IMPLICATIONS

by Paula

Author’s Note: In my BatB Universe, the character of Ike is introduced in the story
Friendly Terms. The story Feelings comes next in the arc and precedes this one.

* * * * *

Love needs truth to grow.

~ Author Unknown

A blissful silence, without tension or awkwardness, one in which he could regain his balance. Grains of sand irritated his neck and kept falling from his hair as he combed through it with his hand. He shrugged, completely indifferent to how he presented himself.

The unpleasant pain in his abdominal muscles persisted, and his fingers, which he nervously clenched into fists, also reminded him of today’s events. Hard falls to the ground, being pinned down, rolling around, and blows that he was sometimes unable to defend himself against meant that he now felt discomfort with every movement of his body.

Ike’s gaze wandered to the pond, the stars twinkling fabulously, mesmerizingly.  A few lit torches gave off a soft, romantic light. Amy, this is where you kissed me for the first time, I felt so uncertain, full of regret and longing, with a glimmer of hope…then you appeared, your shyness was charming, everything around me ceased to exist, and I plunged into an ocean of pleasure. A heavy sigh caused slight pain in his ribs.

This hopeless day began with Mitch’s stupid comments, nasty interruptions, provocations, and threats!  He clenched his jaw. With a trembling hand, he touched his swollen cheek. I should have held back, stopped this madness. He grimaced and immediately felt a stinging pain in his cut lip. How can I calm this storm of emotions? How could I have been so fooled? I looked into those mean eyes and only felt anger rising inside me. And then Amy… he helplessly fell onto his back, forgetting about his bruises. With his eyes closed, he tried to control the tormenting memories, but the images and words kept coming back, preventing him from getting the rest he so desperately needed.

* * *

It was the long-awaited afternoon, a meeting by the waterfall – a date he had been fantasizing about for a long time. He deliberately chose this place, with the soothing sound of water, sparkling cascades, and rocky surroundings in the background. Such a private corner on a paradise island. The young man spread a soft blanket near the wall and hid a book of sonnets behind a pile of rocks to make the moment special.

Their relationship as a couple had only recently begun. Gentle gestures, kisses, tender words. Amy was already someone special to him, and he couldn’t imagine any other girl in his life. The teenager shook his head in disbelief. I really feel it with my whole being.

The sound of approaching footsteps made his heart rhythm stronger; anticipation, excitement, longing for her closeness – these feelings caused a rush of heat in his body and he felt himself blushing. His imagination conjured up the most tender scenarios for welcoming her. He took a few deep breaths so as not to go crazy when he saw her.

Slowly, he turned his gaze toward the entrance… He narrowed his eyes and grimaced slightly. An unpleasant shiver of anxiety ran through him, a kind of icy premonition. “What brings you here, Mitch?”

He took a few steps forward with studied indifference. “I heard you have a secret meeting here, just the two of you.” His smile was malicious to the extreme.

Ike tensed his muscles. How is that possible?  “And if so, what? Did you come to keep us company?”

The visitor laughed briefly. “I came to talk.”

Ike furrowed his brow and felt the atmosphere becoming restless. “I’m listening.”

Mitch rubbed his chin with his hand. “I wonder if  Father knows what you’re doing here alone.”

All calmness vanished, he sighed heavily and moved closer to him, sensing his provocation. “We’re not doing anything wrong.” The words came out with difficulty through clenched teeth.

For a moment, there was an irritating smacking sound. “So he doesn’t know anything about your dates alone. I wonder what he’ll say when he finds out.”

Ike ran his fingers through his hair. “Go! Tell him! It’s no secret that we’re dating.” His nerves strained to the limit.

The intruder was momentarily stunned by the force with which Ike resisted his words. He began to walk around nonchalantly, clearly not yet ready to end his visit. “And did your girlfriend tell you about our meeting here?”

The boy felt the throbbing pain in his temples. “She mentioned it to me.” He watched Mitch’s movements closely.

