Almost Real
Chapter 2
Aria’s P.O.V.
I was in a garden at midnight, the fireflies flickering around me, my thirteen year old body twirling around with my blonde hair trailing along in circles. I had a smile on my face as I closed my blue eyes, there was nothing like this feeling, this feeling of being free. I had never felt something so amazing, like something had pulled me away from earth into my own little world. I tripped and tumbled backwards to the ground, giggling at my own mistake, though I was upset that I was pushed back. I decided to enjoy the willow tree’s hanging over me in the dark, I lay down in the damp grass, it smelled fresh and lovely, I curled into a ball. This was my secret place, where no one could disturb me…but something was missing. I was alone. I sat up again and brushed off my white nightgown from the blades of green that had stuck to my clothes. I heard a rustling in the bushes, I turned my head that way to see a shadow of a boy about my age, golden eyes gleaming from inside the sketches of dark. I immediately thought of Nathan, but as the human male stepped forward, I saw a familiar face, one that I hadn’t seen in so long. Cole. He looked at me with his normal dulled eyes, though a faint smile was on his face, he was dressed in his usual attire, black t-shirt and navy blue sweatpants.
“I’ll miss you, Aria” my eyes widened and I ran to him. I had the saddest look in my eyes, I didn’t want him to leave.
“where are you going?” I asked in a whisper, that’s all my voice had been, barely a whisper. He looked away, his eyes being narrowed, I didn’t want to be a bother to him, I wanted him to have his way, he didn’t care much about me at all. I just needed to know.
Then I’d be gone.
“far away…tell Marabella I said goodbye will you? And please tell her…that I love her” he smiled at her name, my heart shattered, he doesn’t understand at all! Why can’t he see?! He doesn’t even know what love is! I had tears trickling down my face, I shook my head and got a good look at his expression, he was confused as to why I was crying.
“she’ll never love you, baka! BAKA! BAKA!!!” I screamed and ran, I could hear him call my name, I ignored him greatly, but I could never let it end like this. Though my biggest mistake was doing so. I never saw him again.
I opened my eyes again, I had enough of the flashback playing over and over in my head, I was crying actual tears now, I sat up, wrapped in two black and red sheets and laying on the couch. I whipped the water from my eyes and sighed. I must’ve been at Erin’s home. I expected to be there, but was surprised that I was in a different empty living room, with only the couch I was sitting on and the fireplace dimmed in front of me. A teenage boy walked my way, a cup of hot chocolate in his hand and a smile creeping onto his lips, he sat down next to me and brushed his black bangs to the side, only for them to fall back in his face. The light from the fire danced off his pale skin and he looked me in the eyes, golden orbs staring at me. So familiar…I widened mine as I stared back and nearly jumped 10 feet in the air.
“C-Cole?!” I screeched, he laughed, he was so grown, so much more beautiful now then when I had left him. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, I felt shivers run up and down my spine, how did he…?
“Aria…” he leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, a finger resting under my chin, I could feel the heat stumbling up to my cheeks. His kiss was longing, like it was awaited, for so many years, it had grown stronger with it’s own sorrow. I was just about to close my eyes and enjoy the kiss, but he pulled apart, that stupid grin still there.
I felt my heart leap.
He was my weakness, my one and only.
“I told you I’d miss you” he whispered in my ear, I knew he knew how I could collapse at any moment underneath his grasp. His arms snaked around my waist and he rested his face in the crook of my neck, I gasped lightly in surprise. He moved his head a little to look directly at me, making us see eye to eye.
“it‘s been a while, I almost didn’t recognize you” his voice like beautiful bells, I dreaded this minute we met again, if we ever met again. I didn’t want to explain what I had said to him last time, or why I was crying, but he was so naïve then, he would know better now.
“I’m so sorry…” he hugged me tighter, making me look away from him, anywhere but him. Did he really understand now? Had he thought over how I loved him, or how I looked at him, or how I thought of him? Does he know now?
