Lights Will Guide You Home

Claire

"AIDEN!" I yelled excitedly. I threw my car keys on the table, literally ran to him, stumbled over the carpet but somehow managed to make it to him alive. I threw my arms around him and gave him a big tight hug.

"...um, Claire...I can't breathe..."

I let go of him. "You're finally here!!" I yelled again.

"Yeah...yeah, I am," he said, laughing.

Aiden Blake. My high school best friend.

I'm not really sure how we started talking...Aiden was always aloof and distant from most people. It started during math class, I think. He sat behind me and I'd often turn to him when I got stuck in a sum. Aiden was absolutely brilliant at math. With time, it wasn't just math we talked about. Aiden was one of the people I could talk to about anything. He gave the most practical advice and he had a way of remaining absolutely calm and unperturbed even in the midst of a storm.

After we graduated from school, Aiden decided he wanted to become a mechanic. "But...what about college and stuff?" I'd asked. He shrugged. "All of that's not really my thing."

He moved to Nashville, took up an apprenticeship, and soon enough he was ready to start off on his own. We kept in touch all throughout, often exchanging messages. A few months ago, he decided to go on a cross-country road trip. Just him and the one love of his life – his Harley Iron 833.

I looked at the man standing before me. Aiden was more rugged now, leaner, and his body more toned than I remembered it to be. His dark brown hair had gotten longer and messier but his eyes were still the same – strikingly blue, somehow piercing right through you, and yet keeping secrets of its own.

"You look all...all..." I fumbled, looking for the right word.

"All?" he asked, half smiling as he raised an eyebrow.

"Like a dude," I managed to say, after a lot of thought.

He snorted. "And I didn't all these years?"

"Oh you don't get it," I said, waving away his response. I turned to Rae who was standing there, looking like someone had just punched her in the face.

"Oh Rae! Rae, meet Aiden. Aiden, meet Rae." I pointed at each of them in turn. "He's the high school friend I was telling you about!" and turning to Aiden, "I told you about Rae, right?"

There was a long stretch of uncomfortable silence. I looked at both of them, waiting. Finally, "hi," they both said awkwardly, in unison.

"When did you get here?" I asked Aiden.

"Oh, a couple of hours ago. I spent an hour waiting in the corridor though. The lady next door – the one you'd left the keys with – had been out shopping for groceries. And," he continued, anticipating my next question, "yes, I have located the spare room and my things are there."

I laughed. "Okay then, I'll change and be back in a bit! Rae, are you gonna shower?"

"...yeah, I guess...probably..." she mumbled. She still looked a little dazed as she walked to her room. I picked up my bag and headed for mine.