Trading Heartbeats

Chapter 16 - The Aftermath

Punk had been lying directly on top of Amelia with only a sheet covering his lower back and down. Amelia's naked body had been shielded by Punk's. The two breathed deeply as both their hearts raced not just because of their interrupted episode but at the sight of witnesses, those of which consisted of the disappointed, the betrayed, the shocked and the heartbroken. Amelia's eyes had now filled themselves to the brim with tears as she watched Cody's chest heave and his face glow red, with tears equally stinging his eyes. How could she! Khaila, who had been in utmost shock, merely looked at the two, tears spilling out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Amelia frowned a bit as she watched the disgusted and disappointed expressions of her friends as they eyed both she and Punk. Cody had been the first to turn away followed by Khaila then the rest of the group.

The door had seemed to swing itself back closed. Amelia looked at Punk who seemed to be just as disappointed in himself as Amelia was with herself. Punk rolled off of her and rested on his back staring up at the ceiling. Amelia sat up turning her back towards up and staring at the closed door. Everything had seemed to settle into her now. She'd lost. She'd lost everything - her friends, their trust, love … Cody. Mentally, she hadn't been concerned if Punk happened to walk out of the room leaving her behind here. In fact, she'd been waiting for it to happen. She closed her eyes shutting away tears that seemed to be wanting to overflow onto her cheeks. Just then, a hand had placed itself in the middle of her back.

Amelia jumped a bit as she looked back at Punk who had been sitting behind her wearing solely boxers. Punk could see the tear stains on her cheeks. He offered a hand, and Amelia stared at it unwilling to take it at first. She heard Punk give a slight chuckle and she looked up at him. Chuckling? He'd really been chuckling? Punk picked up her hand and pulled her nearer to him. Amelia looked up at him part alarmed, part askance, and part … affectionately. Amelia now sat beside him using a pillow to shield her naked self. Punk looked at her while gnawing on his lip contemplating what to say … if there were anything that need be said. Amelia couldn't look at his eyes. She'd felt utterly ashamed of herself. How could she do something like this?

With her hands clutching the pillow in front of her, she merely stared down at the bed. Tears had started to fall onto her cheeks once more then dripped onto the pillow. Suddenly, a finger had placed itself under her chin turning it in his direction. Amelia looked up unable to see anything with the blur that the tears had been causing. Punk gnawed on his lip one last time debating on whether or not to experiment what he'd been thinking. Amelia looked at him confusedly, but her heart still raced with a bit of care for him. Punk's lips neared hers once more; Amelia solely froze thinking had he really been willing to do this all again? Suddenly, right as they were about to crash into hers they stopped. Amelia had noticed something rolling down his cheek whether it had been a bead of sweat or a tear, she hadn't known. Can you lose anything if you have nothing, she thought to herself as she leaned her lips in closer, trembling with doubt and fear and … humiliation.

Their lips touched one another's and fused for a minute before being pulled away. Amelia looked up at him her breath still uneasy and her mind in a tizzy. Punk seemed to be much calmer, though there was a certain air of disquiet about him just by the way he looked at her. Amelia's breathing had gotten deeper as she prepared herself once more for Punk to get up and leave her there in her sadness, betrayal and stork- nakedness; however, he didn't leave. He remained there apparently waiting for her to say something … to do something. Amelia's lip trembled as she opened her mouth to speak. Punk looked at her instantly.

"You don't have to say anything," he whispered to her in assurance. This had made tears sting Amelia's eyes. Why was he being so nice? He stretched a hand to her face letting his warm palm caress her tear-stained cheek.

"I don't …" Amelia started before looking up at him her tears pouring even onto his hand, "I don't understand." Punk looked at her quizzically apparently not understanding what she hadn't understood.

"Wh-What," he asked in a whisper. Amelia steadied her breathing a bit.

"Why don't you leave," she asked her voice breaking at the last word. Punk's hand dropped from her cheek and was placed on his knee. He looked towards her once more and shrugged. Amelia scowled at him. Was he absolutely serious? He doesn't know why he hadn't left yet? Amelia had grown angry at this; did he honestly think she was up to play mind games at the state they were both in? Amelia's breathing picked up in deepness. "You don't know," she asked through her teeth.

"Sorry, I don't," Punk said casually. Amelia rose from her seat on the bed and quickly gathered up her clothes changing into them immediately. Punk chuckled as he watched her. "So, are you leaving me now," he asked as he too rose up out of the bed and pulled on his pants and shirt. Amelia shrugged and pinned her hair up in a ponytail once more. Punk laughed. "Oh … that's how we're playing," he asked rhetorically. Amelia scowled back at him.

"Do you think this is a game, Punk," she asked with conviction in her voice. Punk seemed to be taken aback; however, this look hadn't lasted long.

"Are you really going to ask me that," he asked raising his voice. "We both just lost possibly two most important people we had in our lives, and you really think I feel that this is all a game," he asked absolutely unable to fathom just the mere thought of it. Amelia stood her ground.

"Then why didn't you -" Amelia began to shout.

