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

/> "Bloody hell, give it to me, Mel, you ungrateful pillock!" The two looked over to see Janise snatch away a knife from a giggling Mel.
"Oh, calm down, Janise." Mel said. Althea laughed with Mel as Justin went to his wife.
"Teña calma querida, é só provocación.

"
Janise sighed and shook herself. "Everyone but Althea leave the kitchen, if you will. I don't need such foolishness in here." Mel pouted but left and Justin kissed his wife before retreating to the living room with Mel.
Althea stood by Janise, stirring the pot filled with meat and vegetables while Janise began boiling another pot of water. "Althea, why are you marrying him?"
The Greek girl jumped. "Me syncho̱reíte?

"
Janise smiled softly. "Why are you marrying Kurt? You don't love him. Isn't marriage built on love?"
Althea turned back to the pot. "It's also built on trust, friendship, loyalty –"
"But love is the foundation. Without love, Althea, marriage is nothing but a piece of paper and a ring on your finger." Janise sighed.
Althea bit her lip. "I've been dating him for a while, Janise. If I just tell him I never loved him, how would that look? I'd be worse than that harpy at Justin's job."
"Oh, please do not bring that trollop into the conversation. But tell me, Althea; are ready to marry him?" Althea hesitated. Was she ready to give herself away to someone she didn't even love? A part of her said yes if it meant being loved and being rid of James. But the other part said no; this part wanted James no matter what it took. She sighed.
"I don't know anymore, Janise. Maybe I'll find out before the big day comes and maybe I'll just marry him and fall in love during our time together." She smiled weakly.
Janise shook her head. "Althea, no matter what, follow your heart, but remember that your head makes some good suggestions too." Janise smiled as she dumped a box of spaghetti noodles into the boiling pot of water.
"Janise, when did you realize you loved Justin?" Althea asked.
A soft, dreamy look overtook Janise's face as she answered. "It was a winter night our senior year of high school and Justin and I were out by the pond. We were ice skating and Justin was making a complete fool of himself," Janise laughed a bit. "In that night, I saw the side of him that Justin never showed to anyone; this free side of him that only I got to witness, and I realized that he was the one I wanted to spend my life with, knowing there were no boundaries between us." Janise chuckled slightly and Althea nodded.
No boundaries… Just like how James and I used to be. Oh gosh, why am I thinking of him?

A knock on the door caught their attention. "I'll get it!" Justin called. "Hey, Kurt!"

