A Losing Game

12. Truce? 🤝

(Draco's Pov)
The next day
I woke up, and noticed I was alone in bed.

The balcony door was open.
I got my sweats on, and opened the door.

Aurelia was outside leaning against the railing.

The wind blew in her hair, and I watched as smoke left her mouth.

I shut the door and stood next to her.
"Why is it always you?" She said.

I didn't need her to elaborate.

"I don't know."
I stuck my hand out, and she handed me her cigarette.

I took a smoke and handed it back to her.
"Congrats Draco, you've seen me at my worst, twice now."

"Not on purpose."
She chuckled.

"I know. Crazy huh?"
She took a deep inhale, and I watched as a large cloud of smoke filled the air.

"Smoke often?" I asked.
"No, usually I drink my pain away. But I couldn't exactly fit a bottle of alcohol in my backpack."

"Feel a lot of pain?" I asked.
"Not much anymore, but sometimes it all comes back. Like last night."

"Can I ask you a few questions?"
She faced me.

"Go for it."
"You're not scared of storms, are you? The storm gave you ptsd." I said.

She nodded.

"You really thought a few flashes of light, and loud sounds got to me?" She said.

"I wasn't sure."
"Mm."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"You just straight up asked, brave."
"You can't blame me. Last night you were-"
I stopped myself.

"I was insane, I remember."
"You do?" I asked.
"Every moment."

"It's alright, don't be embarrassed-"

"I never said I was embarrassed. If you had known what happened, the way I was reacting when I thought it was happening again was very reasonable." She snapped.

"And I believe that. So could you tell me?"
"No." She said.

"You know what, that's okay. But are you um safe? Can that person who you thought was hurting you hurt you again?" I asked.

"He's far from here." Said Aurelia.

"Oh, then um. Why did you think he was there?"
"Trauma works in weird ways Draco."

"Is there anything I can do right now?" I asked grabbing her shoulders.

She pushed me away.
"I'd think after repeating the words don't touch me all night, you'd realize there's a deeper meaning to me saying it was a boundary."

"I'm sorry. I just thought after last night we-"

"We're still not friends, and I still don't like you. Last night I was scared out of my mind, and you were the only one there. It doesn't mean anything." She said.

And there it is, that pain I knew I'd feel today.

"Do you regret it?" I asked.

"No. I was very deep into the memory. Do you know why I became aware again?"

"Why?"

"Remember in the washroom when you were holding me? You were constantly stroking my hair. So yesterday when you started touching my hair my brain remembered.

And Draco that day in the washroom I felt protected in your arms. So my brain took in the feeling of you touching my hair, and it made two connections.

Connection one, that it was you.
Connection two, that I was safe.