Titanium

Chapter III

Abigail

As I finished putting on sweats, the smell of chamomile tea drifted  through the air. I couldn't believe that Aaron had subconsciously cuddled with me, and it was adorable that he tried to hide it. Not to mention the fact that he was shirtless. First week of school and I had already crossed off cuddle with an insanely attractive boy off of my high school bucket list.

I entered the kitchen. The granite countertops stood still in the darkness. My favorite time of day was when you could feel the tension of the sun hiding behind the mountains, just before daybreak. It was so peaceful. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. I gazed at the gentle flick of Aaron's wrist as he stirred the tea; my hand was resting in my palm.

" Here you are," He said as he handed me my tea. I accepted it with a courteous nod, and followed him to the porch.

    The entire house was placed gently uptop a hill, which was hard to find in Vegas. The porch was wraparound, and Aaron and I sat on the swing, gently swinging as we watched the city stir below us.

  With these calm thoughts in my head, I sipped my tea.

"Everytime I look over at you, you seem so lost in thought ; it's like you're in a different world. What are you thinking about?" Aaron inquired quietly. I had known this guy for a week and I felt like we were best friends.

" I think a lot," I said calmly, looking straight ahead, "About when I'm going to finally leave this place, when I'm going to be able to do the things I want to do. I think a lot about people and why they are doing what they're doing. I'm not sure what I think about all the time, but I know I do it a lot," I finished with a small sigh, and took another sip.

He seemed to be processing what I had said, and thinking carefully about his answer.

" That's actually pretty cool. I don't mean to sound creepy, but you are beautiful on the inside too if that's how your mind works," He replied.

I was stunned. Nobody had ever said something like that to me. He looked at me, and I responded by smiling and looking down.

He cleared his throat again, "So since last night, should we share our family complications? I would be truly bummed if we ended up being related."

I giggled before replying, "Well my grandpa was in the war with Uncle Larry. I'm not sure about the markings though," I drifted off, the gears in my head turning.

"I've noticed them before too, but I never really made anything out of them either." he contributed, sipping his tea some more.

" How come I've been babysitting David and been with this family for a year now and just now noticed you?" I asked. The question had been burning in my throat since last night.

He shifted uncmfortably and I could tell I had hit a sensitive area," Well uh, I never knew my dad. I was told all my life he was killed in the Afghanistan War. My mom wanted nothing to do with me once my dad's wealth disintegrated, and my aunt," he gestured toward the house, "She ran away from custody rights when she found out my dad had died. Kind of shitty, huh? Since then I bounced around from couch to couch, and finally Uncle Larry took custody of me about a month ago. So far it's been pretty good, but I always feel like I'm being watched," he finished with a bit of anxiety.

"Wow," that was a lot to take in, " Everyone told me that Ana disappeared because she was running from the government. I remember her talking about her nephew, which I am assuming is you, but she would always change the subject shortly after. I dont know... with all due respect your family seems a bit off," i said, hoping I wasnt being insulting. To be honest, I had been trying to pinpoint what it was, but ever since I was the babysitter, i felt like i was being watched too.