Bittersweet

The Secret Place

'Because every time I look into his eyes, I see someone who is lost and is just trying to find his way.'

Aaron took another spoon of his mango flavoured ice cream as her words filtered through his mind.

'I see someone thirsty for happiness and love.'

He pushed the ice cream aside and walked upstairs to his room.

He laid down on his bed face up with his hands behind his head.

He was humbled by her words, words only her had been able to say.

Everything she said was true.

Yes, he felt lost and yes, he was trying to breach out of the darkness he's been submerged in his whole life and the greatest truth of all, he was not just thirsty but starving for happiness and love.

What shook him the most was how she was able to spot all those things about him, even when she barely knew him.

He exhaled.

'She must be confused', he thought, because of how he left all of a sudden and quite rudely but with the way he'd been feeling, he knew to leave was the only thing he could have done in that situation.

For someone who wasn't used to showing emotions, he became an emotional wreck with just a few words of hers, words that seemed to have reached his very being.

He wanted to call her to apologize for how he acted at La Classics.

He knew she would be home since it was five in the evening, he hadn't gone to work that day.

He's never called her outside of work before but he guessed there was always a first time for everything.

He called her.

It rang the first time, the second, she picked it on the third ring.

"Hello s-" She caught herself on time.

"Good evening Sarah."

"Good evening." Her voice sounded sleepy-he must have woken her.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." He said.

"I'm fine. Thank you for sending someone to take me home, it was kind of you." She said.

"It's my pleasure. I want to apologize for leaving so abruptly yesterday."

"It's fine, you don't have to apologize." He heard her try to stifle a yawn. His eyes widened slightly.

"Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but I needed to do some chores anyway."

He smiled.

"Mind if I lend you a hand?" He tried to uncharacteristically joke.

Sarah chuckled and it did some unexplainable things to his heart.

"No." She replied.

"Thank you for calling." She said.

"My pleasure."

"Aaron?" She called his name softly.

He held the phone tighter.

"Yes?" He answered softly.

"Take care of yourself."

There was a pause.

"I will." The line went dead after a few seconds.

He removed the phone from his ear.

He grinned.