“Love is not a poison Robin!” Ivana called out behind me and I turned around to look at her. This was the first person who had said what I thought about love out loud like this.
“What do you know about love?” I asked her, my brows were raised, she was saying what I have believed for years was not true.
“Love can never be poisonous!” She barked as more tears streamed down her eyes and I was shocked, it was as if she said that to make the things that had clouded it for years vanish.
She stepped closer to me, her blue eyes locked with mine as her lips moved. “I will show you, I will show you that love isn’t a poison.”
I scoffed at her bravery. “And how do you propose to do so?” My lips twitched, I thought she would teach me how to love, but seeing her walk away with Hinn Carlos made me drop those hopes. I didn’t want to have them anymore.
“I will cover your heart and the pains in them with flowers.” She said softly and I blinked. Was this girl sick, what the heck was she saying now?
“I don’t need your pity,” I told her and turned to walk away but to my surprise, she held my hands and rose to her toes as she kissed my lips. I have never been so shocked by a kiss but I was right now, I wasn’t expecting it and my heartbeat quickened.
Ivana leaned back and looked at my face. “I am not seeking your permission this time Robin, I would do this and it isn’t self-pity, it is because I don’t understand my feelings too.” She said softly and I gazed down at her face, her tears were rolling down like crystals and her lips were too red like a cherry.
“I don’t understand my feelings too,” I muttered. “I don’t know what to do, Ivana, I am truly scared…” Ivana raised her finger to my lips to silence me.
“Your past doesn’t define you, Robin, you should let go of it now.” She smiled at me. “Don’t be so sad, I know it is hard sometimes, but start taking a deep breath, I promise you it will be okay.” She said softly.
I stared down at Ivana, she was the first person who had said these words to me. How did I manage to meet this girl? How did we cross paths?
I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her close to my chest. “I hope you are right Ivana, I hope you are right about it all being okay.” I held her closer to me and she held me back. “I also want to believe it.”
I want to also believe I am not like my parents, I want to also believe I can be like the other’s whose family showered them with love, I want to be like those whose hearts are warmed.
“It would be.” She said softly and I closed my eyes as I buried my face on her shoulder sniffling the light perfume that emitted from her skin.
…
“Ouch!” I heard from downstairs. It was Ivana’s voice, I was sitting on the chair upstairs after I finished taking my bath. I was going through some records but the sound I heard from downstairs got me worried so I headed down to see what Ivana must be doing.
She was touching her body like it was aching her and I wondered what was wrong so I rushed over. “Hey, are you okay?” I raised my brows to look at her and her lips curled up and her eyes felt sad. “What is wrong?’
“All my legs and body ache.” She mumbled and I looked down at her leg. “I think I have overworked myself especially after Ava mishandled me.” She told me softly and I scoffed.
“She didn’t mishandle you, she was only teaching you how to dance.” I sat down on the chair next to her.
“She did, didn’t you see how she twisted me even when I screamed out so loud and told her I couldn’t dance?” Ivana sighed at me.
“Then you should drop the dream of standing on stage if your body is this stiff.” I looked at her and shook my head as she frowned.
Ivana closed her eyes. “This isn’t right Robin, you have a lot to learn.” Ivana faced me and I watched on to hear what she had to say. “First of all, after asking me if I am okay and hearing that I am not, you should volunteer to massage my body or pet talk me.” I raised my brows.
“Better yet, after hearing I was mishandled, you should say annoying words, you should be angry at Ava for mishandling me even if you thought it isn’t true.” She touched herself in demonstration. “I see you caught fancy of her, that must be the reason you are taking her side.”
I smiled at her words. “I am only telling you the truth and you know it,” I told her and she scoffed at my words.
“It doesn’t matter, girls don’t like hearing you siding with others.” She raised the corner of her lips. “I bet you were staring at Ava and Chloe while they were practising and now I bet you will admire Chloe more since she dances better than even Katherine…”
Ivana began spitting out the words she has been holding in for a day and I couldn’t help but snigger. “What is funny?” Ivana raised her brow at me with a hmph.
“You are, are you jealous?” I asked and for a while, her lips parted and she laughed it off, brushing my words aside.
“Why should I be?” She looked away from me and kept scoffing.
“Why do I think you had been staring at me in the practice room with those thoughts of pure jealousy in your head?” I asked and she blinked a couple of times.
“I wasn’t staring at you, why should I?” Ivana shook her head.
“I know you were, I was staring at you all through the practice too.” For a moment there was silence in the room. “I couldn’t take my eyes off you,” I told her as my eyes bored into hers.
“Why so?” Ivana asked.
“You are pretty, I couldn’t take my eyes off you because you look just like a goddess.” I looked down at her lips and leaned close as my lips brushed against hers making my heartbeat quicken fully closed in pleasure, the air between us felt tense and then they relaxed.
I leaned back and looked into her eyes for permission to go in for a deeper kiss, but as I leaned close after her approval, the voice we heard behind us startled us, making us tear apart.
“Mom,” I said softly as I looked over to the door.
“Mrs Jane,” Ivana called out and my mother gazed at us with a creased forehead and Ivana shifted uncomfortably and pressed her lips together.