AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shakes his head. “Don’t thank me. Please. I should’ve stayed with you.”
“Don’t blame yourself.” I glance down at his hand. “Aaron, your hand could be broken. Because of—”
“Don’t blame yourself,” he says pointedly.
I sigh and nod. I might not blame myself for what happened to me, but I blame myself for what I said to Aaron, for not leaving the dance floor with him.
“I’ll do my best not to, if you promise, too.” I stick my pinky out and he wraps his finger around it.
“Promise.”
Our eyes lock. Tears fill mine again.
I’m about to wipe my tears, but his hands catch mine and do it for me.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he asks.
I mull it over for a moment. It’s not that I don’t want to tell him. I’m just not sure what’s going to happen if I do. I feel like I might unravel, but I decide to anyway.
I take him through everything that happened from the moment he left the room. I’m surprised that I only choke up a couple of times.
By the time I get done, he’s shaking his head. I know he’s upset. And hurt. And angry. “How are you feeling now?”
“Thankful that you guys got to me, that I have you guys to help me. I’m glad you got there before anything else happened. But I still feel gross, and I wish I could scrub him off me, but I can’t do that without rubbing my skin off. And a part of me feels hollow now, empty. I don’t know… I just feel wrong.” I shudder a little and shake my head. “And as shitty as it is, part of me feels like something like this was bound to happen to one of us girls, eventually.”
“Why do you say that?” he asks.
“Because most guys aren’t like you and Joel and Miles. Most girls have a story. Or will eventually. Tonight was my ugly rite of passage.”
He wraps his arms around me. “No one deserves that.”
I take a deep breath, trying to stop the moment from replaying in my head. I feel broken. Like he stole a piece of me. I swear I can still feel his grip on me, and it makes my skin crawl.
A yawn overtakes me, and I realize how exhausted my body feels. “I’m so tired.”
He shifts me off his lap and onto the couch next to him, pulling me snug to his side. I rest my head on his shoulder and he kisses my forehead.
“Get some rest.”
I wish it were that easy. I’m nauseous and overwhelmed, and I just want everything to quiet down. But nothing will. Being in Aaron’s arms helps. He’s always been my safe place. But nothing can stop the swirl of thoughts and emotions running through my mind. I stare at the TV until I’m in so much of a daze that I pass out.
I wake to someone rubbing my arm. Looking over and seeing Aaron still asleep, his arm still draped around me. I inhale deeply like I’m inhaling him, his safety, his comfort. Then I turn the other wayand see Sarah. She gives me a soft smile.
“We made some food and some tea. You should eat. Come on,” she says, pulling me up from the couch.
Before I leave the living room, I pull a blanket over Aaron and plant a soft kiss on his cheek. I don’t think I’ve ever been more thankful for him than I am tonight.
I walk into the kitchen where Sarah is dishing me up Matzo ball soup, buttered bread, and lemon ginger tea.
“Food to heal the soul,” she says, setting it down. “Well, as close as we can get at two in the morning.”
“Where the hell did you get Matzo ball soup?” I ask, still feeling dazed.
“There were like ten boxes in Joel’s pantry,” Mackie answers for her.
I take a big spoonful and it helps, but nothing makes it stop. Everything that happened is on repeat in my brain.
We sit silently for a while before Sarah takes my hand. I almost jump at that sensation, which makes me want to cry all over again. I try to hide it. I don’t want her to know how badly it’s affecting me. It’s bad enough seeing the pain in her eyes.
