These Lights

Seven: Gone

"What?!" I exclaimed, but immediately turned away from him and sprinted to the elevator, I didn't even notice that Aaron had tailed me until I got into my apartment.

Or, what was left of it.

What wasn't broken was missing, my rug was ripped to shreds, my couch was completely missing, my chairs were tipped over a completely trashed

The walls were graffitied with red paint, my door was non-existent. Everything was just. Gone.

I felt rage, but above that I felt this hopelessness, I couldn't replace all of this, I couldn't pay my rent, I didn't have anywhere else to go, My life had just fallen apart in the span of a few days.

"Aph... I'm so sorry..." I heard Aaron start to talk beside me, and I just, broke down, I was so distraught.

Aaron held me in a way I hadn't been held in a very long time, a compassionate, loving  hug that of course made me cry harder, I heard him try to calm me down, but I wasn't listening, everything I'd ever owned was gone.

"Shhhh... It's gonna be alright... Your gonna be fine...." I buried my head into his chest, I couldn't stop the tears, I wanted to, I didn't want him to see me so weak.

"Everything I own.... Aaron, Everything..." I heard plodding footsteps, but I didn't want anyone else to see me like this, and Aaron seemed to understand.

"Piss off Boone, Go be sadistic somewhere else." The plodding footsteps suddenly stopped and I could hear an angry huff before they were off again.

"You can stay at my place, at least until we find who did this. Okay?" I didn't have a choice, I had nowhere to go, and even though we hadn't known each other for long he had helped me so much.

I couldn't speak so I just nodded, and he basically dragged me into his apartment, he pushed me off him and onto his squishy couch.

"I can't believe that just happened..." He mumbled under his breath, but it was one of the only things I caught, because there were still hot tears rolling down my face.

He sat beside me and laid his hand on my head, Irene I needed to stop crying and think straight, but they just kept flowing.

"Shhh... Please stop crying, It's gonna be okay."

I wanted to believe him, but my life had just gone to perfect to horrible in the span of an hour.

"No. I don't have anywhere else to go. I- I can't replace everything. I- I can't pay for the damage. I don't know what I'm gonna do..." My voice cracks a breaks as I try to speak through the sobs.

"No. That's not true, be thankful that you weren't inside when it happened, your alive Aph, that's what matters." I felt him lift me up and put my tiny figure in his lap, and I was suddenly engulfed in his warmth.

"How am I supposed to support myself? I can't live here anymore, and this complex doesn't allow roommates, you know that." I sniffed, but I felt another round of tears coming on.

"That's not technically true. They allow married couples." I chocked up a laugh.

"Okay, still doesn't matter neither of us are married." I started getting some of my sense back, but I knew it wasn't the end of it.

"I know, but Boone doesn't know that." He pointed out, I moved from his lap and onto the couch beside him.

"Your Dad does though. And he owes the place." I heard him swear under his breath, and he ran his fingers through his hair.

"There's gotta be someway to make this work..." He mumbled, I sighed, breathing in and out. Mulling around my options through my head, sniffling.

"There's this cheap motel around the corner, maybe I can-" I was cut off immediately by Aaron pressing his hand down hard on my shoulder.

"No." He said in such a tone I was I little afraid to argue. "No one should ever be forced from their home like this, you worked hard for it right? You deserve better than a cheap motel."

"Aaron I can't stay here, and I refuse to live with Gene again, I don't want you to get wrapped up in my life." I replied, and I could tell even with his bandana he was not backing down.

"I want to, you are my friend, I want to help. I want to be fully wrapped up in your life."

I stopped and then smiled, but that smile quickly turned to a frown.

"Why? You have no reason to care about what happens to me." At this, I heard him chuckle, and he grabbed my hands.

"You wanna know why? Because you are a wonderful human being. And I need you in my life, let me be in yours." He went pink but I could tell he meant every word, and I went red too.

"Then... What are we going to do? We can't just get married to each other, that'd be weird." Almost a second after I said this he gives me a cheeky grin.

"Who says we can't act like it though?" He replies and I feel the shivers go down my spine. Was he actually proposing what I think he was.

"Think about it, my Dad already thinks we're together, if we act like we're married around him and his agents, then they can't do anything about you staying with me until we can press charges on the person who vandalized your apartment." I just was left aghast, he was being serious, it was like a movie.

"Aaron, I don't know how to act like I'm married to someone, this is never going to work." He chuckled and then smirked.

"That's Easy, just hang onto my arm, call me honey, kiss me on the cheek, that sort of thing." I went red, I couldn't imagine it.

Well, that wasn't true, I could imagine it, easily, in fact, and that was my problem.

"I really don't feel comfortable kissing you." He looked at me confused, then chuckled.

"I get that, I'm not gonna feel comfortable either, but, if you're uncomfortable you don't have to kiss me, we can take baby steps." I could tell he wasn't happy talking about this with me, but I nodded, if anything, this could take my mind off things.

"Like?" I inquired, cocking my head a little.

"Well, your already holding my hand." I looked down and sure enough I was, I didn't even realize I was doing it, when did I start.

"I didn't even realize..." I try to take my hand away but he grabs it a pulls it back.

"No. That's good! We do this around my father and his agents, and they won't question it for awhile." Finally I sigh, I couldn't believe I was agreeing to this. Pretending to be married to him? It was like a bad sitcom.

"Fine. We'll play this game." He grinned and pulled me closer to him, smirking as he usually did when we was being a flirt.

"Game? No honey, we're playing with love."

I didn't realize it at the time, but he was right, we were, and I soon knew I had gotten myself into a whole lot of heart emojis and crazy adventures that we would both be different people at the end of.

This was our story.

The story of life, love, and lies.