“Oh, yeah?” His voice was filled with mockery. “And she mentioned that she let me hug her, touch her?”

A maddening and suffocating jealousy pressed on his heart. He clenched his jaw tightly; his facial muscles were tense with pain. His provocateur watched that game of emotions on his face with wild satisfaction.

A deafening silence fell around them. They stared at each other feverishly.

Ike still tried to fight the influx of bad feelings, but something in Mitch’s tone of voice, in his gaze, made him unable to hold back the surging wave. He clenched his fists.  “You’re jealous and you want to cause a rift between us. I don’t understand why or what you’re trying to achieve.” Inside, he was shaking all over; he was on the edge, one more word and he wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Cynical laughter rang out around them. “Jealous? Don’t exaggerate – you just can’t stand the fact that I touched her, and I almost kissed her, too. And who knows what else she’s done with the other guys.”

And that was the moment – the spark, Ike boiled with indignation. His fist reached the schemer’s cheek.Mitch fell onto the sand and shook his head in bewilderment.

Remorse struck Ike immediately. He turned his back on him, breathing heavily, furious that he had let his negative emotions get the better of him. “I’m sor…” The apology dissipated into thin air. He felt the double power of revenge, the world spun, and the burning pain in his stomach caused him to fall to his knees, curled up. “Are you crazy? I don’t want to fight you!”

However, his opponent was in some strange state close to madness. “You started this. Now you’re chickening out?” A look of hatred appeared on his face, a sinister gleam in his eyes, a stern line between his eyebrows; the only thing missing was foam at the mouth.

Ike was shocked by this situation and the pace at which risky activities were spreading. “I’m telling you, I don’t want to fight! And don’t insult Amy!” His fatigue deepened, and his abdominal muscles ached uncomfortably.

However, the fire was being fueled. “Accept that she may not be as saintly as you think.”

“Stop it!” He started walking towards him with the intention of hitting a sore spot. Unfortunately, the pain in his stomach muscles slowed him down, and before he could make a move, his opponent knocked him to the ground and rolled around, gathering sand along the way. He coughed, gasping for air, and his attacker took advantage of his confusion. Another blow and a metallic taste in his mouth made him realize that this could end very badly.

“You’re crazy!” Ike stammered. He gathered his strength and, fueled by anger, attacked the assailant’s sensitive organ. The troublemaker jumped back with a groan and writhed in pain.

He wanted to stop this wave of madness or at least slow it down; with his hand he scooped up some sand and threw it in Mitch’s face.

“Damn it!” his opponent rubbed his eyes, worsening the situation.

With deep, relieved breaths, he calmed his body. Perhaps this  fight will finally be over. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He slowly stood up and then froze…

She was staring at them, paralyzed. Her large eyes were filled with terror, disappointment, and distance, as if her soul were elsewhere. She needed a moment to return to reality. Then she looked at what was happening behind him. Her eyes widened in fear.

He noticed slight trembling; his vigilance and unerring intuition grew stronger. He turned around and groaned. This is not the end of the fight.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted movement. She ran out.  I showed my anger, violence. “Amy!” His desperate voice did not stop her. He jumped away from Mitch and leaned against a nearby rock, exhausted. He shook his head at the point of it all. How can someone have such a destructive personality? “Give it a rest! Stop it! Call me a coward, but I’ve had enough!”

The words of surrender stopped Mitch in his tracks. “Because that’s who you are!” His expression was gloomy and bored. “Dude, I think your girlfriend ran away.” He wouldn’t be himself without that sneer.

Ike couldn’t forgive himself for striking first. He wiped his forehead and took a deep breath; his gaze was hard as steel. “I wasn’t wrong about you. You had to stir things up like this.”

His opponent’s expression changed to one of embarrassment and confusion. He avoided his gaze, exhaled loudly, but without saying a word, he hurriedly left, bumping Vincent’s shoulder at the entrance.

