♡BRANDON♡
Saturday morning came faster than I expected, and now I was standing in front of my closet, staring at the disaster inside.
Clothes were everywhere, and I had no idea what to wear to an art show. What do people even wear to these things?
I picked up a plain black shirt, but it felt too boring. I grabbed a button-down, but that seemed too formal.
The more I thought about it, the more I panicked. What if I showed up looking like an idiot next to Athalia?
Just as I was about to give up, my phone buzzed from the bed.
Athalia:Hey, I was thinking... why don't I pick you up? That way, we can go together.
I stared at the message, feeling a wave of relief. Going with her made it feel a little less overwhelming. I quickly replied.
Me: Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks.
Athalia:Cool! By the way, I just realized I don't have your address! Mind sending it over?
I sent her my address, then put the phone down, still pacing around my room. The panic about what to wear was slowly returning.
After what felt like forever, I decided on a simple dark grey sweatshirt and jeans. Nothing fancy, but hopefully good enough.
About forty minutes later, I heard Aunt Dina's voice from downstairs. "Brandon! Your friend's here!"
My heart jumped. Athalia was already here. I took a deep breath, checked the mirror one last time, and headed downstairs.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I saw Athalia standing by the door, talking to Dina.
She had that same bubbly energy, and Aunt Dina, who rarely engaged with anyone, actually seemed to be enjoying the conversation.
"So, you're a photographer?" Aunt Dina asked, her tone friendly but curious.
Athalia nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. I love capturing moments, especially ones that tell a story. I've been doing it since I was a kid."
"That's impressive," Aunt Dina said, glancing over at me as I walked up. "It's nice to meet one of Brandon's friends. He doesn't bring many people around here."
I felt my face heat up a little, but Athalia just smiled warmly. "I'm glad he's coming with me today. I think it'll be fun."
I stood awkwardly for a moment, feeling the weight of the conversation before Athalia looked at me and grinned. "You ready?"
"Yeah, I think so," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
"You look good," she said with an easy smile, and just like that, my nerves began to settle. "Alright, let's head out."
"Have fun, you two," Aunt Dina called after us as we walked out the door.
We stepped outside, and Athalia turned to look at me.
"My mum lent me her car so that it would be easier for us to move around." She says.
I followed behind, trying to calm the nervous energy building up in my chest.
The cool air hit me, but instead of feeling refreshed, I felt a sudden tightness around my chest.
My breathing became shallow, and the world around me started to blur.
I stopped in my tracks, frozen for a second. It hit me all at once- getting into the thing that killed mum, the thought of being around so many people at the art show, of trying to act normal when I didn't feel like myself at all.
YOU ARE READING
Cold Water
Romance[BWWM] I was only twelve years old when the world turned cold. The day my mom died in that car accident, I felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my heart. My dad, who had always been my hero, suddenly became a stranger, filled...
