Rays of Hope

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve: Avery’s POV

After seeing a movie at Ray’s apartment, I get really tired and get ready to walk home. A sleepy Ray quickly gets up and asks why I’m getting up.

“I need to get home now, I have plans with Jesse in the morning,” I explain.

His eyes darken. “Jesse?”

I look at him suspiciously while saying, “Yeah, you remember him, right?”

“Yeah, I know him.”

“Yup… Well I gotta go now. Today was… nice,” I say all of this really uncomfortably, not knowing how to say goodbye. His expression has changed, I don’t understand why he looks so mad all of a sudden.

“The kiss was nice,” he bluntly blurts out.

“Just nice?” I ask, feeling nervous and insulted all at once.

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” I say, my heart falling. “Well okay, bye now,” I say, rushing out of the door so he doesn’t see my hurt expression.

I half expect him to grab my arm and say he’ll drive me, that it’s not safe for me to walk home alone at night. But this is reality, he’s not going to do that. Just as I predict, he doesn’t even turn my way. That makes my heart fall even more, if that’s possible.

I leave his penthouse feeling slightly broken-hearted.

Slowly, I begin to walk down the darkened streets, which were lit only by the flickering lights of the lamps on the streets.  

My apartment is about an hour’s walk away from Ray’s penthouse. I’m very thankful of the tattered sneakers that I am wearing on my feet. If I had been wearing anything else, my feet would have been sore and red when I arrived home.

****

The walk had been long, and it was close to nearing midnight by the time I had arrived at my apartment. I was quite nervous, for as the nights grew darker, the people did too. I could already see the figures and shadows of men and women leaning against the wall of the alley nearby. Quickening my pace, I throw open the apartment’s main doors and scurry inside.

Unlocking my front door, I walk inside my apartment, deciding against flicking on the switch. Instead, I open up the cabinets in my kitchen and fumble around in the dark with my hands before I finally feel the outline of a few candlesticks I had lying around and an old box of matches.

Swiping the match across the side of the box, I watch the flame flare up for a moment, before relaxing. Lifting up a candle, I light the wick with the match, before doing the same with the other. I blow out the match with a quick breath, before the fire could burn my fingertips. Placing the candle back down onto the countertop, I watch the melting wax drip down the lopsided candlestick. Pulling up a stool, I lean my weary head in my hands and let out a sigh. I watch the golden flame flicker with my icy breath, and wait a moment, for fear the flame would go out. That had been my last match.

Thankfully, the candle stays burning strong, and I lift both of the wooden sticks up and carry it into my bedroom. There, I change out of the clothes I was wearing, which I had borrowed from Ray. I make a mental note to get my clothes back and give him his. Mine are covered in permanent paint, but they’re one of my only outfits.  

In my own pajamas now, I lift up the sweats to place them onto a chair besides the bedroom door, and can’t help but smell the lingering scent of Ray on the clothes. Ray smells all male, a heavenly mixture of nature, wood, and musk.

Shaking my head to take me out of the trance, I gratefully fold Ray’s clothes and place them on the wooden chair, before pulling on a pair of warm, woolen socks, which would keep my feet warm as I slept. Climbing into bed now, I pull my legs under the scratchy covers. Looking over at the shaky bedside table, where I had placed the candles, I decide to blow them out and not risk them toppling in the night. I cup the back of the candlewick with the palm of my hand, before gently blowing out the flickering flame. The room is suddenly pitched into darkness, and I close my eyes to sleep.