AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He pulled me into his lap and I let him, desperately trying to block out his scent that assaulted me all over.
“Shhh… it’s okay, suga’… it’s okay, I’m here,” he sympathized, his own voice breaking.
I collapsed into his arms, emotionally, physically, mentally exhausted.
I was there, but I wasn’t.
He placed my hand over his heart.
“Feel me, Aubrey, feel my heart.”
I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t feel anything because I knew…
His was broken, too.
22
Dylan
Summer was almost over.
I was leaving to head back to Ohio in a few days. Who knows, maybe the distance would be good to clear my head. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Aubrey since the breakdown in her room a few weeks ago. I was just grateful that I remembered her mom kept a hidden key under one of the lawn ornaments by the flowerbed. I wouldn’t let my mind ponder what Aubrey would have done to herself had I not heard her when I was by her front door. That dreadful day was the last communication between us. She wouldn’t return any of my calls, answer any of my texts, and she refused to see me. I was either turned away by her mom or blatantly ignored when I knocked on her door. It’s like she fell off the face of the earth.
Words couldn’t express how surprised I was when she texted me that morning, wanting me to meet her at the beach. I jumped in my Jeep and headed there with hope in my heart.
She was sitting by the water, crying.
The exact same spot she was in when I first talked to her at Ian’s party. She was thinner, pale, and lifeless, but God she was still so fucking beautiful, so breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was down and flowing through the light breeze, it was the only part of her that moved with ease. She wore my favorite light yellow dress. I could visibly tell she was uncomfortable in her own skin. I walked slower the closer I got as I approached her. The last thing I wanted was to scare her away.
She flinched a little when I sat beside her, our shoulders barely touching, but to my surprise she didn’t move away. The warmth that usually radiated off of her was missing. She was cold. Detached, lost in her own mind. I saw her painfully close her eyes and swallow hard for a few seconds before she opened them again to look out toward the ocean.
It was a beautiful summer day outside.
There wasn’t a cloud in sight. The sky was calm with soft colors of blue for miles and miles, with no end in sight. The gentle lull of the ocean and the smell of water all around us seeped into our senses. I couldn’t have asked for a more picturesque day.
My girl was sitting beside me except it wasn’t my Aubrey, this person was an imposter.
She suddenly leaned into my shoulder, catching me off guard. At first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. When she scooted towards me a little more I held back the desire to pull her into me, to place my arm around her and lay her in the nook of my arm like she loved. I didn’t have to dwell on it too long because she did it herself. She moved my arm, setting it around her frail body. The body I didn’t recognize anymore. The body that was no longer mine. Resting her head on my shoulder, she leaned her frame alongside mine.
I felt her take three, deep, steady breaths before she somewhat relaxed against me.
I fucking smiled.
I smiled so big for the first time in months, finally being able to breathe. I hugged her closer to me, kissing the top of her head. She let me, only tensing for a few seconds before calming once again.
We stayed like that for the rest of the afternoon in complete silence, watching the world revolve around us as if we were the only two people in it. The bright colors of the sky started giving way to nightfall, blending brilliantly in deep oranges to fire reds. Sunsets in Oak Island were always a sight to behold. Before panic could set in that she was going to end our time together and push me away once again, she stood, hovering above me. Looking down with an expression I couldn’t place.
She reached her hand down in front of my face.
“Come on,” she simply stated.
I grabbed her delicate hand and stood, she led us up the beach for a few minutes. I watched the way she moved, the way her body swayed with each movement of her feet, the way her hair smelled in the breeze, the touch of her soft skin against my rough hand. Not paying any attention to where she was taking us. We reached a house on the water that appeared to be abandoned. She steered us up the patio steps by the empty pool, opening the glass door into a house that was nearly remodeled, but it looked like it was left to sit and rot away like most homes in Oak Island.
When I closed the sliding doors and turned around I saw blankets, pillows, water, and food lying around the empty open space. Someone had been using it as their own. At first I thought it might have been squatters, but the stuff was way too nice for people living on the streets.
She peered around the room taking in our surroundings, still not letting go of my hand. Her eyes found mine again.
“Where did you find this place?” I questioned.
