Fast Food Madness: The Epic Return V2

"...I can't believe he tricked me," Kairi finally said, her voice no higher than a whisper. Nathaniel had done more than break her heart; he wrecked her completely. She had been fooled into liking this guy that she believed had been so great, and once she gave him her heart, he didn't appreciate it. Instead, Nathaniel shattered it into pieces.

 

Sora took in a soft breath and then released it, not knowing what to say. But then again, maybe he wasn't expected to say anything at all. He hummed softly to let Kairi know that he was listening to her, but other than that, he decided that he should remain silent.

 

Kairi wiped at a tear that escaped one of her closed eyes before her hand returned to where it had been before. "For four months, he...he was so nice and respected me," she continued softly. "He treated me like a..." The girl opened her eyes when she realized what she was about to say, not able to finish.

 

Sora locked his jaw, finishing Kairi's sentence in his mind. Princess. She was about to say that Nathaniel treated her like a princess. Sora could tell by Kairi's silence now that she was sad thinking about it that way, but that had been exactly how it had been. Nathaniel treated her like a princess, because she was one.

 

That triggered it. That small word that Kairi couldn't speak triggered a realization that made her chest ache even more. The girl bit down on her trembling lip, closing her eyes as she brought her hands to her face. She felt wetness then, the tears already cascading down her cheeks. She didn't understand how she didn't figure it out already; Nathaniel treated her like a princess because she was one, and that was the only reason he got with her anyway. Knowing that made Kairi feel worse, if that was possible.

 

Sora opened his eyes after a few seconds, having thought he heard Kairi take in a shaky breath. He turned his head and looked at her, his eyes softening when he saw the position she held. He immediately lifted a hand so that he could wrap his arms around her shoulders and embrace her, but he stopped before he got near her. He couldn't just wrap his arms around her like he used to; things had changed. He hesitated for a second, eventually lowering his hand so that it sat on Kairi's knee.

 

The gentleness behind the touch only made Kairi cry harder, her sobs muffled by her hands. She couldn't believe that she had been tricked so easily. Still. She kept having that same thought over and over again, but it was simply because of disbelief. She thought she was smarter than that! Clearly, she wasn't.

 

Sora noticed Kairi crying harder, and he lightly bit on his lip, which was something he hadn't done in a very long time. He hesitated one more moment before he lifted that hand off Kairi's knee and wrapped it around her shoulders like he originally intended. If she made no move to come closer to him, then he would release her. She needed to give him a sign that she was alright with him holding her again after everything.

 

Kairi felt her body move to him like a magnetic pull. The girl kept one hand to her face but let the other grasp Sora's shirt, the side of her head coming to rest on his shoulder. Her tears continued to fall, her hand covering her eyes. But it wasn't enough to keep back the water overflowing in her eyes. It was official; Kairi was broken beyond repair.

 

When Kairi brought herself closer to him, Sora tightened his embrace around her, bringing up his other arm and wrapping it around her as well. He held her silently, knowing that crying was something she needed to do. It broke his heart to hear her this upset, but it was necessary for her to release her emotions.

 

Kairi sobbed, unaware of how she was going to recover from this. Unbelievably, she had somehow started to fall in love with that guy, and he didn't even care. His feelings had been fake. Every hug, every kiss... It had all been a lie.

 

Sora kept Kairi close, hearing her sobs. He gritted his teeth together at the pain of hearing her heartbreak, but he knew that the best thing that he could do right now was keep quiet and let her cry. He kept his hold on her secure, feeling as if he could protect her from any further pain as long as she was in his arms.

 

That evil, conniving, no-good jerk, Kairi thought silently. She wished there was some way for her to have realized that was who he was sooner, before all of the lies and cruelty. Nathaniel had been selfish, not taking notice of how he was making her feel, as long as he eventually got her off this world and onto his. Kairi let out a heartwrenching sob when she realized the kind of life she would have lived if it weren't for Sora. It would have been terrible.

 

Out of reflex, Sora shushed Kairi, hearing that heartbroken sob. "Shhh," he said soothingly, running a hand over her back in a caring way. She was in a lot of pain, and he was the only one present who could change that. Well, hopefully he could change that. It seemed like Kairi had opened her heart to him, and he hoped that was true, because unlike Nathaniel, he would treat her like she deserved.

 

Kairi heard and felt Sora's presence, the girl moving her hand from her eyes to grip his shirt, just like the other. She tried to hold back from sobbing again, but it didn't work; however, it was quieter than her last. She turned her head more toward Sora, the side of her face being pressed into his shirt. Gosh, she was so glad he was there; she couldn't imagine anybody else.

 

"It's alright," Sora assured her softly, continuing to run his hand over Kairi's back. "Everything is going to be okay." Nathaniel was out of her life, permanently. And now that Sora was back, he was going to do everything he could to set things right, like they had been before he was forced to leave on the stupid mission that separated him from Kairi.

 

Kairi wanted to respond in some way, but her sorrow had control over her now, so all she could do was continue to cry. She didn't know how long she was going to do this, but she knew her heart would still ache once she was out of tears. She didn't even know if crying was worth it, but somehow she didn't find any other way to release her anger and sadness.

 

Sora's hand became still on Kairi's back, the teen gently bringing her a little closer. "It's okay to cry," he said softly, lowering his head a little bit to look down at the girl he held. She was absolutely heartbroken, and she had a right to feel every sad emotion she was feeling at that moment. He wanted to make sure that she knew that and didn't think that her emotions were stupid or worthless just because they were caused by deception.

 

Kairi kept her eyes closed as she nodded in understanding. Her grasp on Sora's shirt tightened as she released a soft sob, her crying beginning to quiet. She never knew somebody she had met four months ago could have such a big impact on her; it was frightening. If anything like this happened between her and Sora... Kairi sucked in a breath at the thought, only continuing to cry. It already had, in a way.

 

Sora exhaled a soft breath, lowering his head and turning it a little bit so that his cheek was lightly on top of Kairi's head. This was the first time that he had held her closely, not counting when he had saved her when the floor collapsed at the abandoned building. He had to admit, it felt nice, holding her again.