Ike’s best friend looked at him, his eyes widened in astonishment as he quickly assessed the situation: sand in his hair and on his clothes, blood on his lip, and a multicolored bruise on his cheek. “Wow, man, you look beat up! Amy told me what she found here, so I ran as fast as I could, but… I see you guys managed to communicate somehow.”

He looked gratefully at him. “You almost became my savior.” He tried to smile with one corner of his mouth…then his gaze shifted to Amy, watching from the entryway. A shadow of reproach appeared in his gray eyes.

She wasn’t nervous; she controlled her heartbeat and her breathing. “How are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain?” She took a few cautious steps toward him.

“I can handle it.” He brushed the sand off his clothes with his bruised hands. “I let myself get provoked,” he said, looking seriously at his girlfriend again.

She bit her lip slightly, already knowing that Mitch had embellished their ancient encounter, but in her girlish naivety, she began to make things up in her head. Does he have any doubts about me?

He stood as if he were not on his own two feet, weakened.  “Amy, I’d like to talk to you in private later.”

His companion recognized the difficulty of the situation and the understatement. They did not need a mediator, but a calm, honest conversation. “I’ll go. You can talk here, Ike, but come to the hospital chamber later, and let Father examine you.”

He waved his hand. “I don’t need that, I’m fine.”

His buddy patted him on the shoulder. “You can’t hide the fact that you were fighting. We’re not going to pretend you fell, because Mitch has a black eye, too.”

He nodded and sighed in frustration. “I’ll be there soon.”

They were alone, in a favorable setting; the unspoken words stimulated his imagination. “Shall we sit on the blanket?”

She nodded silently and moved in the indicated direction, glancing at him as he followed her. Now she noticed that he was holding his stomach. Anger and regret grew inside her. “That’s why I didn’t tell you how Mitch was acting. I didn’t want this to happen!”

He stood frozen, surprised by her outburst.

“Fights like this can end badly. With all the rocks around, he could have pushed you and you would have fallen on your head and died on the spot, and the same could have happened to him, especially since you were both very angry.” Her gaze was disappointed and regretful, and tears were about to flow. “I looked at you and remembered the blows I had received myself.”

He immediately recalled the expression on her face when she saw them fighting.

“I felt this pain again.” Her voice began to tremble.

He lowered his head. I’m an idiot! “Sweetheart, listen, I didn’t want to remind you of that hell, but I couldn’t stand his slander.” His explanations sounded pitiful.

Her eyes widened even more. “So you can’t talk to him with words, only with your fists? I thought you could control yourself.” She covered her eyes with her hands.

“Because I can! I’m sorry!”

She shook her head, and he slowly sat down beside her with a painful groan.

His girlfriend was seething with frustration and hurt. He didn’t want explosions and shocks like that. One wrong move and everything falls apart like a house of cards. Shyly, he tried to touch her hand. She gently pushed his hand away, expressing her disappointment.

He pressed his lips together, hoping to hide his embarrassment, thinking that perhaps the layer of dust would hide his blushes.

A small furrow appeared between her eyebrows. “And on top of all that, you doubt my feelings and loyalty. You believe his fantasies and nonsense!”

The boy opened his mouth, but no words came. Kiss those sweet lips, wipe away that anger from them. Her attentive gaze brought him back from those clouds. His sigh was helpless. “I didn’t say I believed him, but I think you should have told me. We trust each other, and you thought I would immediately run to beat him up. Is that how you see me?”

This conversation was not going in the right direction and his own words caused him pain.

The silence grew deeper and more deafening.  Amy rose up from the blanket, increasing the distance between them. “I don’t know what to think.” She began rubbing her temples with her hands. “You are in pain. You’d better go to Father so he can examine you.”

What a tactful way of telling me to get lost. “I was just defending myself.  I didn’t want to escalate the fight, but I guess that doesn’t matter to you.” His gaze wandered around her shoes.

