to be together. It had been so long. Two years. Surely fate would've brought her note to him by now.

"Riven," Brandon said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder and snapping him out of his lost state. "There's something else."

A torturous sinking feeling encased Riven. He didn't want to hear the worst part. He didn't want to bear it. Even Brandon looked as if he was re-thinking his decision to go on. But he didn't spare Riven the misery and sat down on the glass coffee table in front of his magenta haired friend and met his pained gaze.

"She's with somebody else. Jake."

Upon hearing those words, Riven didn't know whether he felt more angry or helpless. He didn't even know if he felt anything. This shouldn't have been a surprise. Why wouldn't she have moved on within the last two years? He was a fool to think she'd be patiently waiting for their destiny to sort everything out. Of course she'd moved on. She was the one who'd left them with impossible chances of reunion. Of course she didn't want him. Not after everything she'd gone through because of his game.

He clenched his fist. At the memory of Jake it became tighter. Why him of all people? Why him? Her reality might have been somewhat tolerable if it wasn't him she was making out with. But he couldn't do anything. He had to tolerate it and bear that unbearable fact.

"Who cares?!" he suddenly snarled.

And as if to add salt to an already stinging wound, Brandon brought forth more of the truth. "He keeps proposing to her. They'll get married soon."

That did it. It was too much. If he stayed a minute longer, who knew what would happen? He had to walk away. So he stood amidst the silence and stormed towards the door, slamming it shut after himself, producing a loud enough noise to make everyone inside wince. The sudden jolt they'd just received matched the one Riven had experienced when Brandon had first brought up Musa. It was abrupt and enough to make the heart skip a beat.

Slowly, Riven let out his breath and withdrew his hand from the now warm door knob. Then he stood still, reflecting on the information he'd been given. It had to mean something. He tried to figure out what as he walked down the cobbled grey path towards the footpath. His mind came to conclusions thinking that this information was for him to do something with. Like find her and fix everything. Maybe? He had to do something – that was for sure. He couldn't just sit there anymore.

No way was he going to let his Musa wed someone else.

It was early in the morning. The sun was barely peeping up from behind the many trees along the road. But its warm light was bright enough to liven up Eracklyon's suburbs and set apart the dew from the manicured grass. The suburbs were a peaceful area to live in. The charcoal road was wide, but not as wide as the patches of grass either side of it. It always looked freshly cut, the air even smelt of it. The houses too always looked new, as if they'd just been painted and roofed. The entire atmosphere of the realm was so blithe, the people were so joyous, it was a wonder that the happiness hadn't brushed off onto Riven.

He lived a few houses down the street from Sky, in a house that was envied by most of the others that lived around him. He had everything. A free from work life and enough money to exceed an existence. But he was always so hollow and empty. And the worst part was he knew why. It was because he lacked her. He'd never loved someone so much. She was the only thing he wanted. His plight had become so bad that he felt like he was being driven mad by his desire.

It was enough now.

It was time to get her back. It was time to finally do something and forget destiny. It was time to call Helia.

"Bye," Musa whispered as she softly shut the door and turned away from her fiancé. They'd just returned from the park after spending more than four hours there. Being with Jake was different for Musa now. She finally felt like she could open up to him and have a conversation or kiss without wondering whether he was going to propose. She didn't need to fear it any longer. It was over. That anxiety filled period of her life was finally over.

Her heels made a soft thudding noise as she crept across her apartment's floor boards. Everything was under a dim light. The sun hadn't risen fully yet. She placed her clutch bag on the kitchen's worktop and then pulled open the window at the far end of the room. A draft of cool air hit her face as she extended her head out. "It's over," she softly said and let her words fly away with the wind.

She felt elated. It'd been too long since she'd felt that way. The last time she'd felt like that was in Breconize. She stiffened as the thought ran across her mind. That was in the past. With her decision to marry Jake, she had to let go of it. She'd chosen to move forward. Nothing – not even the voice in her head – was going to make her change her decision. She had to block out its menacing persuasion. She didn't want to listen to it telling her all the reasons she should pull back. Even if she agreed with them, she would not alter her choice. Nothing could make her change her mind.

"What are you doing?" a sleepy voice asked, causing Musa to jump with a start.

She quickly pulled back from the window and turned to face her friend. "Nothing. I was just–"

"Where were you last night? You left the club without telling me."

Musa furrowed her eye brows. It wasn't like Stella to interrogate her.

"Were you with Jake?" Stella continued worriedly, looking as if she'd just discovered something terrible about him.

"Yeah." Musa nodded. "Speaking of Jake, I have to tell you something!" She took her friend's hands and led her to the sofa.

