The Deep Spark by KttySaysRawr (recommended ebook reader .txt) 📕

through a lot, out here by itself," she murmured.
James sat down and pulled Althea with him. "Do you miss it, Althea?" he asked, staring at the sky.
She blinked. "Miss what?" He gave her a knowing look. She looked straight ahead. "I didn't have time to miss it."
"Or rather, you didn't want to?" Althea whipped her head to look at James, who had stared at her with a somber expression. "Do you remember the games we played here?" He laughed, pointing to a spot. "I remember when you fell over there. You cried like a baby."
Althea's cheeks burned. "I did not." But, she had.
"James!" James turned and ran to Althea, who sat on the ground while rocking back and worth and holding her leg.
"What happened?" He asked. Mel came running back and knelt beside James.
Althea looked up to the boy with tear filled eyes moved her hands to show him the scratch. "I," hiccup, "I fell." Blood flowed profusely from the wound and James sent Mel to get some gauze and bandages from her house down the street.
Meanwhile, he ripped off the bottom of his shirt and tied it around the gash on her leg. "It's alright, Athena. It's gonna be alright," he cooed while combing a hand through her hair and trying to stop her crying. "It's alright, I'm here."

Althea absently rubbed at the scar on her leg that the gash left and sighed. "You were my hero that day, you know that?" she mumbled without thinking.
He blinked. "I was always supposed to be your hero, Althea."
She sighed. "I didn't need a savior."
"As stubborn as ever, Athena," he chuckled.
Althea laughed slightly. "I wouldn't be Athena if I wasn't. Tell me, do you remember everything that happened at this park?" She looked to James, who now stared straight ahead.
"I remember everything about this town… about our friends… about you." He ran a hand through his head. "Verdammt noch mal.

"
She tilted her head to the side, amusement creeping into her eyes. "Is that German I hear from your mouth?" She raised her legs on the bench and laid her head on her knees to hide her smile. "You've gotta be annoyed," she mumbled.
He sighed and looked at her. He shook his head and dragged his hand down his face. "I-I'm just -" He groaned. He leaned his elbows on his knees, covering his face with his hands. "I'm just so frustrated right now."
Althea frowned. "Well, you shouldn't." She clenched her hands to hold back the urge to push his hair back to soothe him. "We're all good down here, your dad is doing really good for himself from what I've heard, it seems like you're a bigshot now, so I'm kinda lost."
He laughed harshly. "But I'm not happy." He sighed and raked both hands through his hair, the light brown strands shining gold in the streetlights. "I can't believe you're getting married." James' voice sounded tortured, like that of a man that just couldn't take anymore.
"It has been seven years," she whispered. "You couldn't have expected me to -"
"But I did!" She winced at his tone, reminiscent of that faithful day at the mall. "I stupidly thought that you would wait -"
"Wait for what?" Her own voice was tired, her eyes big with exasperation. "Wait for you to pay attention to me? Wait for you to explain whatever the fuck you meant by saying that you weren't good enough?" She laughed sadly. "I wish I could have but life goes on."
A heavy silence ensued between the two. More streetlights turned on, the day turning into night. Calls for children to head inside were heard from the houses near the park, a strong reminder of what their own childhood had been like.
"Jackie, be careful!" A little boy's voice rang out, and Althea couldn't resist looking over.
The boy, couldn't be more than seven was looking up worriedly up into the monkey bars. His gaze was fixed on a pig-tailed girl hanging precariously from her legs on the bars.
An impish grin was on the girls face. "Relax Dylan!" Stealthily, the skinny girl straightened up and pencil-dropped in between the bars to land on the ground with her arms up. She walked with a spring in her step and smiled big once she stood in front of the boy. "See, all good!"
Dylan sighed and took her arm as they started walking away. "Your mom would have killed me if you got hurt."
"But you're always going to protect me, so I don't have to worry."
Tears gathered in Althea's eyes as she watched the two kids meld into the night. If only the names had been changed, then it would have been just like watching a scene from the past play out before her. She trusted so blindly in James when they were little, believing him to be as indestructible as her parents.
"Scary, wasn't it?"
She turned around at James' whisper, not surprised to see his head facing the direction of the playground.
Althea sighed but nodded. "I was afraid she would fall."
James let out a joyless laugh. "You know what I mean," he replied and looked to her. Althea shrugged and ran a hand through her hair. "That use to be us."
"Use to." She stood and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "We should get going. Janise is probably worried." Althea shrugged and started for the car.
"Althea." She looked back to James, who was standing now. James smiled, and shook his head. "Never mind, it's nothing. Let's go."
They drove back to Janise's house, who didn't look one bit worried about them.
"You're both adults; I trust you wouldn't do anything too stupid." Janise joked, sitting in the rocker in the living room.
"Yeah, we were just," James paused. "Talking," he finished after taking a breath and smiled to Althea, who looked confused. Was that necessary? Now she's going to think something's up.