Regret, anger, pride – these feelings became entangled in an unexpected knot, and instead of loosening it, she tightened it even more. “I think we need to hold off on things for a while, think everything through.” Her face was dismal.  “I will help you get to the hospital chamber.”

His heart was pounding in his throat and ears, and a constant rumbling in his head accompanied the melody. “No, thanks. I can manage.” His voice sounded weak and his face clouded over.  I was hoping for the sweet taste of reconciliation.

Her nod and movement toward the exit made him realize that the long-awaited date would definitely not happen. Each step she took deepened the emptiness in his heart; he already felt waves of longing. One glance at the soft material and uninvited fantasies began to lurk in his mind. Clenched teeth were causing discomfort.

“Damn it!” He threw his sorrow into the watery space.

Everything became gray and meaningless; some strange impulse made him jump up from the blanket, snort, mutter something under his breath, wave his arms frantically, forgetting the pain. What a glaring and immeasurable injustice! His restless breathing mingled with the sound of water.  And now I will humbly go to a lecture on morality combined with painful treatment.

At the stony exit, he paused and glanced back with a pained look at one of his favorite spots. Maybe we can still break the spell on this place. A heavy sigh did not improve his mood, and in this state he trudged sluggishly to the examination.

A friendly figure was leaning against the wall near the entrance to the hospital chamber.  Ike forced a slight smile. “I am close to insanity.”

Vincent gave him an understanding look and twisted the corners of his mouth into a smile. ”I was just thinking that talking might save you from that.”

He nodded gratefully. “You’re probably wondering how it happened, right?”

His best buddy sighed and scratched his head. “Mitch had just come from Father, and he had given him a very colorful story about how you couldn’t control your emotions.”

There was a dull thud as Ike leaned heavily against the wall. “Apparently, he had decided that today he would ruin my day.” He shook his head. “I know I shouldn’t have hit him. If I had refrained, my date would have been just as I had dreamed it would be, but now that I’ve seen what he did, he would have probably come up with something else to ruin everything for me anyway. I must irritate him terribly.” 

His friend saw how he was seething with anger and helplessness, almost glittering with pent-up emotions. “Tell me…”

He took a breath and closed his eyes… and recounted the whole incident with their common antagonist and summarized his conversation with Amy.

When the story ended, his listener tilted his head, and one thought immediately came to mind. “You’re right, it was deliberate, and if his plan hadn’t worked, he would have come up with another one. Maybe now he’ll stop messing around.”

“Maybe.” He sighed gloomily. “What about Amy? How am I going to convince her that I’m not a hothead? Actually, I don’t know if I still have a girlfriend. Our conversation was strange. I didn’t get it, if she wanted to take a break from me now or for longer.” He dropped his arms helplessly.

His best friend turned toward him and touched his shoulder. “Man, you’re terribly sensitive. It’s a good trait; I’m like that myself.” His gaze was focused on him. “When I look at you two together, I see something special. She definitely cares about you. Now she needs to calm down a little, think, and her heart will show her the way.”

Ike grinned slightly. “So, I still have a chance.”

He smiled back. “I’m sure you do. Don’t worry. Go to Father, you look awful, and remember, give her time. You know what you reminded her of with that fight.”

“Yes, and I blame myself for it all the time.” He patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks, bro. I can always count on you.”

“Always…If you need me, I will be at my place.”

“I will remember.”  He was temporarily soothed by the words…

* * *

A week of helping out in the kitchen; the same punishment for both of us. Fair enough, even though his inner egoist rebelled. I suffered more injuries. He walked slowly down the corridors, staring at the floor… but I started it. Damn it!

His mind was filled with troubled and confused thoughts. To calm his racing emotions and find solace, he touched his forehead to the wall. And then there was that awkward conversation about dangers and hormones. Those embarrassing questions from Father. Do you know where this could lead? Are you taking her seriously? You’re at an age where you can’t control your emotions.

