The Truth About Aphmau

The Stranger

Aphmau's POV
*BANG* *BANG*
"Who's there!?"
"It's..."

"It's a survivor! Please help me! There's a mini horde coming and I don't have anything!"
I opened the door and a girl with dark brown hair and a blue shirt with matching pants rushes into the room. She is trying to catch her breath, but she's stuttering with her words.
"I-it's a ... *pant* horde. I don't h-ave things"
"Woah woah woah slow down. Catch your breath and try to speak"
I say.
"O-okay..."
I then realize she's hurt. Not by a zombie, but by a human.
"What happened to your leg!?"
"Oh... I got b-betrayed by another survivor."
"That's too bad. We won't do the same. I promise."
"Thanks..."
There's silence for about half an hour. Aaron looks up at me like he's wanting me to finish things. I think he wants me to explain the previous conversation.

(Time skipppppp 1 week later)
"Thank you both for your hospitality. I'll make sure that you get repaid for your kindness."
The girl said.
"It's fine. Just be safe!"
I respond. She waved goodbye as she walked out the door. Not even one second after she closed and locked the door, Aaron turns to me and says;
"So, about that conversation before..."
"Oh, um y-yea..."
I stare at the floor as he looks at me with confusion.
"What's up, Aph?"

WARNING! Sensitive subjects as in;
Cutting
Self harm/hate
Abusive parents
Please go to the next chapter if you are uncomfortable with these subjects!

"I-I..."
"Aph... you know you can talk to me about anything. Right?"
"Y-yea I know that, it's just, it's multiple uncomfortable situations..."
"What? That's concerning aph... are you okay?"
"I don't know... I just... I can't say different things because you would take it the wrong way..."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
I can feel the tears in my eyes. I don't want to tell him, but if I don't he'll be worried... and I don't want him to be worried about me... that's a waste of energy for him.
"Well, it's a sensitive subject..."
My voice is cracking. And he knows that.
"Aph... please, talk to me."
"But your going to take it the wrong way! And I don't want you to do that."
"I'll just listen. Just, please. Explain."
I start to explain. My family backstory, then mine.
(This is gonna be hard lol)
"My parents weren't happy together. My mother broke it off with my father. I was only three, so I didn't know how to take it."
He looks at me while I talk. 
"I was... a-abused..."
His eyes go from normal to surprised and worried.
"My father was an alcoholic. He thought it was my fault that my mom left him. He got a good lawyer and won full custody of me. After that I was homeschooled  by a person. I can't remember who. But after I did my work, I cleaned up after him, I made his supper, and after, he beat me if it wasn't good. The next year I went to high school, where I met you. I had so many cuts, bruises, sometimes broken bones. Nobody knew. I was pretty good at hiding it."
He pulls me into a hug.
"I'm so sorry this happened to you aph..."
I hug back.
"It's okay. Just keep listening. I have the courage to tell you this right now."
I resume the previous thought.
"When I got home, I made him food, so when he got back he could eat. Every time I didn't..."
"What did he do aph?!"
"He... he used a whip on me. I still have the scars on my back."
I turn around and lift my shirt up. His fingers trace my scars. I jump at the soft touch.
"Aph..."
I turn back around and continue talking.
"The abuse cause me to... um... /cut myself/"
I whisper.
"What?"
"C-cut myself..."
We sat there in silence for a minute and he responded with;
"Do you still do it?"
I waited and thought about my answer. If I said yes he'd freak out and take it the wrong way. If I say no, he'd be okay.
"N-no."
He looked at the floor. I knew that he knows I'm lying. I have to many tells. But he excuses  it.
"Good. Do you want to continue?"
"U-um, sure."
I continue.
"Later we went to.... the l-lodge."
He flinched.
"I still remember what I said. And, it hurts me a lot more than it hurts you..."
He looks up at me.

Aaron's POV
"It hurts me a lot more than it hurts you..."
I looked up at her.
"What?"
I say.
"It does. Every night in the year alone all I heard was my voice, his voice, and the screams. I didn't sleep any of the nights out of that year. I didn't eat unless I needed it, and didn't drink until my friends forced me to."
It hurt me to hear her say that. I could tell it hurt her too. I know that she doesn't want me to worry, but I've never been so worried for her.
"And that leads to meeting up."
I lost my train of thought and focused on her. She seemed sad. Hurt. Wounded.
"That smile that you saw, the one that you thought was fake? That was my real smile. I've never been as happy as that moment. Well, at least in my life leading up to that."
I'm so confused. Does that mean she wasn't really happy with me? No, maybe she was. But if she was then she'd smile with her real smile! I'm so confused. Maybe—
"Don't get any wrong ideas. I've been happy with you ever since meeting you. Just because I didn't use my real smile, doesn't mean you don't make me happy. I love you. Always have, always will."
I look up at her with tears in my eyes. She notices and pulls me into a soft kiss.

Word count:1014
Thanks for reading!