irrevocably in love

prologue

12 years ago

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO GO! NO!" The girl shrieked with all the might her five year old self could muster, as she ran past her parents into the garden. It was of no use though.

"Aria, darling, you have no choice. We're moving and that's final." Her father was soft but firm in his words as he called after her. He was unable to see his princess crying but also knew that there was simply no way to fulfil her wish. He had a new job in America, and the move was finalised.

Tears streaming down her face, Aria ran past all her mother's flower beds, past the shed and quickly bustled through the hole in her fence right at the bottom end of her garden.

It led her straight to her favourite person in the world.

He was already waiting in the treehouse his parents had built for them at the end of his own garden. It was their safe space. Somewhere both tended to go to when they needed no-one but each other. And Aria needed nothing more than him right now.

He smiled as she entered, ready to make room for her on the little sofa that they spent hours curled up on, enjoying each other's company.

He froze in his tracks, noticing the tear stains on her cheeks, even though Aria had vigorously tried to rub any evidence of her breakdown before entering their treehouse.

"What happened, Riri?" he demanded as he walked briskly towards her. His heart was in his throat, and although he was only seven and couldn't really do much, he knew he'd do anything to stop her crying.

Aria smiled softly at him. She was going to miss him so so so much. Her best friend. Her protector. Her first love. Possibly the only boy she'd ever love.

Her notions of love were perhaps a bit skewed, seeing as she was only five. Her mum once told her that love is when you want to stay with that person forever and don't ever want to hurt them or let them be hurt by anything else, like what she felt for Aria's dad. Aria just about understood what her mum meant, and from then on she was confident that he was the love of her life.

And she was being forced to leave him.

"I'm moving," she whispered, unable to hold back the sobs bubbling up inside of her. He froze in front of her. She couldn't read the blank look on his face. He was so still that she wasn't even sure he was breathing.

He couldn't breathe, his breath stuck in his throat, and he felt like his body had stopped pumping blood to his heart. It made sense he felt like that, considering his entire life was standing in front of him, anticipating his reaction to her news.

He felt severe pain erupting in his chest. It was as if Aria had ripped him open, taken a hammer and smashed his heart into tiny fragments. Fragments, he later realised, that were beyond repair.

"I don't wanna leave you." Her sobs got louder, and it snapped him out of whatever stupor he was in. He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in the warmth she was familiar with, and constantly craved.

Kissing the top of her head, he stated with determination, "I'm not letting you leave me."

Aria's heart filled with hope, and she pulled back from her best friend and stared up at him. She'd believe anything he'd say. "Promise?"

"I promise, tesoro." He entwined both their hands together. "We'll always be together. You're my best friend, remember?"

She grinned up at him, delighted with the nickname he always referred to her with, and for the second time in mere minutes he felt his breath leave his body. He also couldn't help but to return the gesture.

God, he loved that smile of hers.

Hands still entwined, Aria led him to the sofa, content with his promise. And for the next couple of hours, she spoke about everything and anything she could think of. He stared at her the entire time, hanging off each and every word that came out her mouth, not wanting to miss a single thought.

Shortly after letting him know why she preferred ice cream over pizza, Aria fell asleep burrowed into his side.

Pulling the blanket his mother had kept in here for times they fell asleep onto both of them, he whispered into the darkness. "I love you, Riri."

And then he made a mistake he'd regret for the next 12 years, and succumbed to the pull of sleep. Because when he awoke in the morning, cold surrounded him, Aria's familiar vanilla smell faint around him.

She had been taken from him. And he had done nothing to stop it.