Dangerously Close (Aris x Reader)

65) Going Backwards

Aris’s P.O.V

She was doing it again. Picking at her food, always keeping her hair up, taking maybe three bites before looking sick. She was just as jumpy as before, if not more, eyes widening and flinching at every unexpected movement. Her clothes were never off in front of me. Ever. It's not like she has to take her shirt off. It's not even that I care whether she does or doesn't.

It's how it just happened so out of the blue. One second, she's smiling and cuddling with me. Next, she won’t even look at me and seems nervous whenever I touch her. If she told me she was uncomfortable, or was cold, or something, I would understand and just kiss her forehead. Her doing it with no explanation doesn't make sense. We tell each other everything now. Why wouldn't she say anything about this?

She's so . . . quiet. Not her usual ‘I’m alright just listening’ kind of quiet. It was an ‘I don't want to be here anymore’ kind. A worrying one.

She got up without a word, heading to work. She's supposed to tell everyone, even if it was just one person that ended up hearing. She’s usually the first to leave but not without some kind of goodbye.

Standing up, I made my way towards her. She had her head held high, looking at every single person that walked by with what seemed to be paranoia. Her footsteps were so quick despite her walking that only when she was outside the Clinic, did I properly reach her.

“Y/N-”
She turned around, backing away as she reached for her ponytail.

Not just for that though.

For the pocket knife hidden in it.

“Y/N,”I breathed out.

“Hi,”She mumbled, slowly putting her hand down, averting her gaze.

“Poet, what's going on?”I whispered, carefully placing my hands by her face, giving her the option to tell me no. When she didn't, I cupped her cheeks, searching her face for anything that could give me an answer. I know that's kind of stupid, but she’s so different now. Not different. It's like she's regressing. “What’s wrong?”I asked as gently as I could.

“Nothing,”She lied.

“Please tell me? Even if I can't actually do anything to help, I’ll listen until you feel better.”

“There's nothing wrong, Aris.”

“Poet-”
“I have to get to work,”She dismissed, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before turning around as though everything was just fine.

Nothing’s fine right now. Not when I'm watching her start doing everything she worked so hard not to. Not when she won't let me at least try to stop it.