Looking For You

Chapter 65 - Wish

Chapter 65 - Wish

[Aimee’s POV]

Day Five. Monday.

From this day, I felt scared. Scared because Christian would pop up any moment as I walked down the halls and into classes. Maths class was no longer a class I would be excited for. I would cringe and think of every possible outcome that could happen. Christian had turned up to today’s class since he finished his suspension yesterday, and the moment I walked in was quite awkward.

I was minding my own business, keeping my head down as I walked into maths class. Mrs. Barnett was writing the usual plan for the lesson and students scattered the seats. I looked up and saw him, in our usual spot we always sat in. I was caught dead in my tracks and the people behind me bumped into me, causing a big hold up in the walkway. I apologised, but still stood there, not knowing what to do. I hesitated, deciding whether or not I should’ve sat in my usual spot, but shook my head and slid into the first seat of the first row.

People had looked at me funny because they always used to see Christian and I sitting together, talking happily and smiling at each other. Now I gave them a clear hint of what had happened between us. The chills ran down my spine as I could sense his body not that far from mine, and when Tiffany arrived, I was relieved to see her sit beside me and cover Christian with her figure. But it still didn’t make it any better for me.

Day Six. Tuesday.

It’s almost been a week since our deal was made. I haven’t spoken with Christian since then, and I was starting to lose hope in him. My faith in him was fading and I could see an end to our relationship good and proper. It reminded me about how he left Elicia without a reply. I felt like I was turning into her, being left without words but with an empty heart to dwell upon.

Tuesday wasn’t any better. Luckily I only had one period of maths, and that was the very last period. During the day, I walked past him a couple of times, like in the halls on my way to another class or in the cafeteria, getting our lunch for the day. But he never noticed me. He had his eyes glued to the floor and no one disturbed him. I wonder if he’s still in contact with his friends he had made when he first arrived at NHU. I don’t see him speaking to anyone anymore, and I feel like I’m the one who has to change that.

Tibby and Tiffany know about Christian and I. But I didn’t tell them all the little details on why he’s separated from me all this time. I just told them that space is what we agreed on and he should be talking to me soon. The word “soon” just keeps dragging on, and everyday along this journey I kept telling myself that soon would be the next day. The next day came and soon never came. I felt like beating myself up because I had done something wrong to make him like this. I even thought of other options but discarded them straight away.

Day Seven. Wednesday.

Today marks a week. A week without locking eyes with him. A week without hearing his voice liven my eardrums. A week without feeling him, knowing that he’s protecting me from the dangers of the world. Everyday up until now, I felt like crying inside, but instead held back the tears because knowing my friends, they would ask me for the little details of why I’m crying, and everything would be a mess if I told them. Luckily, I held it back, maintaining my strength in this tough time.

When I walked into maths class this morning, Christian was already sitting in the exact same spot. Just looking at him made me tear up inside, and a huge lump in my throat stopped me in the entrance of the classroom, again. Everyone had kind of moved seats because of Christian and I. Before we broke up, there was basically a seating plan everyone sat in, without having a seating plan, you know what I mean? It’s like people designate their seats and it becomes their regular until the school year is over. Now people have shifted because I no longer sit in my spot next to Christian, and I’ve taken another person’s spot in the front row. I felt like half the class was on my side, and the other was on Christian’s. No one interfered with us at all.

“Are you alright, Aimee?” Mrs. Barnett’s voice spoke soft to me, and I snapped out of my stare. My eyes moved away from Christian and onto her hazel eyes through her rectangular glasses. My name caused Christian’s head to turn, and they finally landed on my eyes. A wet tear rolled down my cheek, not caring less if people saw. I remember the look he had on his face; startled, shocked and guilty. He saw how broken I was and I was shaking my head at him, leaving Mrs. Barnett confused.

Before I could say that I was fine, she told me I could go outside and spend as much time as I wanted to cool down and decide whether I wanted to stay or not. She had a slight clue about me and Christian from the way we held each others’ gaze for a long time in a week. I went outside and the door closed, creating a physical barrier between me and my ex. Even though I had longed for his eyes to meet with mine, I had finally gotten it and broke down straight away. Maybe wanting to be near him was a bad idea. Maybe my emotions were telling me to move on with life. But how could I?

I walked away from class.

Day Eight. Thursday.