“why…?did you ever care?” I said dully, I didn’t want him to think he won me over with just a few words, a kiss, and a hug. It didn’t work that way, he was the reason I was trapped for seven years, he was why I couldn’t break free, I thought he’d come back to save me! He never came…Nathan had tried to fill his place in my heart, but I knew Cole could never be replaced. I pushed him away and felt the heat rush to my cheeks, the tears coming to my eyes, tears I wouldn’t let fall. he wouldn’t get the best of me. Though what I didn’t know was that he already had.
“what made you think of me? After all the years before the incident that I’ve known you, you wanted nothing to do with me, we were just friends because of Marabella, we hated each others guts! Well at least…you hated me” I narrowed my eyes.
“I told Marabella that you love her…I thought you know maybe she could care less, but she was crying, apparently she really did love you, she just wasn’t sure how she felt about you for the years we’ve known each other. At that moment I broke down and told her how I loved you first, how I was the one who was always there for you when she turned you down, when you were unhappy, I’d make you laugh, when you were mad, I’d make you smile, and when you were alone, I was always your company. I yelled and screamed at her, she didn’t deserve you! Or at least that’s what I thought, after a few days, you sent her a letter, you wanted to see her, but I was completely shut out from your world.” he went to open his mouth, I glared at him to let me finish.
“Nathan was left behind, he was my only protection, he loved me enough to die for me, he held me when I cried, when my parents wanted to keep me locked inside, he threatened them to let me go. He got sick of me crying every night, praying for you and only you, he left me also…I put him through so much pain because of you, pain that you caused me. For seven years, I was captive, kept in a dark room in our house, never fed, never spoken too, never being able to leave…all because of you” by this time my voice had cracked, and I was crying so hard it hurt, it burned.
“because of you!” I hollered, and backed up a few, then turning around, I ran out the door.
It was muggy and it was pouring down hard, steam and fog crowded the streets as I kept running, like always I kept running. I was afraid to go back. I stumbled around, my bare feet plopping against the puddles of water in my way, I didn’t want to move any more, but my legs were numb and I couldn’t feel my body any longer, I had to stop…
I had to…
My vision became blurry, it was already too covered by my tears, and I felt light headed, I stumbled again and tripped. I could hear the rain pelting down on me, but the only thing I could see were golden eyes. The last thing I saw were golden eyes, then the darkness took over them as well.
I was in a garden at midnight, the fireflies flickering around me, my thirteen year old body twirling around with my blonde hair trailing along in circles. I had a smile on my face as I closed my blue eyes, there was nothing like this feeling, this feeling of being free. I had never felt something so amazing, like something had pulled me away from earth into my own little world. I tripped and tumbled backwards to the ground, giggling at my own mistake, though I was upset that I was pushed back. I decided to enjoy the willow tree’s hanging over me in the dark, I lay down in the damp grass, it smelled fresh and lovely, I curled into a ball. This was my secret place, where no one could disturb me…but something was missing. I was alone. I sat up again and brushed off my white nightgown from the blades of green that had stuck to my clothes. I heard a rustling in the bushes, I turned my head that way to see a shadow of a boy about my age, golden eyes gleaming from inside the sketches of dark. I immediately thought of Nathan, but as the human male stepped forward, I saw a familiar face, one that I hadn’t seen in so long. Cole. He looked at me with his normal dulled eyes, though a faint smile was on his face, he was dressed in his usual attire, black t-shirt and navy blue sweatpants.
“I’ll miss you, Aria” my eyes widened and I ran to him. I had the saddest look in my eyes, I didn’t want him to leave.
“where are you going?” I asked in a whisper, that’s all my voice had been, barely a whisper. He looked away, his eyes being narrowed, I didn’t want to be a bother to him, I wanted him to have his way, he didn’t care much about me at all. I just needed to know.
Then I’d be gone.
“far away…tell Marabella I said goodbye will you? And please tell her…that I love her” he smiled at her name, my heart shattered, he doesn’t understand at all! Why can’t he see?! He doesn’t even know what love is! I had tears trickling down my face, I shook my head and got a good look at his expression, he was confused as to why I was crying.
“she’ll never love you, baka! BAKA! BAKA!!!” I screamed and ran, I could hear him call my name, I ignored him greatly, but I could never let it end like this. Though my biggest mistake was doing so. I never saw him again.
