See you again

Chapter 3

I silenced the thoughts in my head and I tried to remain composed as he spoke. "I've been calling all of my friends to see if I could stay over their house, but none of them are answering..." he said keeping his eyes on the floor.

What he could have possible been doing all these hours if he wasn't at his friends' house was beside me, but I dismissed the idea. "Well, I'm going to the grocery store right now." I took a deep breath before asking, "Do you, maybe, want to come with me?" He brought his eyes up to meet mine. My mind started running again. He's going to say no. Hurry and say something to ease him in. "Maybe, by the time we come back, you're friends might answer." He turned it over in his mind for a few seconds. "It's okay. I think I'll just stay here and wait it out." I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed from his refusal, but what did I expect? We were practically strangers to each other.

"Oh, alright. Well, I'll be going then," I said, turning away from him and walking again. I had just walked past a couple houses when I heard quick footsteps behinds me. Aaron appeared next to me and fell into step with me. I looked at him, waiting for him to say something, but he stayed silent and stared straight ahead. A smile came across my face as I looked away from him, feeling successful. We walked in silence all the way to the store.

Although my mind was telling me otherwise, I decided it would be best to keep my mouth shut, fearing that he might get annoyed by my banter. Fortunately, the store was just down the block. "What exactly do you need from the grocery at 10 o'clock?" Aaron asked as we walked into the store. He talked to me again. I shoved the thought to the back of my mind and replied, "My grandma, for some strange reason, wanted to make Paëlla right now, but were all out of salt."

"She just sent you out? Alone? Isn't it dangerous for a girl to be walking at night?" I questioned his uncertainty, but then I remembered that he was from the city. "This isn't the city, Aaron. This town is actually pretty safe," I said turning into the aisle of seasonings. He just nodded his head and followed me down the aisle. I browsed over the bags of salt, looking for the brand that my grandma usually used.

I spotted it at the bottom and grabbed it. It was quite a struggle to pick it up, but nevertheless, I was able to bring it to the cash register.After paying, I noticed Aaron carrying the sack in his arms. I glimpsed at him with an unsure look and he shrugged his shoulders and said, "You seemed to be struggling with it earlier."

"Oh, um, thanks," I said, blushing at his chivalry. The walk home was silent again, but it wasn't as awkward as the first time. We were both a little more comfortable with each other and I was starting to realize that he probably didn't hate me. I could practically hear the 'I told you so's I would be receiving from the guys the next day. We stopped in front of Jason's house and I stared at Aaron, waiting for him to try calling him again.

He furrowed his brows. "Aren't you going home?" he asked. "I'll wait until you call your friend. If he doesn't answer, I guess you could just stay at my house..." I meekly suggested. "Wouldn't your grandmother mind a boy staying at your house?" I shook my head. "All of my friends are boys, so I really don't think she'll mind." He placed the sack down on the floor as he brought his phone out of his pocket.

He seemed to press at the screen and bring it to his ear. We stood there in silence again as he waited for his friend to answer, but it never came. He put his phone back in his pocket and said, "No answer..." "Well, come on then," I said reaching down for the bag, but he picked it up before me. "I got it," he said. I felt a blush rise on my cheek again as we walked over to my house.

As we stepped onto the porch, he said, "You sure she won't mind? I can just sleep outside..." "No, it's fine. I wouldn't let you sleep outside, anyways," I said twisting the key into the doorknob. Walking inside, I called out to my grandma and walked into the kitchen. She had everything laid out on the dining table and she was mixing everything together when she looked up. "I asked for salt, not a pretty boy," she said, taking a glimpse at Aaron. He blushed. Cute.

"You can place that right here," she said to him, pointing to the floor. As he placed the sack down, I said, "This is Aaron. He missed his bus home and none of his friends are answering their phones, so I let him come here. It's okay for him to stay, right?" "Ah, right. You're the boy from the city. And of course it's okay." "Thank you so much," Aaron said.

"Grab some clothes from your brother's room so he can wash up," she said looking at me. I nodded and led Aaron over to my brother's room. "You can stay in here," I said opening the door and turning the lights on. "Your brother doesn't live here anymore?"

"Um, no, he, uh, passed away," I said after swallowing the lump in my throat. "I'm so sorry," he said as a look of panic came across his face. "It's fine," I said with a small sigh. "Well, you can just grab whatever from his drawers. The bathrooms right across the hall and the towels are in the closet right next to the bathroom," I said before turning around and walking out. I heard him mutter a thanks as I closed the door behind me.