Accepting Love - Chapter 4 Part 2
Chapter 4 - Seeing Things (Part 2)
As soon as Heather got downstairs she headed straight for the bookshelf. She needed to find something interesting to read and it couldn’t be a romance because that may just make her cry. It also couldn’t be something funny because she wouldn’t want to wake Naya so she decided that if Cory had it, she would go with a mystery or maybe a crime novel. This way she could get really into it and not have to worry about waking up the sleeping beauty that would be in her arms not too long from now.
She combed through the books trying to find the perfect book. “Ooo.. Sherlock Holmes, I don’t think I’ve read a book about him before.” She said to herself out loud not knowing that there was someone else in the room.
“Sherlock Holmes is really good, you should definitely read it.”
Heather practically jumped out of her swim suit from the voice behind her. She turned around to see Lea standing in the kitchen eating a banana. “How long have you been there?” She asked curious to know.
“Just a few minutes, I came in to get some food. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me come in. I didn’t exactly open the door quietly. Is there something on your mind?” Lea asked hoping to get some information out of her friend.
Heather made her way over to Lea with the book, “No, why would you think that?” She stopped at the island and sat on a stool across from Lea.
Lea shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know. I just think it’s strange for you to come from being with Naya looking as you do. Did something happen?”
Heather shook her head from side to side, “No of course not. Naya and I are great. Well Naya isn’t right now but I’m fine.” She scrunched up her face at the memory of Naya hallucinating spiders.
Lea looked at Heather confused.
“Oh, she’s got sun stroke. I guess too much sun and not enough water makes Naya hallucinate spiders.” Her face still scrunched up thinking about that memory.
“Oh my, that’s terrible. Is she okay?” Lea asked genuinely concerned. Even though their characters weren’t too fond of each other in the show, in real life she and Naya were the best of friends.
Heather nodded, “Well right now she is. I gave her some drugs. She should be sleeping right now. I just came down to get a book to read while I sit with her.” She lifted the book to make it more clear that that was why she came down.
Lea nodded getting the point, “If she’s asleep, why are you going to sit with her? Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for you to just sit down here and leave her there to get better?” She asked thinking she knows what Heather was going to say but wondered if she would actually say it.
“Well I could do that I guess but I already promised her that I would come back and besides I can’t let my best friend go through this alone. What if she needs me and I’m not there? What if she wakes up and sees a spider? She won’t know if it’s real or not unless I’m there. I mean what would you do if this was happening to Di? You’d be there for her no matter what because you two are the best of friends.” She explained with all her heart. This was how she felt. She needed to be there for Naya no matter what. There was no way she was going to let her go through this alone.
Lea smiled at the comment. She would definitely be there for Dianna if this were happening to her.
As the room got really quiet, Lea looked around the room to make sure there was no one but them and once she was sure she looked back at Heather, “Can I ask you a question?”
Heather perked up thinking this must be a secretive type question because why else would Lea all of a sudden become very quiet and suspicious, “Yeah, what is it?”
Lea fidgeted with the banana peel in her hands before looking back up at Heather again, “Do you love her?” Heather looked at her confused. “Naya, do you love Naya?”
Heather smiled, “Of course I do. She’s my best friend. We do everything together. She is literally the best thing to have happened to my life. I don’t know what my life would be like right now had I not met her. Why?”
The shorter girl looked very nervous which was very odd for her. She never got nervous and she sure didn’t think this conversation would make her nervous and yet here she was… nervous. “That’s not what I mean. Do you love her as more than a friend?”
Heather didn’t know how to respond. Of course she knew inside that she loved her best friend but could she just admit that to Lea. That would make it real and she couldn’t deal with real especially knowing that real would make being Naya’s friend even harder. “Of course I don’t, we’re just friends. That’s all.” She tried to hide the truth but Lea could see differently.
Lea finally walked over and tossed her banana peel in the trash before coming back to stand in front of Heather. “I don’t think you’re telling the truth.” Before Heather could argue, Lea continued talking. “I see the way you look at her, there is definitely love there. Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s still there. You two may be friends and you may have convinced yourself that all those feelings I think you’re feeling are friendly type ones but I don’t believe they are. You love her, you’re just afraid to open your eyes and see it. I know what it’s like to hide behind a friendship and wonder if what I’m feeling is mutual. It sucks, it does but once I started to look at the big picture, I was blown away by the outcome.”
Heather looked like she was trying to find the right words to say. Almost like her brain couldn’t comprehend the right ones to say. “I… I…”
“It’s okay, I get that you don’t want to just come out and say it to me because that could create more things that you don’t want to deal with but you have to promise me something.” Lea looked Heather square in the eyes.
Heather nodded because she still couldn’t find words to say.
“Promise me that you will open your eyes and really look at the things around you. Really see what goes on between you two. Seriously, if you really stop and look at the bigger picture, you would see what I see.” She hoped she had gotten what she had to say across to Heather.
“Lea, she’s straight.” Heather said bluntly. She hadn’t meant for it to be blunt but even though she herself never wanted to admit it, that was the honest truth that Heather avoided. The truth that she herself didn’t want to believe but there is was out in the open for everyone who cared to hear.
