Love of Music (Dalton Rapattoni)

Chapter 7

*The next day – Will's house*

DALTON'S POV

I knocked on Will's door and waited for someone to open it. A few moments later, the door swung open to reveal a very tired but sad looking Will. He smiled at me and hugged me. I hugged him back.
"She's in her room." He said, answering my unvoiced question. "I don't think you'll like what you see though. She's had one of her bad days and I'm not sure that she'll be up for going out for dinner." Will told me as he closed the door behind us.
Ok, now I'm even more worried than I was before. Without saying a word, I rushed upstairs to her room, which I had learned was the old guest room. Once I got there, I knocked lightly on the door.
"Angel? It's Dalton. Can I come in sweetheart?" I asked. I heard a soft "Come in" echo from the other side. I opened the door slowly to see Aria lying on her bed looking straight up at the ceiling. I walked over and sat down on the bed next to her.
"Aria? Sweetheart? Talk to me." I asked softly, more of a question than a statement, as I knew what it was like to not want to talk to anyone. In an instant, she sat up and embraced me in a tight hug. I didn't waste a second in hugging her back.
"It came back. It's been more frequent than before. It's gotten worse. Some days it's ok, but others, not so much." She revealed, her voice low. I knew exactly what she was talking about.
"How long?" I asked.
"Dalton-" She began, her voice soft. She looked up at me and I saw the tear tracks on her face.
"Please babe. How long?" I pressed. I needed to know how long she had been enduring this pain but I hadn't been there to support her. She sighed and looked down.
"Since I got back to LA." She revealed. I looked at her sadly. That had been over a month ago.
"Why didn't you tell me honey?" I asked, lifting my hand up to her face to gently wipe away her tears. I wasn't mad or hurt, I just wanted to know why. She sniffled, as if she was trying to prevent herself from crying.
"I was scared." She revealed. "Plus, I didn't want my problems shoved on you as you are already stressed enough as it is with American Idol and all that." She said.
"Aria, baby, look at me." I requested. She looked up at me, her tear filled eyes connecting with mine. "I love you more than anything. You mean way more to me than a talent show like American Idol. Yes it is stressful, but it would mean nothing if I didn't have you by my side." I said. "You are the light of my life and I don't know what I would do without you. It kills me to see you like this; hurt, sad, and broken. I am always here to talk to if you ever need anything. Remember, I know how this feels. Being bipolar means that I can go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in an extremely short period of time. I have never experienced the loss of my entire family, but I do know what depression feels like. There is nothing wrong with seeking help or treatment. Whether that is from a doctor, a therapist, a close friend, or family. Find someone and something that helps you to release all the tension and sadness, a way for you to escape." I offered. It was a bit of a rant, but I didn't really care. I just want, no, need to help her.

ARIA'S POV

I was thinking about the advice that Dalton had given me regarding my depression. I know how hard his bipolar disorder was for him, I was there to help him through it. I miss my parents more than anything, and it still feels surreal that they aren't here anymore. I love Will, he's like my brother and I will be forever grateful to him and his family for taking me in when I had nowhere else to go, but it is not the same. I remember Dalton saying to me once that "no one can force you out of depression. Only you can do that. You can have people help you, guide you, and be there for you, but you have to want to do it for yourself." As always, he was right. I want to get better, and I want to get out of this horrible state. I just don't know how. I know my parents would wand me to seize all opportunities given to me, not sitting around mentally destroying myself because they are gone, but I just don't know how to do it. I know what I have to do, I just don't know if I have the strength to do it.
I was broken out of my thoughts by a knock on my door.
"Aria? Dinner is ready. Do you want me to bring something up to you?" I heard Will's voice echo through the door. I knew what I had to do. I forced myself out of my bed and walked over to the door and opened it. Will looked surprised that I was up.
"No thank you. Could I maybe come down and join you all?" I asked hopefully. Will looked surprised momentarily, but then he smiled.
"Of course you can Songbird. We would all love that." He replied, pulling me in for a hug.

WILL'S POV

I was honestly surprised that Aria was up and about. She had been in a state of depression since we got back to LA and she hadn't seemed to be getting any better. I had come upstairs to offer to bring her dinner but something happened that surprised me greatly when I asked her.
"No thank you. Could I maybe come down and join you all?" She asked hopefully. I was surprised by her request, she didn't need to ask, but I decided to give her reassurance. I smiled at her.
"Of course you can Songbird. We would all love that." I replied, pulling her in for a hug. After a few moments, we both pulled away.
"So, what is for dinner?" She asked as we walked down the hallway.
"It's a surprise." I said, winking at her.
"Will." She said in a whiny voice. "You know how much I dislike surprises!" She exclaimed as we descended the stairs.
"I'll say this. It's something that you like." I replied mysteriously. She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. I am so glad to see that beautiful smile. It's been quite a while since I last saw it directed at anything other subject apart form Dalton. With that, we both made our way downstairs with smiles on our faces.

*A few hours later*

I was going to bed but decided to say goodnight to Aria as she was in her room already. I opened the door and peeked inside. She was laying down on her bed with the light on doing something, so she looked up when she heard the door open. She smiled when she saw it was me.
"Aria?" I asked.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I'm going to bed. I just wanted to say goodnight." I told her.
"Oh. Ok." She said. She then paused for a moment before speaking again. "Will? Before you go, will you sing to me?" She asked hopefully. I opened the door further and walked inside, making my way over to her bed.
"What do you want me to sing?" I asked, sitting down next to her.
"Anything." She replied. I began stroking her hair; something that I knew calmed her down. I started singing Hercules by Fly Away Hero. I knew it was one of the songs that she liked. (A/N: Imagine Will is singing acappella and very softly).

By the time I had finished the song, Aria was fast asleep. I smiled down at her. She looks so serene when she is sleeping, like all the things she worried about on a daily basis completely evaporated.
"Goodnight Aria." I whispered. I smiled and kissed her forehead softly, before turning the light off, getting up, and walking out of the room, silently closing the door behind me.