Blood and Sweaters

Chapter 8

Fract
To break.

Aria had spent the last few days training industriously. It had been three weeks since she had sent Ransom away and honestly, she wasn't a fan of what her heart had felt ever since. There was a pain, a heaviness that never went away but it did manage to chase away her sleep and hunger. She found herself awake at the oddest of times, haunted by his memories. She could never stop thinking about him. He showed up in her dreams whenever she closed her eyes. Almost like he wasn't going to let her forget him

'Maybe that was it...she wasn't ready to let him go. Maybe this was his way of telling her to hold on,' Aria thought as she laid awake in bed.

She had to stop thinking about him. How would she ever be able to let go if he kept showing up like this night after night? She needed sleep but dreaded the sadness that her heart would feel once she shut her eyes. Not wanting to deal with the pain she made her way downstairs.

Veronica heard her troubled cousin in the living room and decided it was ultimately time to confront her. For the first few days, she had fun at her cousin's expense. Making jokes about how the 'heartless hitman' really did have a heart. She thought Aria would probably get over it within a week or so but when the first two weeks had gone by and she had shown no change Veronica took it upon herself to spend the past week with her cousin. But what she had seen hurt her heart. Never in her entire life had she seen Ari this way except for when she had lost her family. Aria was emotionless which made her a great hitman. The best at her job. The girl that sat at the window right now was not the cousin she knew and even though Aria did her best at hiding it Veronica knew her way too well.

"Trouble sleeping again cuz?"

"Nope. Just thinking about the next part of the plan. So far Marta has kept her word."

"I've known you since we both were in diapers and when you think about plans you have this excited look on your face like a kid who saw the Carnival for the first time." Veronica pressed.

"There's nothing wrong with me Roni. Stop pissing me off with the interrogating." Aria hissed at her.

"Stop trying to pretend you're not in love with him. It was kind of entertaining at first, but now. Now it's just sad, " Veronica screamed at her cousin earning a knife thrown in her direction.

"You wanna fight Ari? Come let's go!"

Aria instantly sprung up from her position and swung her fist at the red-head. Veronica quickly grabbed her cousin's hand and pinned it behind her back. But Aria was fast, she swiftly freed herself and kicked Veronica down, pinning her down.

"Looks like I win cousin, " Aria declared unenthusiastic.

"No. No, it looks like you've lost. The Aria I know would have been celebrating even if it was a petty victory, " Veronica spoke softly as if she were speaking to a child.

The tone of her voice only angered Aria even more. She was NOT a child. Picking up the knife she had thrown at her cousin a few minutes back, she stormed out the door, towards the dark forest.

~~~

Ransom sat on the glass stairs of the safe house, toying with the cabin keys. Every time he ran his fingers over it he remembered her voice. His dewdrop. The simple thought of her made his heart pang. He has always been a sucker for for sad love stories. Beautiful love wrapped in dark nightmares. But he never pictured himself in one. He loved her even the dark side of her. Any girl could play innocent but her demons are what drove him wild. Her secrets. Her pain. Her darkness. All of that made him love her.