Dust ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Five: Games

Chapter Twenty-Five: Games

I woke up to that beautiful painting staring me in the face. A constant reminder that I'm an idiot and I make poor choices. I eyed the dancing couple inside, imagining that they were alive and actually moving. It could have been.

The image of their dance was stuck inside my mind for the remainder of my day. At work, I kept to myself, reliving past moments in my head over and over.

If there was a fork in the road, splitting it in half and separating off into different directions, I'd be faced with a choice. One direction would be a clear sign to walk down, while the other would be terrifyingly threatening to stay away... And I'd still walk down the wrong road.

I suppose it was a good thing that I have always been quiet. It made things easier for other people. They didn't have to ask what was going on because they'd be too scared to ask or just used to the silence. It was a perk to be a "loose cannon."

I prepared myself for most things.

I wasn't prepared to see her sitting in my living room with a glass of wine, ranting to Lacey a thousand miles per second.

I closed the front door behind me and walked cautiously into the fire.

Lacey lifted her head up slightly to acknowledge me while Aria twisted her neck around to face me. Pinging my heart.

She didn't say hi unlike Lacey. Instead, she turned back towards her friend and continued on with her rant as if I wasn't even here. I guess I should expect that but it still bothered me.

"-And he completely over reacted and ruined everything."

I frowned. Her father again, perhaps?

"What happened?" I asked, clutching my keys in my hand forcefully as a security blanket.

"Surprise, surprise, her dad spoiled her whole time with her brother with his constant nagging and instigating." Lacey chimed in when Aria remained silent.

She was still faced towards Lacey but I could see her side profile. She didn't look thrilled.

She sighed and glared at her friend.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I felt bad.

Aria's glare turned to me. Then sweetly said, "I don't think you really care to know, do you?"

I suppose anger was better than not having emotion at all.

"I do care."

Aria rolled her eyes and sipped on her wine, finishing off the glass.

She was a lot more angry than when I left her. I suppose she's had some time to think.

I stood there in place, standing my ground at my statement. I did care, a lot more than she could believe. She was clearly upset with me and she had every right but it wasn't going to stop me from the truth.

Lacey poured her another glass of white wine while topping off her own glass. The bottle emptied with every last drop. Lacey took a large gulp of her wine and stood up suddenly, swift motion.

"Enough of that, we should go out tonight!" Lacey exclaimed, a large grin formed on her tipsy face. It was her subtle hint to change the direction of our conversation.

I internally sighed.

Aria nodded dramatically and tipped a large amount of liquid into her mouth before slamming the glass on the table. "Agreed!" She said and began walking towards the back of the house. "Tyler!" She called around the corner. "Put some clothes on, I'm coming up! We're going out tonight and I need to borrow an outfit!" With that, Aria disappeared to the other side of the house.