When I looked at my timetable Thursday morning, I was relieved I didn’t have maths class. No way would I had wanted to face my class after what happened yesterday. Walking in would’ve been the same but all I would get are stares and blank faces.

Lunch time with Tibby and Tiffany brought me thoughts other than Christian. I was watching the cafeteria move around with different cliques joining and gathering for a friendly chat. I came across Celine and Sherri, sitting close together on a small table. It’s been about under a week since I had last spoken to Celine and I have noticed how she hasn’t bothered to talk to me or make another one of her plans act out. Now that she knows Christian and I have broken up, she probably thinks we’ve broken up forever, and she no longer has to compete. I wonder if she still likes him anymore. I think she should just give up if she does.

“She’s returned to her old self again.” Tibby was explaining to me as we ate our lunches. I had a chicken schnitzel wrap with a small tub of pasta and pieces of fruit for dessert. All three of us were sitting close together, gossiping about our old friends and what they’ve gotten up to. Tiffany had agreed, and explained more about Celine’s behaviour.

“She doesn’t even acknowledge us anymore. Sometimes we hear her talking about boys and all that, but we recognised the person she was before any of this drama started.”

It was news to my ears that day. Celine going back to normal. I never thought that this day would come and that her evil plans would come to an end. At least she’s crossed off my worries list. All that’s left is Christian’s name written on it a billion times.

English class had come around, and to update you on Mason, we were acting like strangers. We still sat next to each other and talked, but it was more awkward than before. The last chat we had was the Monday after the party. Nearly two weeks ago. Time is moving too fast and it’s just so hard to play it all back. History is now a distant memory, a poof of dust vanishing into air, a thought that can never be replaced.

Because I was sad in English, Mason was sad. I am responsible for everyone’s moods, and it felt like the whole school had changed and kind of affected their attitudes. It’s probably just me, for sure.

My voice has been trapped inside my throat this past week, and I had only let it out when needed. All the talking was going on in my head, and every time I thought of something, a new thing popped up. During these days, I have probably spoken more in my mind than in my entire lifetime. I have spoken freely about things that no one would understand, and I’ve been spilling my heart out onto my sleeve. Every time I’m not talking, I’m thinking. Every time I’m not thinking, I’m thinking.

So the day went by and here I am laying down on my bed with a frown knitted across my brow. My legs are drawn up, my hands holding my phone which displays a photo of me and Christian. Reminiscing brought a smile to my face, even though I kind of hate Christian for ignoring me. But I also kind of love him too.

The way our bodies are so close together and the way his cheek presses against mine. The photo screams a bundle of joy, and my expression makes me feel happier. I am smiling a bit too hard as Christian kisses my cheek, my eyes closed while wondering if I took the photo good. In the end, we got a perfect result, and more of them similar looking kept rolling through. I can’t even count how many photos there are of Christian and I saved on my phone. Even a folder dedicated to just us tells me how much I miss him.

I keep swiping through the endless photos, never wiping my smile off my face.

***

[Christian’s POV]

Who am I? Who am I to leave a girl waiting for over a week? I’ve even left Elicia for five years, but I’m not going to let that happen to Aimee. I have a place to be and a decision to make. I’ve rehearsed it in my mind over a hundred times, all I’ve got to do is hope that she will forgive me and take me back in. She was pretty devastated the other day when I finally acknowledged her in maths class. But the tears rolling down her cheeks made me hate myself even more.

All this time I have been thinking. One thought made me jump to yes, then another made me go back to no. But I have finally balanced my evidence out and my final decision is final. No changes.

I’m in my dorm, pacing around the outskirts of the furniture, finally looking spotless after I had made the effort in cleaning it. I can hear the clock ticking and time is running out. I have no guts to face Aimee after my dick move of ignoring her, so I’m kind of scared to see her reaction when she opens that door. I’m even scared for me, what I will do if she doesn’t allow me in. Worst case scenario, she slams the door in my face.

So here I go. Out the door and straight into the hallway, not bothering to lock my door behind me. I walk with heavy feet, stomping a bit too hard on the ground. I go over my speech one last time over in my mind, rehearsing the words that could change us. Aimee, how could I live without you?

The girls’ dorms come into view and Aimee’s door is in my face straight away, since hers is the first one. I listen out for any voices inside, hoping she is home. But I hear nothing; it doesn’t stop me from raising my arm with a balled up fist, lining my knuckles up with the door before knocking.

