02 | Years Apart

This could possibly be the worst timing to meet your ex-crush!

I lower down the pan in my hand, only to realize I am standing in a T-shirt and underwear with flour all over my body. I swallow the lump in my throat and grin from ear to ear to hide my embarrassment.

"Ummm... I am gonna change!"

Without waiting for his reply, I run all the way up to my room and close the door behind me to catch my breath. My heart has lost its control as it beats erratically.

"What the hell was that?" I ask myself and rush to the washroom.

"Whoa!"

That's the reaction when I look at my reflection in the mirror. I look no less than a joker at the circus who got his face painted white. I wash my face and pull out the best pair of pajamas that have a cupcake print and a clean tank top. I put on a little lip gloss, you know just in case... to look presentable!

I take a deep breath and walk down the stairs, thinking over and over again what could have possibly brought him home? Maybe he wanted to meet me too when Mrs. Abner would have broken the news of my arrival. Now, there are butterflies in my stomach. I can't control my excitement and hop down the stairs.

The very sight of him makes me feel intoxicated. I stand bewitched for a few moments to admire the man he has become. His body is tall and muscular, just as I imagined. The muscle under his T-shirt flex at the slightest movement he does. He's surely an eye candy!

Maybe it's a good thing that he has visited me beforehand. We may sit down and catch up with the things while eating cookies like old times. Tomorrow onwards I have got a tight schedule. I need to run some errands like looking for a part-time job and getting my documents verified for the Fall High School.

All of a sudden, my hopes come crashing down at me when a girl appears behind him; touching him. I feel like my stomach has dropped from a thousand story building on a hard concrete floor.

The butterflies in my stomach are dead. I try not to get bothered by the sight I am witnessing. She has her hands all over his body-hugging and kissing him. I feel like I have lost my motivation to take any step further. So I unwillingly drag myself to the kitchen to do the formalities.

Our eyes meet and I think he notices my discomfort as he untangles himself from the girl. With our gazes locked, he walks up to me.

"Hey, Rose! Mom told me about your visit." He offers me his hand.

I want him to take me in his arms like my best friend would have done. But I realize the gap time has created between us- We are years apart. I always thought that we would fall in that category of BFFs where we gonna hit right off immediately after we meet, let it be four days or four years apart. I close my eyes for a split second and shrug the false expectations.

"Hello, Aaron." I take his hand in mine. The touch of his hand sends fireworks across my body like it always did. I look into his deep blue sea-colored eyes to find any hint of recognition.

I might be hallucinating or being delusional while I say this but his eyes show some deeper emotions and before I can point it out, it vanishes.

"Look at yourself, girl! You just got me tan goals!" The girl scrutinizes me from head to toe, "Well, hey! I'm Abby, Aaron's girl......"

"Friend. She's a friend from high school!" Aaron cuts her off midway through the sentence.

Why does he even need to cover this up?

I didn't expect him to hold his dating life for me. The girl looks at him with her mouth agape while Aaron has his mouth drawn into a thin line.

Yeah! It did hurt when I saw him with her but lying to me right now makes me feel even smaller. Everything right now makes me sick to the core.

"I need to take a nap. I am tired." I walk past them to take my player. Maybe playing music will offer me some mental peace.

"What about these cookies?" Aaron calls from behind.

"Have them all to yourself. I just kinda lost my appetite." I answer back, avoiding any further eye contact, and walk upstairs to my room.

***

I lie across my bed in this dark room which is illuminated by the faint moonlight, making its way through the window. I struggle to think anything but the two of them, Aaron and Abby.

I try a hundred ways to settle down comfortably in my bed but the faint voices coming from the adjacent room make me restless.

Minutes later, I hear the engine of a car roaring to life in the driveway. Out of curiosity, I walk up to the window and peep outside.

Abby is in the car and Aaron is leaning by her side. I don't know if they are making out or talking to each other but it's affecting me. Aaron takes a step back and she drives away. He stands there by the roadside under the flickering streetlight.

At once, he snaps up his head in my direction and it feels like he's looking directly into my eyes. As if he knows, about me watching over them. I feel stupid at my behavior and draw the curtains.

This is really a sappy start!