The Word Love

XI

I can't stop thinking about the incident that happened last week. Fortunately, Jenny hasn't told anyone. Unfortunately, she witnessed it.

Her attitude towards me has changed drastically. Instead of shooting me glares every time she saw me, she doesn't even look at me now. And I don't know how that makes me feel.

I flicked my wrist and released the rock that I have been fiddling in my hand. The rock skipped on the water three times before it sank. I breathed in the smell of nature and picked up another rock.

"Excuse me!" I dropped the rock into the water and froze. Someone was here.

"I was taking a hi-"

I turned around to see who the person was and my heart stopped beating for a second. He seemed just as shocked as I was. I opened my mouth to say something, but then I realized my mouth had completely dried up. Suddenly, I was really thirsty.

"Nevermind," he faked a smile and turned to walk away.

I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't. My feet were frozen to the ground, and I couldn't do anything but to just stare at him walk away.

Then he turned around.

"The fact that I want to kiss you so much right now makes me almost resent you for making me feel this way. You make me so angry and frustrated that I want to punch a wall. Why Aimee? Why are you so-"

"So what?" I interrupted before he could finish his sentence, "So angry? So hateful towards everyone? So bratty because assumptionly my life is so perfect? No. You don't get to blame me for hurting you when I was just being myself. You don't get to assume anything about me. You and your sister have the audacity to push me around? I won't allow it anymore. You both have no right!"

I was so tired of everyone blaming me for everything. It wasn't my fault that he and his sister wanted to be friends with me. I told them I didn't want to be friends because friendships never last. There is always going to be something that disrupts it. Nothing is meant to last forever. Not even life.

"So I'm at fault? You were the one who didn't tell me about your boyfriend, who is in fact, in the hospital that I volunteer at!" he yelled back with as much anger as me. Like I said, he assumes everything and doesn't even try to ask me who it is that is lying on the hospital bed.

"He is not my boyfriend!" I raised my voice even higher and shoved him so hard he staggered back. I pushed him again, "He is my brother! You didn't even care enough to ask, but you assumed something about me that wasn't true."

"Wait what?" he asked.

I pounded my fist against his chest and repeated what I said, "He is my brother!"

He grabbed my arms to stop me from hitting his chest again and his eyes stared straight into mine, "Why didn't you tell me your brother was in the hospital?" he asked, his voice softened.

I sighed and closed my eyes so that I couldn't see his eyes, "It's not something I go around telling people I just met."

I felt the pad of his thumb rubbed my cheeks, and I realized that he was wiping away my tears, "Aimee, look at me."

I shook my head and kept my eyes closed.

"Aimee," he repeated, "Look at me."

Giving up, I opened my eyes and look into his.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I'm sorry I made huge assumptions about you and didn't ask you directly. I'm sorry I made you feel like everything was your fault. I'm sorry for blaming you. I'm sorry Aimee. I really am."

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I felt the familiar softness and wonderful feeling that his lips gave me. I slowly pulled away from the kiss.

"Don't ever do that to me again Douglas, or else I will never forgive you," I warned him.

He smiled, "I will never hurt you again. I promise."

He was going to kiss me again, but I removed myself away from him. I smirked when he looked at me accusingly, "You torturer."

I picked up a rock threw it as far away as I could into the water.

"So what is this place?" he asked.

"My sanctuary," I answered while picking up another rock, "I found it one day when I was driving around. Now, this is the place I go to whenever I want to be isolated in a nice place to think."

"I like it," he commented and picked up a rock.

I sat down and Douglas followed suit.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did your brother end up in the hospital?" he asked.

I looked down at my lap, "I actually do mind."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized, "You don't have to answer that."

At that moment, I felt the need to talk to somone I could trust, and he was the one I trusted.

"It's a long story. Do you have anywhere you need to be?" I asked him.

He looked surprised but it quickly passed and he shook his head, "No, I don't."

"Okay," I let out a breath and felt him engulf my hand in his.

This was going to be the first time I tell someone about the incident. It was time.