POLAROID (PAUSED)

Chapter 10: Something Inside

I still remember the day Aston moved into our town. It was four years ago.

It's wasn't the beginning of another school year or end of one. Just a regular plain day, sometimes in February. I was in the mall with my mom to do some shopping. That's when I saw him.

A very sandy haired boy, who looked almost my age. I'm not gonna lie saying I didn't find him attractive at the first sight.

He had this very adorable frown plastered on his face. His long bangs were hiding half of his face. For someone in middle school, he seemed pretty...cute.

He was following a woman, his mother I assumed, to the other direction of where we were going. 

I saw so awestruck that I barely noticed the tears running down his face. Specially when my mom pulled me out of my thoughts and pushed me through the double doors of the dress shop we were intending to go. The last thing I saw was a glimpse of an avenger model he was tightly carrying in his arms before they took a turn in the corner.

To this day I didn't know the reason behind the frown on his face. I simply assumed it was because of the moving from a high class city to a very average sub-urban town. But after what he said, it all started to make sense. The red face, those tears, the secrecy, those stomping around the playground and refuses to play for the school team, running away from middle school. The fist he threw after what happened to that particular avenger toy.

And now that I think of it, a pre teen who  had to go through that kind of family drama, Aston did a great job at hiding it.

Something moved in my chest. And I knew it was out of sympathy and pity. And I also knew the last thing Aston wanted was someone's pity for his messed up family life.

While I was staring at him the whole time Aston looked away and moved a little far away from me. This startled Wolfe and he starting moaned but fall back to sleep immediately.

I looked up for see Aston was now obviously trying not to meet my eyes.

"So Reid's in our enemy list now?" I had to idea where that came from, but this caught his attention and he instantly jerked his head in my direction.

"Our enemy?" He asked.

I had to idea why I said that, it just came out of blue. Maybe because Reid was probably the reason my first crush my killed in the field?

But Aston was the last person who needed to know that. His ego is big enough as it is.

So I changed the topic. "So you guys are bloodrelated or-?"

Aston shook his head and chuckled. "Yes? No? Maybe?" Then he sighed. "Honestly, I have no idea. He never tried to explain. We never wanted to learn. I didn't know how many children he was raising with his mistress. Wasn't interested to learn their age, or how they looked like. We were happy living at an ocean distance," he said and paused. "But the fucker had to ruin it, huh?"

I didn't know how to reply that so I remained quite.

"But what do you think?" He suddenly asked me.

"Huh?"

He turned to the side and looked me into the eyes. "Do you think he might possibly my half brother?"

I didn't know how to answer that. Have I found any similarities between the two? Truth be told, I did. More than a little. That actually explained all my attraction towards him. But how could I tell him that.

Instead I took his hands in mine out of blue and squeezed them tight. "It'll be alright. Them being there won't change what you've achieved so far."

Though he didn't seem to be convinced, Aston smiled, a very little tiny one, but it was enough to warm my heart. The little me I buried in four years ago suddenly started to come to the surface. But I was quick to catch it.

I jerked away from him and scooted farther. Astons eyes seemed to get darker but it lasted to little that it could be my imagination too.

What was wrong with me? He is the enemy. Why do I keep forgetting that?

And what's with all the touching. Not to mention the feeling I got wherever our skin were contacted.

Before I could say something to reduce the awkwardness of the situation, two shadows stood behind Aston.

Two very tall, one very muscular, other terribly skinny shadows.

And the former one didn't seem to look amused at all.

A/N: I'm really sorry guys, but this story will be on pause until further notice. I have to much study pressure and I really want to focus on that for now, so I might not be able to continue regularly. Moreover, truth be told, I'm not finding that much inspiration to continue this book, idk why, so I decided not to keep you all hanging. I'm sorry again and thank you for giving this book a shot I'm not sure if it deserved. Love you all, stay safe ❣️