And that knowing look on his face. Because you haven’t controlled them today. “Ugh.” And every now and then his sighs, snorts, and mutterings. And finally, the cherry on top: Are we already?… Even Father’s face was red, and my ears were certainly burning. I’ve had enough of this day! He shook his head from side to side. I dream about sinking into the ground.

Sparks of anger crackled around him. With his eyes closed, he tried to control his nervousness. A gentle breeze cooled his heated mind. I was advised to rest, but what kind of rest is that in Mitch’s company? An unpleasant shiver ran through his body.  I could go to Vincent’s. He looked at his dirty, torn clothes. But I would have to freshen up, even though I know he would accept me as I am and let me sit in silence, complain, and even cry. He sighed. But this time, I need solitude.  He grimaced slightly at the bitterness of his thoughts and headed for the only place where he could count on loneliness…

* * *

Returning to the pond did not dispel the persistent thoughts, irritating like the buzzing of a broken radio. Did this really happen in one afternoon? It’s like a bad dream.

Within moments, a feeling of rebellion and a wave of indignation began to grow inside him. Or maybe I have some unpredictable dark depths inside me? Maybe I should be feared, too? Maybe she should have a calm boyfriend. He shook his head and snorted. But I am nothing without her.

Amy, I showed you my bad side. How do you feel about me now? How can I prove to you that I would never hit you? My little one, my beloved. Mitch had been building up this tension for a long time, fueling the anger. Damn provocateur. He put his hands over his eyes, his breathing, deep, exhausted. I’m trying to explain myself in an idiotic way.

A spark of hope glowed in his heart. We had only recently started something more together, but I immediately felt the harmony between us. He clenched his hands into fists, feeling the sharp pain. Fine, let it hurt, I deserve it.

From a distance, she watched him tossing and turning in his emotions, tormented by memories. He suffered, moaning and sighing. She reproached herself for her earlier reaction, too harsh and sharp. The cruel past returned; witnessing their fight, she felt every blow.

In her chamber, she had calmed down as her conscience began to gnaw at her, and her inner voice would not let her rest. I should have been more understanding. After all, I know his good heart and sensitivity. Sometimes emotions take over and everything goes wrong.

The attraction to him was incredible, like filings to a magnet. Is he aware of his charm? Even disheveled, dusty, and battered, he was handsome… Her steps were slow, quiet; her gaze focused on his face, his hands still covering his eyes, his shaped lips, now slightly parted, exhaling steadily.

There was already an interesting spark in the air as she knelt down, and with a trembling hand touched his chest. She felt a flutter and an acceleration of his heartbeat; his large eyes looked at her kindly, intently. “Are you really here?”

“I am here.” Her lips brushed his lower lip; at that moment, he heard the collective singing of birds.

Confusion and amazement were evident on his face and eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t control my anger and reminded you of your hell. I feel bad about it.”

“Shh…” she put her finger to his lips. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“I’m sorry. too. I should have told you how Mitch behaved. I should have trusted you.”

The calm warmth radiating from her enveloped him completely. “Next to me, the starry sky, the greatest happiness above me.”

In his misty eyes, only truth and something else sparkled. She smiled softly. “You’ve changed Kant’s words a little.” There were tender notes in her voice.

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “A little.” Is this the right moment for important, hidden words? His eyes became serious, still twinkling, hiding secrets. “I love you, my wonderful girl.”

This confession stirred up her mind, but after a few seconds she regained her composure. Delight, surprise grew in her heart, threatening to explode with excitement.

With admiration and bated breath, he observed every emotion on her beautiful face. The touch of her hand on his swollen cheek caused a warm, pleasant current to pass through.

“And I love you, my magnificent boy.” She touched his lower lip with her lips, grabbing it and letting go, and he felt that kiss in every nerve along his spine.

A wave of relief hung in the air. Mutual love, understanding… it was like floating on a light cloud filled with pleasure…

What more could they ask for?