A thousand possibilities were flying through Stella's brain as she sat down next to her friend. Musa looked so eager. It had to be something good. But then why were her instincts telling her something different? Her hands were squeezed tighter as she watched her friend's lips part. It felt like Musa was going to burst out with some good news and that she should scream even before anything registered. Only she couldn't. Upon hearing her friend's announcement, Stella's entire body froze. Her expression looked like she was watching her friend die. But how could she not look like that? All night she'd prayed for the very words that had just come out of Musa's mouth to never enter her ears.

"Musa, I have to tell you something," she said weakly but Musa was too busy smiling.

"Didn't you hear? Jake and I are getting married! I said yes!"

This was not the girl Stella knew. The old Musa would've never been happy about getting married to Jake. She would've never even considered agreeing to his proposal. This was what the blonde had feared. It was all spiralling out of control. Andy was getting his way and that too without lifting a finger.

"Stella?!"

"Why would you do that? Why did you say yes?!" Stella suddenly snapped, springing back into life. She was on her feet, staring at Musa as if she'd committed some sort of crime.

"I asked him to propose!" her friend emphasised, rising to her feet.

Tears pooled in Stella's eyes. "You're insane!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking.

"Stel, what is wrong with you?" Musa demanded, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. She was getting nervous now. The strange behaviour she was witnessing had to have a reason behind it. A reason, judging by her friend's demeanour, which had the power to annihilate her world.

"Musa, I–" Stella broke off to wipe her tears. "You can't. You can't marry him. I have to tell you something!"

"What is it?" Musa asked reluctantly.

Stella paused. She knew what she was going to say would cause her friend great pain. But she had to say it for it was the one thing that was sure to change Musa's decision. "You and Riven are meant to be together! He was at the club!"

Musa's arms dropped back to her sides. The shock which rushed through her body was immense. Numbly she fell onto the sofa. She felt weak all of a sudden. So many things were rushing around her mind. She was so confused. And angry. The information should've been meaningless. It shouldn't have affected her. But it did and in a way that was not fathomable.

"Why – why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to be happy," Stella gently replied as she knelt down. "He was at the club. The same club we went to! Isn't that destiny enough?! Doesn't it mean anything? You two in the same room after two years, on the same day? It can't be a coincidence!"

Tears trickled down Musa's pale cheeks. So it had been him. The spike of hair she'd seen had actually been him. If Stella had known that, she would've surely added that to her speech, saying it was destiny's way of telling her that she belonged to him. Maybe it was true? Their being the same place after so long had to mean something. That happening so soon after she'd decided to move on surely meant something too. Maybe destiny wanted her to stop and realise she was going down the wrong path. It could've been a sign. But she was unsure. This was all too overwhelming, so sudden. Her mind was whirling. All she could do was whimper and slip into tears.

"I met Brandon there," Stella continued. "He told me that Riven hasn't given up on you. He hasn't lost hope. He still loves you. Screw destiny, isn't that enough?!" she asked, almost pleadingly, raising her voice.

Musa's sobs just grew louder and her frame quivered even more. It stopped her friend from saying another word. She simply stood and headed in the direction of her room. She didn't want to leave her friend in her current state but if she stayed Musa would never experience all the pain Riven's absence gave her. And she had to if she was going to change her decision. Just before the blonde was out of earshot, she whipped her head around, casting her sympathetic gaze on Musa's bent over body.

"Don't throw away your happiness. Don't do it just because destiny didn't reunite you the way you wanted."

Laying his phone on his desk, Riven sighed. He'd missed his best friend. He hadn't realised how much till he'd heard Helia's calm, assuring voice. He was embarrassed to admit it but the surprise and mirth in Helia's tone when he'd spoken had made him smile. He could understand why. It had been so long since they'd talked. But the funny thing was that their conversation hadn't been awkward at all. It was like they'd been friends all throughout the last two years and were just casually speaking to each other. They had even had an odd joke or two and that had made Riven a lot more comfortable with asking a favour from his friend. That's the other thing he'd missed about Helia, the way he would be ready to offer his help without knowing what was being asked of him. It was hard to find a friend like that. Riven was glad he had one because Helia was vital if he was going to get to Musa.

This time, the plan he'd thought of wasn't despicable and unnecessary. It was quite the opposite. It wasn't going to leave her hurt. It would make her happy. That is, if she wanted Riven back. He wasn't sure of that. But he could only assume that she still loved him like the way he loved her. On the other hand, she might have been with Jake because she genuinely liked him. What if he took away her happiness again? Living with himself would be impossible if he did. But he was willing to take the risk.

Riven had had enough of sitting around and playing by her rules. He was going to lessen the impossible odds of reunion and meet her by his own will, not because of destiny. He had had enough of relying on fate to get them back together. It wasn't up to fate to decide whether he would find a way back to her, it was in his hands. And he was finally going to use that power.

