An Open Sky

Chapter Six ~Aidan~

              Every thought lead back to her. Every pained, forbidden thought; they all lead to her. I had to see her. She had to know who I was. I felt wrong just watching her from a distance. I felt like a stalker, and it gave me an uncomfortable feeling inside.  

                Every thought of her lead back to Layla. Every time I thought I could be falling in love with a girl I barely even knew, I thought about what happened last time. Some people just aren’t cut out for love, I thought. But, if that was true, why was the thought forever living in the back of my brain?

                I pulled my hood up. It was getting cold. I let it wrap around my neck and hug my face. I let it warm me. My skin was warm; I let my fingers trace it, take in the warmth. Clothing may have warmed my skin, but what was inside me was still as cold as ever. It was still dark. It was still alone. It still cried for her. And as it bled, it cried for me too. The wind sent my skin back to darkness, back to the cold reality. I had nowhere to go.

My mom might start to get worried; I’d been gone for a long time. Ha. The only thing she’s worried about is what bottle of vodka she’s going to down today. The last time she’s ever worried about me was…before dad died. I pushed the thought away and focused on kicking the rock on the side of the road. I tried to see how far I could kick it without it skipping across the pavement.

I made it about a block.

                I wondered what Alexa was doing. I wondered how she was bearing the cold. I could picture her sitting on her bed in some long, fuzzy pajama pants just talking away on her phone. I wondered who her friends were back wherever she used to live. I bet she’d had a lot of them.

                My fingers twitched at my sides. I couldn’t stand it. I had to see her. And I had to see her now.