Althea rolled her eyes but did nothing.
Suddenly, the door opened. "We're home." Justin muttered, trudging inside and flopping down on the floor by Janise's legs and leaning on them.
"What's the matter with you?" Janise asked, sliding to the floor beside her husband and laying his head down on her lap.
"Mel. I swear, the girl tried to work us to death on purpose."
"I won't argue with that." Kurt came in and sat beside Althea on the love seat. He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. She forced a smile, but couldn't help comparing. James' kiss was so warm against her skin; so loving, if nothing else. Kurt's kiss to her was cold and made her want to throw up again.
Speaking of throwing up...
The Greek girl jumped up and ran to the bathroom, trying to hold the bile in her throat down before reaching the toilet. She retched twice after vomiting and felt like she'd just taken a beating to her body.
"Are you okay?" She looked up to see James standing in the doorway, his eyes wide with concern. Althea flushed the toilet and washed her face in the sink.
"Peachy keen," she replied softly.
James sighed, frustrated. "Althea, are you sick? What's wrong?" James grabbed her arm and made her face him.
"Nothing. It's just a bug or something. I'm fine." She tried to move, but James held fast to her.
"Are you sure?" Althea knew how much weight that small question carried. Are you sure you're okay? Are you sure you can handle this? Are you sure about anything?
"I'm sure." She shoved her way out of his grasp and went back to the group. "Hey, baby." Althea stumbled as she walked and Kurt caught her.
"Are you okay? Maybe we should go home." Kurt sat her down on the couch. "I would have followed you to the bathroom, but James was right behind you. I guess he still has the big brother feel for you, huh?" Kurt chuckled. Althea sighed and put her face in her hands.
"Yeah, I guess." She finally replied, showing her face with a smile. In the corner of her eye, she saw Janise shake her head. "Come on, Kurt. We should get going. You guys have a nice night." She pulled her fiancée out of the house and to their car.
In the passenger seat, she held Kurt's hand absentmindedly and tried to sleep, but her nerves wouldn't let her.
It seemed like she wouldn't get a decent night's sleep for a long time.

CHAPTER 13

The following two months were hectic for Althea as she got tangled up in planning for her wedding. Meetings with florists, planners, and arranging photo shoots were things that never seemed to end. Janise and Justin were always offering to lend a hand, but she knew that with Janise's pregnancy, their marriage was going through some tests as Janise's jealous nature suddenly made an appearance. She had been witness to a few outbursts, having to make barely noticed excuses to leave them alone.
Kurt was as patient and caring as ever, something that grated her nerves constantly. When they had started their relationship in high school, she had seen that as a positive quality but now it was irritating. Whenever she snapped at him, all he did was talk to her calmly, as if she were one of the kids he dealt with at his internship. If she asked him for his opinion on an arrangement or color scheme, all he did was agree with everything she said. One day she had blown up and left the apartment, with a stunned and slightly worried Kurt lying in her wake. She had left the apartment community without a destination in mind.
She had found herself parking in Janise and Justin's car pot. Later, she would tell herself it was because Janise had always been like a second mother to her and not because she wanted James' caring blue eyes to turn that entrancing sky blue it was when he was worried.
It had been him that answered the door of course. She had crumpled in his arms, clinging to him in such a way that it seemed as if they had never fought. He had gathered her close and sat them on the loveseat. He had whispered to her and just how bittersweet the moment was hit her, making her curl up closer to him and cry harder.
When she had calmed down, she poured out her frustrations and he had listened calmly. She was sitting in his lap, her head resting on his chest with her arms around him. He was stroking her back and had his other arm curled around her waist.
James sighed. "You need to go back." He tilted her head up towards him, his