The Perks of Being Too Beautiful

Ch9; Secrets

Chapter Nine

It is well past midnight but I am not home. Instead, I am by the lake, which has gotten a lot dirtier since I first encountered it years ago. I peek down to see if there are still fish swimming there but it is too dark to see. The street lamps were too dim to actually light anything up but it was always added a nice touch to our old, vintage neighborhood.

I have never been afraid of being mugged or kidnapped because I trust the people here, and this place is hard to find. Hardly any cars come by, and I've memorized the hum of every neighbor's vehicle already. My phone is on my bed back at home but I have the urge to call Cullen to apologize about my sudden storm. I try to resist because I don't know how I'll be able to explain why I did what I did without telling him anything more.

Footsteps approach behind me and at first, I think it's him. He always had a way with appearing the moment I needed him. But I turn around and it isn't him.

"Ms. Harris..." I greet her.

She wraps a blanket around me and hands me a mug. "Careful," she says. "It's still a little hot." She sits by me leans against me. Her voice itself is so warm. Her delicacy and welcomeness always gave me a sense of warmth. "Looking for fish, I presume?" she smiles.

"It is too dark to see them. If there are any," I say.

She holds me tight and I realize she is shivering. "Oh, you should take this blanket back." I carefully remove it off me. "You're cold, aren't you? I'm okay with this cool air."

I could tell she didn't want me to give back the blanket but she thanked me anyway. She wrapped it around herself and I hugged her tight. "This was meant for you, Aria. Cullen spotted you out the window. I thought you might be cold."

I sighed at the thought of Cullen. He didn't call to even ask me about it. I don't know how he feels.

"You were always like a daughter to me, Aria." And with those words, I get chills up my spine. I instantly feel guilty about my mother. But thinking about what happened makes me confused. Why did she all of a sudden change the subject?

"What is on your mind?" she asks. I notice I have been silent for a while. I look at her, and I rub my thumb against her arm. It was something Marcy did to me when she held me, and it comforted me somehow. Ms. Harris gazes into my eyes and I realize how old she looks. She was only in her mid-thirties but she looked almost close to 50. The veins of her hands popped out and the rings around her eyes darkened.

"I was just thinking that... you were like another mom to me, Ms. Harris," I finally say.

She smiles and she looks her age again. She is such a beautiful woman. "I think it's best if we go inside," she says.

I help her up and we walk together. Before I turn to reach my home, she asks me if I'd like to stay over. I think about it for a while, and I realize that I had hoped she would ask that. Staying at my own house started to feel lonelier than ever, and the smell of those cookies didn't go away. I couldn't make myself throw them away though, so I just left them there. She grins, and holds my hand like how she used to when I was little and came over for movie nights.

I walk inside to see several pillows and blankets laid out on the living room floor. I raise my eyebrow at Ms. Harris. She chuckles and admits that she knew I'd take her offer. And I'm glad I did. Making forts and snuggling with a bunch of blankets while watching movies until we were exhausted was always one of my favorite things to do.

I look at the pile of blankets. "Where's Cullen?" I ask.

"He's in his room asleep."

I find that hard to believe. It was his favorite to make pillow forts too. This has Cullen written all over it. But he was no where to be found so I trust her word.