My demons (book 1)

My demons are screaming your name

After roaming the empty halls of the building Jay lived with his mother, she finally reached their apartment. His mother had let her in, pointing towards his room. Knocking on it created an echo which made the entire place seem more like an overused, basic scene from a low-budget horror movie than an actual apartment. She could hardly hear his raspy voice telling her to come in as she was too mesmerised by the emptiness of the place two people had been living in. It looked deserted with two worn out lounge chairs and a small, outdated television in one corner, a dining table with two mismatched chairs in the other. She supposed the kitchen was in the room left to Jay's. 

She finally opened the door to yet another empty space. A small room with greyish coloured walls that were once probably white, a small bed, a wardrobe and a small window were all that his room appeared to consist of. She stood at the door frame, stunned, taking the hollowness and soulnessness in.

"Hey Aisha," a familiar voice brought her back from her shock.

"Hey Jay," she replied, quieter than she intended, before taking a step towards him. He was standing by the window, looking out on what was left of a timeworn factory and an abandoned warehouse that were blocking his view to the actual docks.

He turned towards her, avoiding eye contact. "Jay..." she started, her words suddenly betraying her.

"I missed you so much," he admitted, unable to keep the crack out of his voice. His eyes were still firmly on his feet as his cheeks adapted a rosy hue and he smiled shyly.

She instantly knew that he could easily ruin her life just by his smile. She loved the way his eyes sparkled for a split second, the way his lips curved upwards, how small dimples were formed in his starved out cheeks...she was quickly growing addicted to it.

He finally looked up and their eyes met. Looking into his deep green eyes proved what she had already suspected. He was hurting. Behind those sad eyes he hid everything too dark for the world to see. Releasing a shaky breath she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him flush against her lithe frame. She wanted to shield him from all the pain he was feeling, to take it on herself and suffer instead.

He tensed up in her arms for a few moments before giving up his inner fight and wrapping his arms around her, sinking into her embrace, sighing in relief. He buried his face in the crook of her neck while she drew circles across his back, letting him cling onto her with all of his strength. For a moment, she allowed herself to breathe. To ignore the burning ache her mother's death evoked inside her chest. To ignore the dread of what that meant and how her father might have been involved. She allowed herself to just be.