CHAPTER 9

"You wanna bail?" Mel came into the kitchen and whispered the suggestion.
"Why would I-?"
"She probably gave you a talk about how love is the shit and blah, blah, blah. Right?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued ranting. "You're probably unsure of your feelings," she glared at Janise, "all over again."
Althea laughed. Not because she was wrong but because she was right. How did she know? Not even a minute had passed from their conversation.
"Althea's a big girl. She also was Drama Club president for two years."
"Yeah, well some people don't like to act."
"Not my fault," Janise sang-song. "Just giving my opinion to my dearest friends."
"Well sometimes your opinion isn't all that needed," Mel sneered.
With a sharp flick if the wrist, Janise turned off the stove. She turned around and faced Mel with her arms crossed. "You want to discuss it now, fine. But next time you want advice, don't come to me you horrid, ungrateful -"
Althea blinked. "Whoa there. I sense bad blood and that is NOT good."
She looked at the sight that Janise and Mel made. With her messy bun, light dress and worn apron, Janise looked like the perfect tired mother. Mel with her graphic tee of a metal band, blue-streaked hair, military boots and defiant expression was working the part of a rebellious teenager. It was the perfect stereotypical mother-daughter fight scene.
"Now," she said cautiously, "if everything is fine and dandy-"
"We all know how it is for her. Everything is good with a side of scones, eh?"
Althea frowned. It wasn't like Mel to be so harshly teasing. Especially to Janise. Although her British accent had been something people has awed over, there had always been people that had bullied her to the point of tears. Like now.
"I only have your best interests at heart," she whispered.
"Thanks but no thanks." With a sigh, she looked over at Althea. "I can't stay anymore. You coming or is Justin giving you a ride?"
"I'll go with Justin." She bit her lip. "But why can't -" her sentence was cutoff by Mel's harsh glance. With a terse good bye, she was out of the kitchen and out of the house even quicker.
As the pick-ups engine roared to life, Althea heard Janise's quiet sniffles. At her concerned glanced, she just shook her head. "Hormones," she said weakly.
Before she could comment further on the topic, Kurt and Justin walked in. "What's up with Mel? She seemed kind of mad."
"We had a small discussion," Janise mumbled. She turned away and set back to cooking dinner.
Justin frowned and titled her head up. "You're crying. Why?" His voice was soft but his wife knew that it wasn't a question to be taken lightly. She didn't respond though and flicked her head out of his grasp. He looked over at Althea, not bothering to ask again.
"They started fighting and Mel said some things." She shrugged. "Y'know, Mel being Mel," she finished lamely.
Her response only made his frown deepen. Before he could question her further, Kurt jumped in. "Well," he said with a clap, "what's cooking?"
"Tagliatelle with sausage and pesto," Janise absently replied.
"Can't wait," Kurt said enthusiastically. Contrary to the reputation that British cooking had received, Janise was a fantastic cook.
"Should be better than Althea's cooking huh?" Justin's jab came with a hearty chuckle. Contrary to her Greek heritage, Althea could barely cook soup.
"Hey! My cooking's just fine!" At the males laughter, she stuck her tongue out at them.
"Whatever you say babe." Kurt pecked her cheek and Althea forced a smile to her face.
Janise caught the forced motion and sighed as she shook her head. "Do you mind if you leave us alone for a while?" Justin asked as he looked over Janise.
"Sure," they piped. Kurt threw over his shoulder, "Be in the living room."
They got no response as Justin was already starting to softly interrogate Janise. The engaged couple sat down on the couch and let out a simultaneous sigh.
"They're lucky to have each other," Kurt mumbled. "How long have they been married?"
"Five or six years, I think," she mumbled.
He nodded. "Proof that love isn't washed out by married life." He smiled and kissed her knuckles. "I hope it's like that for us."
She gulped uneasily and nodded. Someone up in the heavens was having a hellova a time playing with her life. She wasn't supposed to be second-guessing her feelings now, she had done that when Kurt had proposed.
"You okay, babe?" Kurt's eyebrows knotted into a frown and he ran his arm down her arm in a gesture meant to be soothing.
Althea wanted to scream at him to not touch her. She wanted to fling on the engagement ring that seemed to be cutting of blood flow to her finger. She wanted to leave the house and throw herself into her bed and cry like she had done so long ago.
She wanted to turn the clock back seven years and stay by James' side during the party. Maybe then they would have been able to stay friends. Even if her feelings for him would have remained always unspoken, she wouldn't have to live with the haunting reminder of what his kiss was like. She wouldn't judge every romantic move that Kurt had made against what James' would have done.
"Excuse me, I have to use the restroom," she said stiffly.
She rushed to the bathroom and upon reaching it, she promptly threw up.
She couldn't turn back time. And now she had to live with her decisions. Even if she ended up never loving Kurt, she would always respect him. He would be a good father and a trustworthy husband, much more than she had expected after James had left.
Feeling another wave of nausea overcome her, she retched out her lunch. Coughing at the force, she stood up shakily, using the sink as support. Shuddering, she washed her face and rinsed her mouth. Looking in the mirror, she winced at her reflection.
If she had looked like this out there, no wonder Kurt had asked if she was okay. Her normally healthy light tanned skin was an ashy white with her blonde hair sticking to her sweating face in clumps. Her blue-green eyes looked glazed over and her pupils had dilated to the point that her eyes resembled those of old fashioned porcelain dolls.
"Darling?" Janise's gentle knock sounded a moment before the bathroom door opened and she walked inside. "Oh dear," she breathed.
"Quite a sight huh?" She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Janise grabbed a towel off the rack and wet it while motioning Althea to sit on the counter. "Althea, have you and Kurt been… you know… safe?" Janise asked tentatively. Althea stiffened and blinked.
"Um… most of the time." Althea replied softly.
Janise sighed. "I hope this is just nerves, dear. This is a bad time to bring a baby into the picture." She wiped Althea's face with the wet towel and pulled the younger girl's hair back into a pony tail.
"There. Now, chin up, sweetie. You have to get through this." Janise smiled and Althea offered another weary one.
"Thanks." She whispered.
The two women left the bathroom and went to the table where Kurt and Justin were eating and talking. Althea took a seat next to Kurt and Janise sat by her husband. Kurt put a hand on Althea's knee, and she resisted the urge to flinch under his touch.
It felt like fire and she could do nothing but bear it. Althea hid her anxiety with a smile and began eating the spaghetti Janise put on her plate.
"So, Kurt