The River Speaks

Chapter Nineteen: Fight

OKAY BUT CAN WE CALL APPRECIATE THE AMAZING NEW COVER IT LOOKS LIKE A VOGUE MAGAZINE!
You can thank nerdfpiper for that

*****

Chapter Nineteen: Fight

Insistent knocking on my door causes me to roll my eyes. I set the spaghetti spoon in the pot and walk to the front door. I unlock the deadbolt and pull it open.
It's no surprise to see Aiden standing there, because after two weeks I've seen him once.
I may or may not be avoiding him.
Every time he asks to hang out I make up some excuse. He showed up once and I'm not good at lying on the spot, so I let him in.
I open my mouth to lie and then shut it at the look on his face.
He looks upset and frustrated.
"How long are you going to avoid me?" He demands. "When are you going to start talking to me again?"
"I'm not avoiding you."
"Don't lie." He replies.
He lets walks into my apartment and I sigh, shutting the door. He sniffs the air a few times and goes wandering into the kitchen, peering into my pot of spaghetti.
Without saying anything, he grabs a bowl and fills it with spaghetti, getting a beer from my fridge.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask, amused.
"No." He grumbles. "Are you avoiding me because of that night we were drunk?"
"No." I say.
"So you are avoiding me. Why?"
I shut off the stove and grab a bowl of spaghetti and I get water instead of beer.
He watches me, his eyes narrowed.
"Tell me why you're avoiding me." He says. "Please. Whatever it is, I'll work on it."
I look down at the table and sigh slowly.
"Aiden, do you have feelings for me?"
His eyebrows raise slightly.
"Why?" He asks.
"Because that night you..." I sigh. "It was different."
"Different than what?" He presses. "Than Elliot? Why would you even compare me to him? That's the most insulting insult-"
I move to the seat closer to him.
"I'm not comparing you to him." I whisper. "I'm saying that you're nothing like him."
"In reference to what? How controlling he was? How he forced you to do things? How he hit you-"
"In reference to how you treated me."
"I'm sorry, I'm not following you. Because I didn't treat you like a sex doll, you think I have feelings for you?"
"You treated me like it was more than fucking around." I snap. "But you know what?Don't worry about it. Forget it. You want me to stop avoiding you? Fine. But you need to understand that I've never been with somebody who put me first in that situation. It's not a fucking insult Aiden, so if you could stop being a dick about it, that would be great. The only reason I thought it was more to you was because every fucking time I asked you how you felt, you dodged the question. You've made it clear how you feel though."
"Why are you so angry?" He asks, frustrated.
"Because you're being an asshole!"
"Because I said that-"
"Because you were rude about it." I cut him off.
I get a Pyrex container and take the bowl of spaghetti out of his hand, dumping it in there. It splatters onto my table and I don't care.
I put the lid on it and thrust it into his hands.
"Go."
"You're kicking me out?" He asks.
"Yes. Get out. I'm not kidding."
He scoffs.
"Fine. Next time you're-" he cuts off. "Never mind."
"Say it!" I say angrily.
He goes storming to the door and rips it open, turning to me.
"I'm not saying it."
With that, he walks out and slams the door.
I stand there and stare at the shut door.
I sit down at the kitchen table and bury my head in my hands. My eyes well with tears and I sigh, swiping them away angrily.
What was he going to say? He came in here in the worst mood.
Aiden was the one person who I knew would never talk down to me.
Because I didn't treat you like a sex doll, I have feelings for you?
I want to call somebody to talk, but who am I going to call?
Aiden is who I call.
I don't want one drunken night to ruin everything.
I cuss quietly and dump my bowl into the pot and put it in a container in the fridge.
I'm not hungry anymore.

*****

I've never fought with Aiden. I was expecting him to text me or something, but he never did.
I didn't know if I should have. Maybe I overreacted. Who knows.
Sighing, I sign off of my computer at work and stand up. It's five so I'm off.
My eyes burn from lack of sleep and I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday.
I hit the button for the elevator and wait.
When it opens on my floor, I get on with a few of my coworkers, hitting the button for the parking garage.
It goes down and I pull out the keys to my truck.
All of us disperse in opposite directions.
I can either avoid the fight or show up at his door and beg him to forgive me.
I rub my forehead and decide to go with the second one.
I wander over to my truck, pausing when I get closer.
Aiden is leaning against the truck in a button down and black slacks.
Probably his work clothes.
He looks up at the sound of my footsteps and runs his fingers through his hair.
I come to a stop in front of him.
"I'm sorry." He says. "I was a complete asshole. I came there trying to find out why you were avoiding me and I was a dick. I'm sorry."
Elliot never apologized.
"I'm sorry too. I was being a bitch and I shouldn't have kicked you out."
"You were right to kick me out." He says. "I forgive you."
"So we're good?" I ask.
"Are you done avoiding me?"
I smile a little bit and nod.
"Yes."
"Then we're good." He says. "But you have to go with me to dinner."
"On one condition." I say.
"What is it?" He asks.
"You have to tell me why you really came over yesterday, because I know that wasn't only because of me."
"I really don't want to talk about it. Especially not in public."
"So we can order in." I say with a shrug.
"Alright fine, but we're getting Uber Eats."
"Works for me."

*****

You have no idea how mad I was. I accidentally deleted this chapter and it was gone and I had to write it again after multiple attempts to retrieve the old one.
~Sam