“You don’t know that Heather.” The shorter girl couldn’t help but see the pain in those blue eyes of hers. Without actually getting an ‘I love Naya’ sentence, Lea could clearly see that that was what Heather was feeling from looking into her eyes. Right now in this moment she could see the pain of not having something she wanted. It broke her heart to see.
Heather nodded her head, “Sure I do. She’s never mentioned any previous girlfriends and…”
“And what? Who cares if she hasn’t mentioned any girlfriends. Maybe she just realized that you were the exception!” Lea was trying so hard to be forceful without yelling.
Heather didn’t know what to think, her mind was spinning from all this information. “I can’t just go from thinking that I have no shot to thinking I might have a shot. Do you have any idea how crushed I would be if I learned that I was right and you were wrong? Lea…” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t think I could be her friend if that truth came out. I can’t lose my best friend. The girl that literally makes my world go round. If I lose that, it would be like losing my dad all over again.” A tear falls down her cheek.
Lea walked around the island and sat in the stool next to Heather’s. She took Heather’s hands in her own. “How will you know unless you take a chance?” She used her hand to lift Heather’s chin to look at her. “I know you don’t want to because you’re afraid of the unknown but Heather, I don’t think you have anything to be afraid of.”
“But how can you be so sure?” Heather wiped her eyes with her hands to try and rid them of tears.
“Do you remember when I said that I’ve noticed how you look at her?” Heather nodded. “Well I’ve also noticed how she looks at you. I think that girl has been in love with you from the start. Haven’t you wondered why she hasn’t had a single boyfriend since she met you?” Lea could see this light appear in the depths of Heather’s blue eyes as realization hit her.
“Yeah but she may not of had any boyfriends for many reasons. We’re too busy for boyfriends, I mean look at my relationship with Taylor, it didn’t last long. Then again, I believe that it was because of my feelings for Naya that ended that one.” Heather finally said it out loud to Lea. She liked Naya as more than a friend and even though she was still afraid, it felt like this big weight had lifted off her shoulders. Someone besides herself knew the truth.
“I knew it!” Lea pumped her fist in the air excited that she knew that Heather did in fact love Naya.
Heather sighed, “You were right but I just… I don’t want to be hurt by her, you know?”
Lea nodded, “I know but how will you ever know unless you try right?”
“Right.” Heather was already feeling better about this whole thing. “You know, you are really good at this whole figuring out people’s problems. Thanks Lea.” She got up from her stool and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl.
“It was my pleasure,” Lea said as they pulled away. “You should probably get up there. Wouldn’t want her to wake up without you there.” Lea smiled.
Heather smiled at the fact that Lea remembered what she had said earlier. Before she left she grabbed a bottle of water and then headed back upstairs.
Lea just stood there with a big grin on her face.
“Hey, what’s up with you?” Chris came walking into the kitchen. He looked from her to whatever she was looking at but couldn’t see anything.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Lea said getting out of her little trance of helping Heather out with her potential love life.
“Okay then. Well I’m going to go outside and enjoy what’s left of the day by going for a walk, you want to come?” He asked hoping that she would say yes so he didn’t have to go alone.
Lea shrugged her shoulders, “Sure, why not.”
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As Heather approached their bedroom she couldn’t’ help but think about what Lea had said to her. What if Lea was right about everything? The grin on her face only increased as she walked into the room to find a completely asleep Naya. She looked completely relaxed. No twitching, no frantic eyes, just a peaceful sleeping beauty.
Heather thought she’d take this moment as the perfect time to get changed. The girl was completely out, there was no way she’d wake up mid-way of her changing so she might as well get out of this swim suit and put on some comfy clothes. To be a little bit funny, Heather decided to take a baggy t-shirt from Naya’s bag and wear it. I wonder if she’ll make the connection? Heather thought to herself as she pulled on the shirt and then some board shorts that went down to her knees.
She then made her way over to the bed, lifted up the covers to get under because there was no way she’d have any chance of moving the pillows and getting Naya’s head on her without being under the covers. As quietly as she could she moved as close as she could without bumping Naya. She put down her book and water bottle to the left of her and then she carefully took one of Naya’s pillows to give her some support on the headboard. After what seemed like forever she gets comfortable enough to move Naya’s head. However her plan goes sideways as Naya made the move herself. Without Heather even doing anything, Naya sidled right up close to Heather and rested her head below her collarbone, her right leg and arm draping over Heather’s body. Alright then, I guess that was easy enough. She let go of a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.
She couldn’t help but brush her hand along Naya’s back. The feeling of having the brunette in her arms was just extraordinary. Heather didn’t want this feeling to go away. She wanted to stay like this forever.
Once she felt comfortable enough she picked up her book and opened it the best she could so she could begin reading it. However before she knew it, she was getting swept up in the moment and being so close to Naya and the scent of her mixed with Aloe that she felt her eyelids becoming more and more sleepy until she lost all consciousness. She fell asleep with Naya in her arms. It was the best ending to any day she could have dreamt of.