hello delilah

XXVIII

"Hey neighbor." Aaron grinned at my greeting as he stepped out onto the porch, I shivered when a chilling late autumn breeze blew by, wrapping my arms around myself.

Rubbing his hands together to create friction, he shifted his balance from foot to foot before asking, "What are you doing here?" He hesitated, "Not that I mind, of course-"

I rolled my eyes at his nervousness, finding it adorable. "I just wanted to talk." I smiled, gesturing to the porch steps. Aaron reached behind him as if he was about to tug the door open, suggesting we'd talk inside, I shook my head. "I like it out here, if you don't mind." My mind flashed back to the first time a boy had let me step foot in his home, I winced.

Reaching inside, Aaron pulled out a coat and blanket, shrugging the coat on himself and wrapping the blanket around my shoulders. I uttered a soft 'thank you' as we settled ourselves on the steps. "You could've called," He pointed out, "but I have to say I do prefer talking to you in person." The corners of Aaron's lips tugged up into a half smile.

Taking a deep breath, I watched the puffs of air escape my lips before speaking, "I don't know how to feel about these past few months."

Aaron surprised my by placing his fingers lightly on my wrist, "You'll figure things out eventually Delilah, you're tough." He said, ducking his head so I'd meet his gaze and offering a reassuring grin.

"How do you know?" I questioned, my voice sounding harsher than I intended. "You hardly know me." I mumbled, tugging the blanket closer to my frame, feeling Aaron's fingers release my wrist.

There was a long pause, for a moment I thought he would try to dodge my question, or ignore me entirely. "I would like to get to know you, Del." He spoke lowly, his dark green eyes focusing on mine.

"Who's your favorite actor?" I asked, biting my lip as Aaron chuckled. He stood and offered me a hand which I hesitantly accepted, he guided me to a swinging bench in this back yard.

"Robert Downey Jr." he said, answering my question. I wondered why he led me into his backyard when we could've continued our conversation out front. "I thought this would be a bit comfier." He sighed, pushing us back And forth with the toes of his sneakers, as if reading my thoughts.

Swaying my body back and forth slowly, I smiled. "I like it." I watched as Aaron ran a hand through his dark hair before his eyes roamed my face, I could feel heat blooming across my cheeks as I blushed. "What?"

"Nothing." He chuckled, shaking his head and leaning back onto the bench.