𝕷𝖚𝖉𝖔𝖘 - 𝑨𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓

𝟐𝟎.-𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"And you can aim for my heart, go for blood

But you would still miss me in your bones

And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky)

And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)"

𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚

𝟖 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒐

I stand behind the hedges, watching Drew on the bench by the fountain. He doesn't see me. He's too focused on her. I think her name is Rosa. I don't really know her, I just know she goes to the same school as him, the normal kids' school. She's sitting close to him, talking softly, her voice barely audible over the trickle of the water. I can't hear or understand what she's saying, but I can see the way he's leaning in, like her words are a lifeline. She's older than me, probably closer to Drew's age-thirteen.

She reaches out and touches his arm, just a light brush of her fingers. It's nothing, really. But he doesn't pull away like he normally does when someone touches him. He doesn't like to be touched. But now he just stays there, letting her hand rest on him, like it belongs there. Like it's normal. Why?

I feel like I'm intruding, but I can't help it. Drew has been off all week, quieter than usual, and I've been wondering what's wrong. He hasn't told me anything, no matter how many times I asked. Instead, he just smiled at me, the kind of smile that never really reaches his eyes, like he didn't want me to worry. But I did. I still do. And now, seeing him here, talking to her, it's like I'm seeing a part of him I didn't even know existed.

I can't hear what they're saying. The fountain nearby is making too much noise, the water trickling and splashing softly. But even if the fountain wasn't there, I don't think I'd be able to hear them. There's something private about the way they're talking, something that makes me feel like I don't belong here. And I don't. I shouldn't be spying on him, it wasn't really my intention it just happened. The nurse let me out of my room because I insisted that I was feeling better, and I found them while taking a walk. I decided to stay here just in case.

She says something, and I see Drew laugh. Not just a little chuckle, but a real laugh, the kind that crinkles the corners of his eyes. I haven't seen him laugh like that all week. The sound surprises me. He looks at her in a way I don't understand.

I wonder what she said to make him laugh like that. I wonder why I couldn't make him laugh like that anymore. I wonder if that's what love looks like—two people sitting close, talking about things that no one else is allowed to hear, making each other laugh.