Cold Water

FIFTEEN

                   ♡BRANDON♡

  The next day, Athalia and I met at the park. It wasn't one of our usual carefree afternoons, though.

  We both knew we needed to talk things out after yesterday's misunderstanding, and the tension from it still lingered in the air.

  I couldn't help but feel anxious about how things would go, but I knew we couldn't keep brushing it aside.

  We sat on a bench near the trees, the late afternoon sun casting soft shadows across the grass.

  Athalia glanced at me, her expression calm but expectant, as if waiting for me to speak first. I took a deep breath, gathering the courage to say what had been weighing on my mind.

  I didn't want to lose her over my insecurities or let things fester.

  "I saw you with Alex yesterday morning," I admitted, feeling my chest tighten as I spoke.

  "You two looked like you were really close, and I... I let it get to me. I started overthinking everything, wondering if I was just some guy you were hanging out with until someone better came along."

  Her eyes widened slightly, and she shook her head. "Brandon, no... It wasn't like that at all."

  She lets out a soft sigh. "Alex is just a classmate. He's helping me with some school stuff that I missed in the classes we don't have together, that's all."

  I looked up at her, meeting her gaze. "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that I don't trust him. And I guess I'm afraid of losing the few good things I have. And you're one of them."

   Her expression softened even more, and she reached out, placing a hand on mine.

  My gaze dropped to our hands and then back at her.

  "I'm not going anywhere, Brandon. But you have to talk to me when something's bothering you."

  "I know," I sighed, feeling the weight of her words sink in. "I'm trying. It's just hard for me to open up sometimes. I don't want to come off as needy or clingy."

  "You're not," Athalia said, squeezing my hand gently. "I'd rather you tell me how you feel than bottle it up. We'll figure this out together, okay?"

  I nodded, my gaze shifting to the ground. "I should've trusted you. I should've talked to you right away instead of letting it build up. But I... I couldn't stop thinking about how it always feels like people leave, or they find someone better."

  "Brandon, you don't have to worry about that with me. I'm not looking for anyone better. I care about you. But you need to tell me when something's bothering you instead of shutting down."

  I swallowed hard, feeling the familiar knot of insecurity loosening, just a little.

  "I'm sorry for pushing you away. I know it wasn't fair to you, and I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just... sometimes, it's hard to believe that someone like you could care about me."

  She gives me a small, understanding smile. "I do care about you, Brandon. And I want to be here for you, but you have to let me in."

  "I'll try," I promised, my voice quiet but sincere. "I'll work on it."

  She smiled softly. "That's all I ask."We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, watching the ducks glide across the pond.

  The tension from yesterday felt like it was slowly melting away, replaced with a sense of understanding and relief.

  “Do you want to walk around the park?" Athalia asked, standing up and offering her hand. I took it, standing up beside her.

  "Yeah, I'd like that."We started walking through the park, and for the first time in a while, I felt like we were on the same page again.

  As the sun continued to set, casting a warm glow over the park, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I didn't have to face everything alone.

  As we walked through the park, a sense of calm settled over me. The conversation had eased the tension and the air between Athalia, and I felt lighter now.

  I still wasn't entirely comfortable opening up, but the fact that I'd told her about my distrust and  insecurities with Alex felt like a small victory.

  We wandered along the paths, not saying much, but it didn't feel awkward.

  The silence between us was comfortable now, like we didn't need to fill it with words to understand each other.

   She walked beside me, her hand occasionally brushing against mine as we strolled through the golden light of the fading day. After a while, Athalia spoke again.

  "You know, I'm glad we did this. Just coming out here and talking-it's what we needed."

  "Yeah," I agreed. "It feels... better."She smiled at me, a bright, reassuring smile that always made me feel at ease.

  "I don't want you to feel like you can't tell me things, Brandon. I get that it's hard, but I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to face everything by yourself."

   I nodded, her words settling in. It wasn't easy for me to rely on someone, especially after everything I'd been through, but with Athalia, it felt different. She didn't push too hard or expect too much. She was just... there.

   As we neared the exit of the park, the sun was dipping low behind the trees, casting long shadows across the ground. The day was winding down, but I didn't want it to end just yet.

  "Thanks for today," I said quietly. "For listening. And for being patient with me." Athalia squeezed my hand, her warmth grounding me.

  "Anytime, Brandon. I'm always here." We walked the rest of the way in silence until we reached the edge of the park.

  Athalia glanced at her phone, then at me.

  "I should probably head home. My mom's been working late a lot, but I promised her I'd make dinner tonight."

  I nodded, feeling a small pang of disappointment.

  "Yeah, I get it." She smiled and stepped closer, giving me a quick hug. The gesture was simple, but it felt like a reassurance that things were okay between us.

  "See you tomorrow?" she asked, pulling away but keeping her eyes on me.

  "Yeah. Tomorrow," I echoed.

  I watched her walk away, a sense of peace settling in, but also a new realization: I didn't want to lose what we had. Whatever this was, I needed to stop letting my fears get in the way.

♥︎♥︎♥︎♡♡♡♡