All I Need [DreamNotFound]

10 - Never Meant to Hurt You

It was nearly ten now. I had sat down at a park and cried. Some parents had given me odd looks, but then a small boy walked up to me.

"Why are you crying?" The bundled up boy asked. His cheeks red from the cold, he was about five. Maybe four, by the looks of it.

"Oh... The person I like doesn't like me back. He hates me," I shut my eyes tight. They snapped back open when I felt his tiny hand on my hand.

"I'm sure that he doesn't hate you." His voice was tiny and gentle.

"Are you some love expert?" I joked, he seemed proud.

"Yep! Why do you think I have a boyfriend?" He said cooly, my eyes widened.

"Oh really?" I said laughing.

"Yep! He's my best friend, Dante. He kissed my cheek on the playground yesterday."

"I guess I better take your advice then..."

"You should. Just apologize to that person. I'm sure they would enjoy that..."

"I think he would too," his eyes went wide with excitement. Hearing that I liked boys too made him excited.

"Jason!" What I guessed to be his mother walked over. "I'm sorry was he bothering you?"

"Not at all. He's a smart kid." His mother grinned.

"He is. We came out here to find our cat. My husband found him hiding under the slide so we need to go home okay?" She held out her hand for him to take.

"I was just telling him about Dante." His mother looked over at me, maybe to check if I was being judgemental or not. I gave her a smile and could see the relief in her eyes. The child grabbed her hand and was already distracted. "Come on! I wanna see Flufferson!!" He tried to pull her away.

"That was him and his father's doing. That darn name,"

"You love it, mommy! I know you do!"

"Go catch up with Daddy, I'll be there in a moment." Surprisingly she sat down next to me, I looked over at her.

"I'm sure my son was helpful. He always is, he can even cheer me up when I need it.  but can ask what's bothering you?"

"I'm in love with my best friend. And he knew about it. I'm sure he doesn't feel the same, he looked disgusted with me." The woman sighed and fiddled with her hands.

"Sometimes we mask the feelings we have. Mainly because we think that they never feel the same. Sometimes they do that also. What you have to understand is that you never know if you don't try. And if you fail, which I'm sorry that is always a possibility, you have to remember the good times. Did he treat you any differently during the time you suspect he knew?"

"No he didn't."

"Do you want to lose him as a friend?"

"Of course not. I need him in my life, he's all I need in my life."

"Then try. Just try that's all I can tell you." She gave my hand a squeeze and walked over to her husband. She gave him a quick kiss and gave the cat in his arms a scratch on the head. That boy gave me a grin, then raced his mom to the car.

...

I pulled the key from my back pocket and opened the door. I could hear the shower running and the bathroom light was on. I didn't to be up when he got out of the bathroom. I slid under the covers of my bed and pulled the comforter up to and over my head. My eyes were droopy but I didn't want to sleep. 

My heart dropped when I heard the shower turn off, then a few minutes later the door opened. I could tell he was staring at me, looking at me from the door frame. I froze, unable to move. He silently got into bed without a word, I could sense he was staring at me. So I turned around and faced him, his eyes looked even more yellow in the dark. They almost seemed to glow.