"- because I'm too nice, that's why. That kiss was an experiment; I wanted to see if I had truly felt something; do you know why? It's because I wouldn't want to be known as someone who bangs a chick then leaves right after the job's done, but you know what? Fine. If you want me to leave, then I'll be glad to, because frankly I'd much rather have a one-night-stand with Khaila than a relationship with you," he shouted at her as he raced out of the room and down the hallway calling Khaila's name. Amelia continued to stand her ground even after the door had swung closed again. Her tears flooded onto her cheeks and down her chin splattering in her hands as she held them up to her face.

After a couple of minutes, she stopped. She had to. She couldn't stay here. She needed to leave. Now. She needed to find Cody. Amelia briskly walked down the hallway, but abruptly stopped at the kitchen as both Sonelle and Brittany who had been whispering together now quieted themselves. "H-Have you seen Cody," Amelia asked. Brittany nor Sonelle looked at her; however, one of them had answered.

"Haven't you done enough damage," Sonelle asked as she focused on gathering up the left over plates after the party. Amelia's heart raced.

"Where is he," she asked again. She saw Brittany shrug before exiting the kitchen and proceeding into the bathroom. Amelia turned away and strode through the door. Where could he be? The lobby, she thought to herself excitedly as she briskly walked down the hall to where the elevators had been. Amelia must've pressed the 'L' button on the elevator for quite sometime. Suddenly, the doors had opened. Amelia squeezed herself to fit through them just as they'd been opening. Stepping out into the lobby, her heart had sunk. He wasn't there … Cody was gone, and she had been all alone. No friends. No Cody. Nobody.

Punk hadn't known where he would check first whether it be at the house, or at her suite. Punk raced down to her suite and knocked rapidly on the door. "Khaila, Khaila please … please, I need to talk to you," Punk shouted at the door as he continued to knock. "Khaila, please -"

"What do you want," a voice from behind him sounded. Punk turned around and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Khaila squirmed out from his grip. Punk looked at her confusedly. "You don't get it, Punk," Khaila told him. As she moved into the light now, her eyes had been bloodshot and her face had dried tears all over it. At this, Punk's throat had begun to knot a bit.

"I do. I get it now," he said as he continued to hold her close. Khaila once more squirmed out of his grip and shook her head. "Please, I'm sorry. I-I love you," Punk pleaded with her. Khaila's eyes had begun to tear up once more as she shook her head vigorously.

"That's a lie," she muttered to him. "You don't get it; you really don't get it! I gave you everything, just for you to have sex with my best friend at a party that I helped plan for you," Khaila had raised her voice a bit; however, she regained her calm.

"Please, Khaila … I'm sorry; I shouldn't have. I realize my error and I'm sorry," Punk pleaded once more, but Khaila simply shook her head. As she stepped around him reaching for the handle to her door suite, Punk had started once more, "What do you want me to do?" Khaila scoffed as she opened her suite door and turned around to look at him.

"Nothing … except know that I'll be naming our son River," she stated placing a hand over her stomach. Punk's eyes looked down at where her hand had been. His face seemed to be petrified at what had come to mind. As he stepped forward to clarify what Khaila had told him, she'd closed the door in his face. Punk sighed finally defeated. He proceeded back down to the parking lot seating himself in the driver's seat and driving away from the hotel.

Khaila, now flopped herself on her bed, contemplating what had just happened. Her head had begun to ache from all the crying she'd done over Punk and Amelia. She, however, refocused on what had just transpired between her and Punk. Why had she told him she were pregnant if she, herself, hadn't been sure yet? She supposed it to be the spur of the moment. She sighed, turning over on her side looking at the wall in front of her, allowing her brain to calm itself down, and in a few moments, she'd fallen asleep.

Amelia had been dialling Cody's number over and over only to get the sound of his voicemail at the end of its ringing. Finally after seven attempts, she stowed her phone back into her pocket. She looked inside her wallet at her passport and plane ticket that she'd always kept in there. Was she serious about this? Did she really want to leave it all behind? What about her suitcase … everything? With a sigh, Amelia finally figured that she didn't need it. She just had to leave, and she had to leave now.

As she caught a cab from the hotel, she gave the cab driver the instructions to the airport. After about an hour and a half, Amelia had paid the cab driver and entered into the airport. Previously, before dialling Cody's number, she'd dialled another's - her travel agent's. She'd requested the adjustment of her ticket from 5:00pm on Sunday to 8:00am Saturday morning. After her agent had confirmed everything with the airline as Amelia had done once she'd arrived, she sat calmly at her gate waiting for 8:00am to come. As she looked at her watch, it read '4:30am'. This would be a long wait, she thought to herself as she slouched in her seat and drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later, she'd awoken to the sound of shuffling in the background. There had been people all over the airport running around and buying quick presents, or seating themselves in their proper gates. Amelia looked at her watch; 7:55am was what it read. Holding her wallet closer to her, Amelia rose to her feet as the airport employee called for all those with plane tickets to Chicago, Illinois on flight 0528. Having boarded the plane, Amelia took her seat next to the window and looked out at the place that had supposedly promised clear skies and happiness to her, but instead had left her in a very stormy aftermath of events.

Closing her window, Amelia had slouched once more in her seat allowing her eyelids, now heavy from lack of sleep and crying, to close as she rested her way back to Chicago.