Just as he was about to open his laptop, the phone lying beside it rang. It had to buzz for a few seconds till he picked it up.

"We have a problem," Helia panted from his end. "I just found out that Musa and Jake are engaged…" There was only silence from Riven's end of the line. "Riven? Hello?"

He had stiffened. He hadn't expected Brandon's words to come true so soon. Was nothing going to go in his favour? Was he really going to chase a girl who was clearly done with him? He wanted to drop the entire scheme right then and just go meet her. Wasting time waiting for the plan to work wasn't going to be worth it if Musa and Jake got married.

"Riven? Listen. Your plan can still work. She can change her decision!" Helia told him.

"I can't wait that long," Riven hissed in anger. "I'm coming to Magix!"

"Riven, don't! Keep calm and think. If you suddenly appear, she'll think you're being selfish and–"

"Helia, who are you talking to?!" a faded shout came from Helia's end. Riven instantly recognized the voice. It was Jake's. The joy in his tone made it clear that he was celebrating – his engagement to Musa obviously.

Riven wasn't surprised that he felt a pang of jealousy. He wanted to be in Jake's place. He wanted to have heard Musa say yes to his proposal. He wanted to have her the way Jake was going to have her. This shouldn't have been the other way around. Jake didn't deserve Musa…but neither did he.

"I have to go," Helia said after a while. "Remember to follow through with your part of plan. And do not show up here!"

With that, he disconnected and strode back to the party. It had begun with just the group but now a rather large crowd of people had joined. They mingled freely around Musa and Stella's apartment, without having congratulated the engaged couple. And Helia had no doubt that the majority of them didn't know who Musa even was. They had just turned up because Jake had plucked them out of his ever-growing contact list and invited them over.

After grabbing his daughter from the sofa that was now seating more than the ideal number of people, Helia approached one of the few people he knew. "Have you seen Musa?" he asked in a loud voice but the response he got from Andy wasn't of much help. So he continued with his search, battling through the swarm of people in the process. At last he spotted her leaning against the wall next to the television. She looked out of place, not like the focus of the party. The champagne had taken over that role a while back.

Helia was just about to move towards her when her phone beeped, stopping him.

Musa's eyebrows furrowed as the email she'd been sent opened up. Then her confused expression changed into one of surprise. Now her eyebrows sat high on her forehead and her lips parted. Helia could see that her fingers were barely able to move to keep scrolling through the images that were on the screen. Her eyes looked pained; he could see that she was hurting.

Photographs from Breconize, ones of her and Riven, were what she was staring at. They caused her eyes to glisten with tears. Helia hated seeing her in pain, but it was necessary for Riven's plan. Her memories had to be unlocked, her desire unleashed. That was the aim.

Now that Riven had sent the pictures like he was meant to, it was Helia's turn to act and instigate Musa further. "Are you okay?" he asked after he'd walked over to her.

She sucked in a breath before looking up. "Um. I…" Her voice was frail.

She was numb. Out of all the days there were, why did she have to receive these photos now? Why today after she'd made a decision to move on in her life? Why did she have to be reminded of her past on the very day she was meant to be happy for her future? Why the memories of Breconize to add to what Stella had told her? There were so many questions. Nothing made sense anymore. All she wanted were answers. And she could only think of once place to get them. The same place where all this had started.

"I need to do something," she quickly said and moved past Helia.

"Wait. Where are you going?" he asked.

"To Linfea. If anyone asks, I'll be back late."

"But Musa–"

"Don't tell anyone."

After briefly nodding at her friend, she darted out of the apartment. If she caught the first train of the day, the express, she would be there by noon and get her answers without having to wait too long. She needed them. It felt like she couldn't go on. Her confusion had to be cleared and only Aunt Ivy could make that happen because she knew what was yet to come.

Musa was sick of waiting. And she was even sicker of wondering whether what she was doing was right. Her destination was so unclear. She didn't know what she wanted anymore. Her feelings were failing her and she felt like a wreck. It was like a never ending vortex, swallowing her up and leaving her more dead each day.

"A ticket to Linfea please," she told the lady at the ticket booth before fumbling in her pocket for some money.

It wasn't long before Musa arrived in Flora's home realm. The place looked like it had done two years ago. There was the addition of a few trees but nothing major. Like before, Musa used the butterfly bus and was stood before Aunt Ivy's house within a few minutes. She wasn't fazed by the tallness of the tree or the amount of stairs she'd have to climb, her determination to get answers cancelled out the dread.

The first thing she saw when she reached the top of the stairs was Aunt Ivy's round face.

"Nice to see you after so long." The woman smiled, removing Musa's attention from her bright purple hair to her knowing grin.

"I've come for answers."