Cold Water

NINE

                     ♥︎ATHALIA♥︎

  As the evening came to an end, I stood up and gathered the last few photos, stacking them neatly on my desk.

  Brandon seemed quieter now, lost in thought, and I knew he was still processing what had just happened.

  I didn't want to make things awkward, so I kept things light as I walked him to the door.

  "Well, I'm glad you came over," I said with a smile, turning to face him at the door. "It was fun."

  "Yeah, me too," he replied, though his voice was a bit softer than before.

  There was a pause, a quiet moment between us where neither of us really knew what to say next.

  It was like we were still caught in the heaviness of that earlier moment, but neither of us knew how to address it again.

  Without thinking too much about it, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into a gentle hug.

  I could feel him stiffen, caught off guard, but after a moment, he relaxed just a little, letting himself lean into it.

  I didn't say anything. I just held him, hoping that he knew what I meant without needing the words. It wasn't much, but I wanted him to feel that someone cared.

  When I pulled back, I smiled, giving him space. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

  Brandon nodded, his dark eyes meeting mine, still looking a bit surprised. "Yeah... you too."

  I watched him walk down the steps, disappearing into the fading light, and something told me that tonight had been more important than either of us realized.

  Later that night, after Brandon had left, I made myself a simple dinner. The house was quiet, with Mom still at the restaurant, but I didn't mind. I liked the peace.

  As I ate, I found my mind drifting back to him. The way his expression changed when I'd seen his scars - how surprised he looked when I hugged him. It felt like a breakthrough, something fragile but important.

  After cleaning up the dishes, I settled on the couch with my phone in hand.

  I didn't want him to feel like I was checking on him out of pity.

  I just wanted him to know I was thinking about him, that I hadn't forgotten. So, I typed out a quick message and hit send.

  Me:Hey, I hope you're doing okay. Thanks again for coming over. I really liked showing you the collage.

  I stared at the screen for a moment, wondering if it was enough-or maybe too much. I didn't want to push him or make him feel uncomfortable.

But I also knew that sometimes, just hearing from someone could make a difference.
 
  A few minutes passed, and I got a response.

  Brandon:Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for inviting me over. It was nice.

  I smiled at the message, feeling a little bit of relief that he'd responded. I typed back quickly.

Me:Anytime. Maybe we can do it again soon? I'm sure you've got more sketches you can show me. ;)

  There was a longer pause this time, but eventually, his reply popped up.

  Brandon:Maybe. We'll see.

  I could almost hear the hint of hesitation in his words, but it was still something.

  I felt like I was slowly chipping away at the wall he kept around himself, and that was enough for now.

  As I curled up on the couch, I kept thinking about him, about those scars and how much pain he must have felt for him to do that.

  But I also thought about the small smile he'd given me, and I hoped that in some small way, I was helping him feel just a little less alone.

♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