Dangerously Close (Aris x Reader)

42) Blue

I didn't plan to be hanging out with Sonya or anyone at lunch. I just needed to find a seashell, and she apparently really likes those.

“So what do you need this for?”She asked, helping me dig through our pile of non broken ones.

“A gift for Aris,”I answered.

“Awe. That's sweet.”

“He always has things to get me somehow. I have to return the favor.”

“I don't think he’s getting you gifts to have something in return.”

“I know. I just want to do something nice for him. Like a physical way to say I love him,”I explained, placing a purplish one in the maybe stack.

“Still cute. Anyways, enough about him. How are you adjusting?”She questioned.

“I don't know. Some parts of this place are still weird to me, but I’m trying.”

“I get that. It doesn't seem like something you’ve seen before. It's probably a lot.”

“Yeah. It still seems like too much sometimes. I’m working on that though. I’m more sure how well I’m doing, but I’m trying.”

“Trying is all you can do. That's what's important here.”

“What do you think of this one?”I asked, holding up what I thought was the perfect present. It was a light blue that reflected in the sunlight. It was a decent size and the most common shape. Still, the crevices in it were almost perfectly even, not one part of it rigid.

“That's the one for sure.”

“Think he’ll like it?”

“Knowing Aris, he’s never going to put it down.”

× ~ × ~ × ~ ×

I was somehow nervous about it. As if he didn't stare at me with love in his eyes, as if he hadn't just helped me get away with a crime, as if he hadn't risked his life for me when we were just friends.

He’s everything to me, and he looks at me as though I’m the only thing that matters. Not in a way that made me sure I would end up hurt. The exact opposite. He looks at me in a way that seems able to heal my soul.

“I love you,”He told me as he slowly brushed out my hair. He really didn't have to, but he didn't seem to mind one bit. He essentially insisted on it.

“I love you too.”

“You look like you're healing up pretty well.”

“Yeah. Feels like it too.”

“Good,”He said simply, placing my hair over my shoulders. I ran my hands through it to find that it was the easiest it has ever been, my fingers not getting caught in a knot once.

“Before I forget, I washed the blood out of your clothes so they're fine to wear again.”

“You got the blood out?”I asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. I did it during lunch break.”

“That's weirdly romantic.”

“You liked that outfit. Can't let a little bit of blood ruin it.”

Yeah. Especially since it belongs to the worst person ever.

If that's what it takes for him to maybe leave Aris and I alone, so be it. I mean I haven't seen any sign of him so maybe it's finally enough?

“Well, while we're on the topic of doin’ things did lunch break,”I trailed off, pulling the small seashell out of my jacket pocket and turning around to hand it to him.