Water Love

Part 12 - Strange feelings

The morning came with my father calling me and my brother, trying to hurry up so we could hit the road and drive calmly to appreciate the trip.

I jump off the bed and start my morning routine. When I finished eating breakfast the doorbell rings and since my father and my brother were still placing bags in the car, I open it.

Ward is standing there with a bruised lip and dead eyes staring back at mine. I look at him up and down and he has the same clothes he had yesterday, all dirty and with drops of what I think it is blood. He smells like sweat and stew, nothing like he's usual sweet fresh scent.

"Ariel" his voice is almost hoarse, like he had been screaming all night. He takes a step closer and I take a step back, even though I really care about him and I'm worried, I can't forget the way he spoke to me last night "Ariel, I'm sorry about last night... I wasn't thinking. You know I didn't mean it, right?"

"Where were you?" my voice starts to crack, I breathe in and out so I calm myself down. I won't allow Ward to see me cry again.

He looks at me, debating with himself if he tells me or not. "I don't want to talk about that" I saw his eyes flicker for a second until he puts himself together and tries to smile "Do you still want me to come with you?" he takes a step closer but this time I remain in the same place.

"Just go upstairs and take a damn shower. We are leaving in 20 minutes!" I try to remain calm but the way he's looking at me, the intensity of his stare makes me doubt myself. Do I really want him to come? Can I trust him? Then I remember all the good and supportive things he did for my family and me.

"Thank you" Ward says, trying to close our space but I move away onto the kitchen door.

"Don't thank me yet" I say when I hear him climb upstairs.

My palms get sweaty just to know that Ward is coming with us to the lake house and that our "relationship" right now is a little bit strange. This was supposed to be a vacation trip, so we all can relax. But now, now that I know that Ward is keeping things from me, it won't be relaxing.

"What was that all about?" Hans asks when he enters the house and grabs the last two bags that were on the bottom of the stairs, one mine, other Ward's.

"Nothing you have to worry about" I say grabbing my bag and making my way outside.

"That's not true" Hans stops me and takes my bag "I saw him! He looks like hell! If he's in some kind of trouble then tell me!" He's eyes demand answers that not even I can respond.

"I don't know" I say walking outside, trying not to meet his gaze.

"I just don't want you to get hurt!" He passes me and I stand there, just looking at my concerned brother, who has changed so much since our mother left us.

Ten minutes later Ward is in my bathroom getting dressed for our trip. I sat in the bed looking at the book I have in my hands, remembering that this was the reason why Ward started talking to me.

I hear the door of my bathroom and I look up to meet his glare. He looks like a complete different person, now clean and smelling like honey. This is the Ward I know, or at least think I know...

"Again with the book?" He says while sitting next to me so he can put on his tennis "Are you reading it again?"

"Yes" I say afraid of what he'll say. Everyone  who knows that I re-read my books calls me crazy... but I like to read them again so that its stories remain forever with me.

"That's cool. Why though?" he asks, seriously.

"Because I want to remember its story and every time I read it I find something new, something that I didn't acknowledge before" I feel like we are back to our normal conversations, but I have to ask him what's going on.