Athena's Savior

15 That damn smile ~

Okay little warning I've been in a writing mood lately so these chapters are going to start getting a little longer, not that that's a bad thing, haha more content for you I guess!
Also TW mention of self-harm

Athena's pov

This has been the longest 30 minutes I've ever experienced, Wren and Aaron have been trying to figure out what the hell is going on in my mess of a life.
Piece by piece they've been trying to sort through of the hundreds of people that hold grudges toward my parents have...taken Lilith. I've been trying not to think about it.

The fact that she is somewhere right now not likely being taken care of, and being held against her will, frankly, scares the shit out of me.

I don't think I've said a word since we started the drive to Aaron's because I feel like I'm dreaming, let me rephrase that, living a nightmare. Definitely a nightmare, because I don't know what the hell to think anymore. My sister who I was grieving for is alive...no scratch that, alive and kidnapped.

Everything my parents have told me over the past 8 months have been lies. And my mother, God my mother all but called me a murderer when she KNEW  Lilith was alive somewhere. My hands curled into tight fists.

She KNEW  I'd been struggling and yet, she let me think my own sister was 6 feet under.

God I hate her. I felt a familiar stinging feeling in my palms. And my father, he knew too, and let her go on and on about how mortifying it is to have me as a daughter. I can't believe them.

A quick grab of my arm had me jumping out of my thoughts, realizing what I was doing. It's been happening a lot recently, sometimes I try not to think about it but most times I don't even notice it.

Aaron didn't say anything as he just gently brushed a thumb across my forearm and pulled some white fabric from his bag, I couldn't tell what it was. What is he doing right now?

Silently opening my palm, he looked at me with solemn, understanding eyes. I glanced to where is eyes trailed, where four crescent marks lay in the middle of my hand, he gently swiped the t-shirt looking fabric across my hand, cleaning the blood from them.

My face heated at the thought of how mortifying this is. Truly, it's pathetic. The thought of someone knowing I had hurt myself sometimes to get my mind off things is just...embarrassing. I admit, not my best moment but...he was helping me and I didn't have the energy to stop him.

I was going to explain...or at least lie about how it wasn't a big deal so he wouldn't tell Wren, who was sitting all of 2 feet in front of us in the drivers seat. But I looked up to those green eyes and realized why he hadn't said anything right now. He knew I didn't want anyone to know, even Wren.

As I watched his strong arms gently wash away that pain in my palms, every devastating thought from the past few months seemed to fade with his touch. Even if it was just for a moment, my chest tightened with an unfamiliar feeling that, to be completely honest made me a little nervous.

He had this way about him that simply made think everything was going to work itself out. Aaron always made me feel like that, with his words, the way he acted, his smile, everything about him just made me feel like it was all going to be okay.

After cleaning both palms he touched my hand and hesitated...Aaron Hastings, the ever confident, bordering on cocky, pretty boy...hesitated. As if debating if I'd stop him from touching me.

I wouldn't.

Aaron's hand slid in mine and whether it was for comfort, sympathy, or whatever else, I didn't care.