your body is a weapon → brad simpson | ✓

forty

My dad was out again today at work, but we had spent the entire weekend catching up on the festivities we had missed out on.

With an early start to my Monday morning, I decide to be productive since Brad's recovering from a stressful weekend still. Once I'm dressed and ready to leave my house, I begin my journey into town to do some shopping.

The weather wasn't particularly great today but it wasn't terrible, either. There was a drizzle of rain falling from the sky and the sun wasn't shining through the clouds so it was quite dark. No doubt it will be foggy tomorrow.

Brad was texting me the entire way to the shop since it was a bus ride there and I didn't want to feel awkward or uncomfortable. He tried ringing me but that wouldn't help because I'd feel like I'm being too loud.

When I arrive at the shop, I grab a trolley and begin making my way around the shop, picking up different things my dad had written down on the list, plus some extra things I wanted to buy for myself.

The shop wasn't really that busy, even for a Saturday afternoon, so getting around was quite quick and easy. Soon enough, I'm queueing to get my food scanned.

"Excuse me," someone says. "Sorry, can I get through? I'm trying to get to my friend."

I turn my head so I'm looking over my shoulder to see a tall, black haired boy approaching me and I inhale sharply. I had almost forgot that we were due to catch up; I'd been too caught up in making sure Brad is okay.

Aiden stops beside me and smiles. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?" I ask and he's surprised by my bluntness. We step forward as the next customer gets served.

"I wanted to talk to you," he says. "Well, not here, but I also figured you could use a ride home so we can talk there."

I glance up at him. "Why would I need a ride home?"

"Well, firstly I know you haven't got your drivers' license yet," he says and I open my mouth to argue that I didn't need a ride. "And secondly, one of my men saw you on the bus."

"That's not creepy at all, is it?" I mumble sarcastically.

"I just want to talk and explain myself," he says to me. "I don't want you to hate me—that's the last thing I want, actually."

I want to talk to him too, I want answers to the questions I asked myself over the three and a half years he'd left me. Plus, it was a free ride home.

"I'm only agreeing to this because I don't want to carry all the shopping home," I tell him and he bites back a smile and nods.

Once I'm served and I've paid for my shopping—Aiden tried to pay but I told him to piss off—we make our way to his car. I raise my eyebrows at him.

"An Aston Martin? Really?"

"It's a nice car," he shrugs, taking some of the bags out of the trolley and into the boot of his car. I help him out and do the same thing before taking the trolley back to the huge line of them under a shelter.

Once we're both in the car, strapped in, Aiden pulls out of the car park and we make our way to my house.

"Do you need my address or did one of your men tell you were I live too?" I ask him. Since he'd been out of my life, I went through a period of living in hotels before my dad and I finally started living in our current house.

He sighs. "Jamie, just because I was gone doesn't mean that I didn't keep track of you."

"So one of your men told you," I conclude and he rolls his eyes.