Shutting my eyes tightly closed, the three sounds of knuckles hitting wood echo throughout the hall. This is it, I tell myself. Standing straight with a neutral expression, I wait. But only for a couple of seconds.

As the door opens fast, I see her. My beautiful girl with a smile across her face. My heart feels light as I take in her appearance; curly black hair sitting on her shoulders and her purple eyes aglow. It suddenly hits me that I’ve missed her so much.

But as her eyes take me in and find out who awaits at her door, her smile disappears, standing still right in front of me.

[Aimee’s POV]

After eight days he finally came. He has made his final decision and I’m scared to hear it. Here he is, at my doorstep, watching me watch him. I wasn’t expecting him to turn up right now, and he gave me a fright as I remove my smile from my face. My voice is lost deep down in my throat and my eyes stare wide into his, something I’ve missed doing. This better be good.

“Hey, can I talk to you?” Christian finally says with a shaky voice. He slouches in his spot and fiddles with his thumbs in front of his body. I have my phone in my hand, the picture of Christian and I still displays on the screen, quickly turning my phone off so he doesn’t see how much I’ve been thinking about him all this time.

“Sure.” My voice is high, coming out confused and uncertain. I step aside for him and he enters, smelling his sweet scent that still covers my pillow; it’s very faint though, and it will soon disappear and fade. Slowly shutting the door without a sound, I turn around to Christian where he is standing in front of my bed. I walk over to him with my hands together, and keep my head lowered out of fear. His lips are pressed together and his eyes bore into me, watching my every move. I keep my distance from him, and don’t meet eyes with him until I’m the one who speaks up.

“Have you made your decision?” Crossing my arms over my chest, I speak with a serious tone, crinkling my eyebrows and pouting my lips. His forehead creases underneath his messy hair that hasn’t been styled. It sits on his forehead like a fringe, and twitches when he blinks at my question. I notice that his jawline has grown a bit of a beard, obviously having no time to maintain it while he had other things on his mind. He vaguely nods, looking elsewhere.

“Yes, and I’ve decided that,” he hesitates, sucking in a short breath while scratching the back of his neck in nervousness, “I’ve decided that I—”

He stops. I drop my arms and let them rest beside my body. He shows no hints whether he’s decided yes or no, so I stand still, waiting for his words to spill. The temperature in the room suddenly drops and I can feel my body break down as I stand there watching him scratch and itch to get his word out. I step forward, looking straight into his eyes. He locks with mine and I can see it. I can see a shine in his brown eyes.

But then he speaks, ending his sentence and trying with a totally different beginning. “Aimee, how could I live without you?”

Understanding the words, the room goes silent and before I know it, I crash myself onto his body, wrapping my arms around his neck before burying my head into his chest. The moment has finally arrived and Christian has decided to stay with me after all this time. I can suddenly feel the love again and it’s burning bright within our hearts. Tears of joy fill my eyes as I shut them tight, feeling Christian’s arms wrap around my small figure and rest his head on mine. I wish this moment would never end.

“I thought you hated me after I left you for eight days.” Christian said above me, being muffled because of my ear pressed against his chest. I laugh, removing my head from his body but still keeping my arms wrapped around his neck.

“I kind of did until now.” I smile up at him, thanking him for bringing us back. We both laugh together, our voices singing in harmony now that we’re brought back together. We continue hugging and laughing, just getting back to our old selves, and catching up to all those days we were separated. We took in all our lost characteristics and drank them all up with our senses. We touched and remembered what it felt like to be loved. We kissed and forgot what it was like to taste another person’s lips. We connected, and remembered why we had gotten together in the first place.

“But why were you so quick in accepting me again? I feel so awful after treating you badly.” Christian asks once we let go. I suck my bottom lip, never letting our eye contact go. I just shake my head and remember the real reason why we’re supporting each other.

“Because I don’t want to waste our final days missing you.”

_______________________

A/N

Oh my gosh guys this is so exciting!! Now that Christian and Aimee are back together, what do YOU think will happen? Do you agree with all their thoughts about one another? Did Christian make the right decision to take Aimee back? I want to know your opinion, guys!

Please vote, comment, share if you like this chapter - I enjoyed writing this one, actually. The end is nearing, and it is unpredictable from now!

Love you all!