I opened my eyes again, I had enough of the flashback playing over and over in my head, I was crying actual tears now, I sat up, wrapped in two black and red sheets and laying on the couch. I whipped the water from my eyes and sighed. I must’ve been at Erin’s home. I expected to be there, but was surprised that I was in a different empty living room, with only the couch I was sitting on and the fireplace dimmed in front of me. A teenage boy walked my way, a cup of hot chocolate in his hand and a smile creeping onto his lips, he sat down next to me and brushed his black bangs to the side, only for them to fall back in his face. The light from the fire danced off his pale skin and he looked me in the eyes, golden orbs staring at me. So familiar…I widened mine as I stared back and nearly jumped 10 feet in the air.
“C-Cole?!” I screeched, he laughed, he was so grown, so much more beautiful now then when I had left him. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, I felt shivers run up and down my spine, how did he…?
“Aria…” he leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, a finger resting under my chin, I could feel the heat stumbling up to my cheeks. His kiss was longing, like it was awaited, for so many years, it had grown stronger with it’s own sorrow. I was just about to close my eyes and enjoy the kiss, but he pulled apart, that stupid grin still there.
I felt my heart leap.
He was my weakness, my one and only.
“I told you I’d miss you” he whispered in my ear, I knew he knew how I could collapse at any moment underneath his grasp. His arms snaked around my waist and he rested his face in the crook of my neck, I gasped lightly in surprise. He moved his head a little to look directly at me, making us see eye to eye.
“it‘s been a while, I almost didn’t recognize you” his voice like beautiful bells, I dreaded this minute we met again, if we ever met again. I didn’t want to explain what I had said to him last time, or why I was crying, but he was so naïve then, he would know better now.
“I’m so sorry…” he hugged me tighter, making me look away from him, anywhere but him. Did he really understand now? Had he thought over how I loved him, or how I looked at him, or how I thought of him? Does he know now?
“why…?did you ever care?” I said dully, I didn’t want him to think he won me over with just a few words, a kiss, and a hug. It didn’t work that way, he was the reason I was trapped for seven years, he was why I couldn’t break free, I thought he’d come back to save me! He never came…Nathan had tried to fill his place in my heart, but I knew Cole could never be replaced. I pushed him away and felt the heat rush to my cheeks, the tears coming to my eyes, tears I wouldn’t let fall. he wouldn’t get the best of me. Though what I didn’t know was that he already had.
“what made you think of me? After all the years before the incident that I’ve known you, you wanted nothing to do with me, we were just friends because of Marabella, we hated each others guts! Well at least…you hated me” I narrowed my eyes.
“I told Marabella that you love her…I thought you know maybe she could care less, but she was crying, apparently she really did love you, she just wasn’t sure how she felt about you for the years we’ve known each other. At that moment I broke down and told her how I loved you first, how I was the one who was always there for you when she turned you down, when you were unhappy, I’d make you laugh, when you were mad, I’d make you smile, and when you were alone, I was always your company. I yelled and screamed at her, she didn’t deserve you! Or at least that’s what I thought, after a few days, you sent her a letter, you wanted to see her, but I was completely shut out from your world.” he went to open his mouth, I glared at him to let me finish.
“Nathan was left behind, he was my only protection, he loved me enough to die for me, he held me when I cried, when my parents wanted to keep me locked inside, he threatened them to let me go. He got sick of me crying every night, praying for you and only you, he left me also…I put him through so much pain because of you, pain that you caused me. For seven years, I was captive, kept in a dark room in our house, never fed, never spoken too, never being able to leave…all because of you” by this time my voice had cracked, and I was crying so hard it hurt, it burned.
“because of you!” I hollered, and backed up a few, then turning around, I ran out the door.
It was muggy and it was pouring down hard, steam and fog crowded the streets as I kept running, like always I kept running. I was afraid to go back. I stumbled around, my bare feet plopping against the puddles of water in my way, I didn’t want to move any more, but my legs were numb and I couldn’t feel my body any longer, I had to stop…
I had to…
My vision became blurry, it was already too covered by my tears, and I felt light headed, I stumbled again and tripped. I could hear the rain pelting down on me, but the only thing I could see were golden eyes. The last thing I saw were golden eyes, then the darkness took over them as well.