Paint You Wings

Fourteen

I'm going to regret this. I get out of my car and walk to the door of the café. Aaron is sitting alone at a table, staring into a cup of coffee. He's the only one in there besides the workers

Maybe I can just turn around and walk the other way. Maybe I can get away with saying I didn't come, but as I push the door open only a little, the bell rings and his eyes shoot to mine.

The blue pools spill into my soul. My breath gets caught in my throat and it takes everything I have not to run to him as he gets up. I walk in and the door closes behind me. In only a few strides, we're standing mere inches apart.

"I'm glad you came." He smiles weakly and pushes a strand of hair behind my ear.

I push his hand away and walk past him to the table he was sitting at. He joins me after a moment.

"Belle, please don't be mad at me."

I sigh. "I'm not mad at you." I start as he sits down. "I'm mad at myself. For trusting you." I stare at him emotionlessly as his face saddens. His eyes get glassy and he bites his lip. "I knew you were too good for me, too good to be true. I just knew it. You deserve better than me. You can do better than me." I fiddle with my thumbs on the table as he stares into his coffee again.

He mumbles a curse and looks up at me, a tear rolling down his cheek.

His hands clasp around mine and I hold my breath. "Belle-"

I pull my hands away and cross my arms tightly across my chest as I lean back in my chair.

Aaron wipes the tear away briskly and looks around. "Don't shut me out."

"You don't need me anyway." I scoff, fighting back tears.

"I do-"

"No, you don't! Otherwise you would've been at my house rather than out with some slut! You would've been there when I took that razor apart, when I thought about swallowing a bottle of pills! You would've been there, Aaron! And you weren't!"

His eyes widen at my sudden outburst, or maybe it was because what I just told him.

"I'm sorry... I... I don't know. I'm sorry it ended this way. I'm sorry I'm not what you wanted. I'm sorry I put you through any of this. I'm just sorry."

I stand up, pushing the chair across the floor causing it to make a loud noise jumping Aaron out of his thoughts.

"Belle, don't go."

"Don't try and stop me, Aaron."

"Too bad!" He pounds his fist on the table as he too stands up abruptly, his chair falls to the ground with a loud thud. "Dammit Belle, I will not stop fighting for you. I will not let you just throw me away, because I know, yes, I know, that you still love me. That this is killing you. So why the hell won't you just come back to me." He opens his arms. "Please, my arms are open. Please, come back to me." He squeezes his eyes shut and bites his lip.

I clench my fists and stare at him. His arms still outstretched, but his blue eyes open and pleading me to take a step towards him.

So I do. I close the space between us and throw my arms around his neck, nuzzling my head into his shoulder.

His arms engulf me, squeezing my waist.

His lips go to my neck and kiss urgently. I let myself cry into his black t-shirt. The sobs escape me involuntarily and my body shakes. His arms tighten around me and he grabs his jacket in a quick notion and carries me to Charlie's car. He pushes my back against the large vehicle and forces his lips on mine. I don't resist for a second.