The stories in my flesh (Sequel to scars)

Part 28

"You're here! Finally!" Anthony hugs me while picking me up, he buries his head on my neck and I giggle feeling ticklish. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." He says closing the door to his apartment. "You saw me while ago." I say with a smile.

"Yeah but every second I spend apart from you seems an eternity." He says walking to the kitchen, I follow him and sit on a chair. "I feel the same way." I say feeling butterflies in my tummy. He grins pulling out some chicken from the oven. "I cooked this. I learned it in my chef class." He says.

"You're studying to be a chef?" I ask and he nods. "Wow, I didn't know that. I wish I could study a career."

"You can. Why don't you?" He asks sitting down in front of me and handing me a plate. I shrug, "I'm not really good at anything."

"Now, Sydney, that's not true." He puts a fork beside my plate. "It is. I'm terrible at everything. And I can't do anything right." I look down at my empty plate feeling shame. But it's the truth. "Sydney, you're very talented. Why would you say something like that?" He stretches his hand across the table and touches mine.

"Thank you but- I feel like I'm useless at everything. After being told so many times that I am nothing I started to believe it." He winces like I stabbed him in the heart, "Please don't say that, it hurts me when you say stuff like that. You are something, stop thinking you're nothing because it's not true. You're the most wonderful person I've met. And I'm telling you this, you can be something in life. How about I help you find what career go study? I can help you find the one thing you want to do for the rest of your life- well until you retire." He smiles and squeezes my hand lightly.

"Oh Anthony, I love you." And this feels so good to say it. "I love you more." He puts some chicken on my plate, it has some kind of mysterious sauce on top of it. When I try the food I feel like I've been taken to a wonderland. It is deliciously delicious. "Do you like it?" Before he finishes his sentence I am nodding swallowing my bite.

"You're a great cook." I say, he smiles blushing a little. "Why thank you."

"Anthony," I say cutting my chicken into little pieces. "Yes, dear?" He says looking at me. I stare at his brownish blondish hair. I swear sometimes it looks brown and then next time it looks dirtish blonde, maybe it's just me.

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" I ask bitting the inside of my lip, "Oh no, why do you ask?" Because I feel incredibly guilty for leaving Nick by himself. "Just- just wondering."

~

After we are done eating and washing dishes it's about nine something. I really should be getting back to my apartment. "Anthony I think it's time for me to go."

"Or you could stay here with me." He smiles, Nicks words come up in my mind, "or you'll just spend the night with him again."

"I .. I don't think that's right." I whisper, "Why not? We are adults, I don't see the problem."

"It's not that, I just need to get back." He looks at me confused. "And why?" He asks stepping closer to me. "My- my roommate." He raises an eyebrow. "You have a roommate?"

"Uhhh yeah." I say looking at him nervously. "Who is your roommate?" Oh Gosh. I want to tell him about Nick but if I do I feel like he will want to meet him, and I'm sure Nick won't be so happy to meet him. "Um somebody. But I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow? Maybe?" I give him a hug and a quick kiss. He stops me before I leave.

"No, no, wait. I'll take you." He grabs his keys. "Oh you don't have to." I say looking at him. "Actually I do. I'm not going to let you go out there in the cold and wait for a taxi when I can take you."

We walks out and he closes the door. On the way out of the building the man working there asks, "Excuse me sir? Do I need to keep your key? Or will you be back?"

"Oh no I'll be right back." He says holding my hand. I feel a blush creep to my cheeks. As we walk to the parking lot I can feel my cheeks get hot. I never in a million years thought Anthony Smith would hold my hand in the street. Where people can see.

I always thought anybody would be ashamed to hold my hand in public, I've never consider myself an attractive person so I've always felt like I'm an embarrassment to everybody. But I see I'm not an embarrassment to Anthony.

He opens his car door for me. When he gets in I give him directions to where mine and Nicks apartment is at. He holds my hand with one of his while he keeps his other hand on the steering wheel.

"I'm so glad you came back." He says looking ahead. "I'm glad too. I feel .. Happy." I can see a small smile, "Me too. My life was pretty terrible after you left- well after your parents took you away." My parents. I haven't thought of them in a while. Are they mad I ran away? Are they worried? Are they looking for me? Will they find me? Force me to move back with them?

"What're you thinking about?" He asks, "Nothing, nothing." He hums, "Mmmmm alright."

"You know happiness is a weird feeling." I say a couple minutes later. "Is it?" He asks and I nod even though he can't see me because it's so dark, "Yes. If you think about it we make our own happiness. We are the ones who decide what makes us happy."

"Well you are my happiness." He says as he parks outside the building where the apartment is at. He gives me a gentle goodbye kiss and it's like I fall in love again. "Do you remember your room number?" I nod, "Second floor number thirty six." He smiles, "Okay good."

We says goodbye and I go to my room. When I open the apartment door I see everything's dark so he must be sleeping. I turn on the lights, I see a plate in the table with a yellow sticky note. I walk to it and read the note.

"I went out to get some lasagna, I saved some for you .. Just in case you wanted to eat." I get this feeling on my chest, and now I feel more than guilty. Poor Nick. I left him alone tonight.