"Tea. Yay." I said as I poured a cup of hot, delicious tea, straight from England. Or at least that's what it said on the box. I actually poured it out of a tea kettle. "Man, how would I EVER live without this stuff?" I said, taking a sip.
The buzzer to my aunt's apartment rang, startling me.
"AUGH!" I shouted as I burned my tongue, taking an extra large sip. "Coming!" I yelled in the general direction of the front door, setting my teacup down on the end of -- what else -- an end table. I walked over to the door, swinging the scarf that Alex had bought me for Christmas one year around my neck. It was neon. Ohh, neon.
I pressed the buzzer, going, "Hellloooo?" I let go of the button and giggled. Wow, I was being preppy.
"Kim?" I knew that voice. Give me a minute here.
"Alex!" I said, throwing open the door and swinging my arms around him. "What's up?"
"Have you been drinking tea again?"
No answer.
"Kim…"
"Maybe." I laughed like an idiot inside my head. Tea makes me hyper. "So why are you here?"
His turn to be silent.
I was silent in turn. It worked. I led him inside and shut the door. He sat down on the couch.
"Well." He said. "Jessica found your note."
"Ah." I said. "Please go on."
"She cashed in the money right away. After that, she called me."
"Why?"
"Because she was scared to come alone."
I was silent – again. I needed more tea.
"She was afraid of what you would say." I grabbed my teacup off the end table.
"So… Where is she now?"
"You kind of shut the door in her face."
"Whoops." I stood up and walked over to the door, where I hadn't noticed the buzzer going off repeatedly. Heh. What can I say? I grabbed the doorknob and shut my eyes. I opened the door, and was greeted with hysterical sobbing and words I tried to make sense of.
"—So—soo—sorry--" Crying. "Really—Sorry—Kim—no—please—forgive--" More sobbing. "Sister—never—broken—sorry—didn't—mean--"
"Tea?" I asked.
She threw her arms around me and cried into my shoulder.
I knew everything would work out between me and her. It would just take some time.
'Tea. Need. Tea.' I mouthed to Alex. He got up off the couch and went into the kitchen, probably in search of more tea.
"So," I said out loud. "Forgive me?"