An Old, Rekindled Love

Side story: Drunken Love

        Arielle quickly went to the bar and ordered a few shots. The awkward tension she had just escaped was now almost palatable. She did NOT want to explain what had happened at Valley Hill. She thought the best way to forget those memories right now was to intoxicate herself with shots of hard liquor.

        Arielle had gotten drunk three other times in her whole life, and each time she forgot about everything; what she said, her own thoughts, her actions. It was the perfect way to escape life. By the time Chad had reached Arielle, she was already gone, but he didn't know it.

        "Arielle, why'd you run off? I know we don't want to tell Daysi or Logan what happened during high school, but you didn't even look at me.......I hate there being awkwardness between the both of us. I thought we settled everything. Can we talk about this? Why can't it just go back to normal? There's nothing keeping us apart." Chad grabbed Arielle's hand and interlocked their fingers. He stared at their hands.

        Chad remembered long ago when grabbing Arielle's hand was nothing out of the ordinary, but after senior year he was taking a huge risk. He just kept looking at their hands because he was afraid she would pull away at any moment. You could never know with Arielle.

~

        Normally, Arielle would have cared about how her hair was already completely tangled, or how Chad had interlocked their fingers, but since she was drunk, she didn't really mind. She was only focusing on how Chad's hand still felt smooth and comfortable against hers. She loved hands. She thought they were fascinating in an abstract sort of way. Arielle wondered why she didn't hold his hand more often. It felt so comforting. Arielle snapped out of her thoughts and quickly replied, "I wish we could go back to the old days, but everything's so new now."

         Chad snapped out of his daze and tore his gaze from their hands. He only held her hand tighter and looked into her eyes. His eyes were so piercing and deep, Arielle couldn't look away. Chad intended on keeping it that way. He wouldn't let her escape. Not again.

        "Then why don't we figure it out? I want to take the time to work things out, whatever it takes. It may have taken ten years for me to realize it, but I need you in my life. We could even go to couple's therapy."         

        Arielle found the idea really weird and got chills.

        "You'll just have to give me another chance. Please?" Chad's eyes seemed to quiver. He wasn't so sure what he was doing, but he knew it had to be done. Arielle needed someone committed. Someone to help her when she just couldn't do everything by herself. Chad thought he could be that person or at least hoped he could one day be the person she needed.

        "I think we could figure everything out, but I'm not sure if I could handle that. So much has happen in these last ten years Chad, and then the promise we made to each other in senior year... Jesus so much happened between us at Valley Hill."

        Arielle sighed, and turned her body to face him completely. "It all started when I left during Christmas break to my Mother's, remember? Somehow this invisible tension and drama rose up. Eventually, it was all too much."

        Arielle stood up straight and closed her eyes, placing her fingers at her temples. "Looking back at all of it, things could've been different. I might not be CEO if it didn't happen. That horrendous event has led us to who and what we are today. My life is great!."

        Arielle threw her hands in the air. He eyes turned bright for a moment and her smile was almost genuine, but it all fell. "But every now and then I really do miss you. I miss your silky hair, your captivating eyes, your rare smile, and your stupid side comments. I'm just not sure if I could handle senior year repeating again. What would all our friends think? Daysi? Logan? Eli and Diego? Cam and Carlos? Phoebe?"