Finding Home || bxb

49

"Alden!" Carrie said a little too loudly when I joined everyone for dinner the next day. I'd spent the night at Roman's and gone straight to college and then I'd spent some time with Dahlia because I hadn't properly done so in a little while and I didn't want her to feel like I'd forgotten about her. "What the hell happened to your head?"

It was the same question Dahlia had asked me as well when I saw her. She was waiting for me by the college gates when she spotted the bruise that was slowly forming at my temple into my hairline.

"What happened?" she'd asked, and I told her everything about what that girl had told me and Roman getting upset and how Henry had found me when I was going after Roman. "Fuck, you don't think he'll come after you again, do you?"

I shook my head no. "At least, I don't think so. Roman fucked him up really bad and honestly, I don't even feel bad for him. I just hope he'll be too scared of having to deal with Roman again to do anything."

"I hope so too. You've been through enough. I just wish this shit would stop happening to you."

We were walking back to her place and the sun was shining. It wasn't overwhelmingly hot but there was less cold in the air than there used to be. Spring was definitely here, and I could already feel myself becoming a little happier than usual. I don't know if that was because of the usual shift in my emotions that happen when we finally leave winter behind or if it's because I've genuinely just never been happier, especially after telling Roman I love him.

When we were back at Dahlia's and she was trying out some new eyeliner looks on me, I told her exactly what had happened last night. Well not exactly everything, but just about Roman and I finally expressing our love for one another. Dahlia almost squealed in delight.

"You're kidding!" I shook my head no. "Oh. My. God. Alden I'm so happy for you," she said giving me a hug and quite carelessly I might add because she managed to draw a random line of eyeliner on my face with her holding it open in her hand as she went to wrap her arms around me. "Oh whoops, I'll clean that up. But oh my God, that's seriously so good Alden. I'm so glad he's not like the others."

"Me too," I said happily. "None of this would have been possible for me without you though."

"What do you mean? Of course it would have. I always knew you would find someone who cherished you properly."

"Even if he was willing to do that, I wouldn't have been ready to believe it. You were the first person that taught me how to trust again and any of the relationships I've made after I met you were because you showed me first that it was possible to have even just friendship. I hope you know that you were my first love," I told her hoping she knew just how genuine I was being.

Dahlia smiled. Her dark brown roots had grown out a lot giving the purple in her hair more of an ombre look. "For fucks sake, don't make a girl cry when she's trying to do your eyeliner, okay."

"Okay," I replied still smiling myself.

I knew that I couldn't be this happy all the time. The demons in my head would always come out every now and then because the things I'd gone through so far in my very short life are things I'll never be able to forget or push fully to back of my conscience. But the fact that I could get to a point of feeling this much happiness says a lot about how much my life has changed for the better. I was grateful for every single good moment and person I had.

"Alden!" exclaimed Carrie's voice again.

"Oh, um. Don't worry, Roman sorted it out and I don't think anything like that will happen again," I tried explaining without actually explaining everything.

"Well, it would be nice to know exactly what Roman sorted out son," Mike said.

"I...I guess it was like a bully I had. Someone I knew in care. But it's over. I promise." I sat down at the dining table with everyone's eyes on me, and I tried not to feel too intimidated.