♥︎ATHALIA♥︎
A week had passed since that evening at the playground. Brandon and I had fallen into a routine of sorts.
Every day at school, we sat together at lunch, and most afternoons we’d walk home together or hang out in the park.
He was starting to open up more, little by little. His walls were still there, but they didn’t feel as impenetrable as before.
It was nice—comfortable, even—but there was something different in Brandon this week.
He seemed quieter, more introspective, as if his thoughts were heavier than usual.
I didn’t push him to talk, but I could feel a shift. It was like he was retreating into himself again, and I didn’t know why.
On Friday, after the final bell rang, we started walking home as usual. The sun was lower in the sky, and the air was warm but not stifling.
We passed the park without stopping this time, walking in comfortable silence. But something felt off.
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, noticing how his shoulders were slightly slumped, his expression distant.
“Brandon,” I finally said, breaking the quiet. “You’ve been a little... out of it this week. Is everything okay?”
He looked over at me, his dark eyes filled with something I couldn’t quite place. After a moment, he shook his head. “I don’t know, Athalia. I guess it’s just... everything. It’s hard to explain.”
I bit my lip, trying to think of what to say. “You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to. But if something’s bothering you, I’m here. You know that, right?”
He stopped walking, turning to face me fully. His expression was conflicted, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite get the words out.
“It’s just... I’ve been thinking about everything a lot lately. My mom, my dad, school... even you.”
“Me?” I asked, taken aback.
Brandon sighed, running a hand through his slightly messy hair. “Yeah. I don’t know how to say this, but... I’ve never had someone like you in my life before. It’s weird. I’m not used to it.”
I stepped closer, trying to keep my voice soft. “I’m not here to make things harder for you. I just want to help.”
“I know,” he said quickly. “I know you’re trying to help, and I’m grateful for it. But sometimes... I feel like I don’t deserve it. Or like I’ll just mess things up.”
His words hit me hard. I didn’t want him to feel like that, like he didn’t deserve to be cared for.
“Brandon, you don’t have to feel that way. No one’s perfect, and we all mess up sometimes. But you don’t have to go through everything alone.”
He looked down, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s hard to believe that sometimes.”
We stood there for a moment, the weight of his words hanging in the air. I wanted to reach out to tell him he was worth more than he thought, but I wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear it yet.
Instead, I took a deep breath and said, “Maybe we can take things one day at a time. No pressure, no expectations. Just... being here for each other.”
Brandon looked up at me, his expression softening. “Yeah... maybe that would help.”
We continued walking, and though the conversation had been heavy, I felt like we’d reached some kind of understanding.
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...
