Things End, Deal With It

eight // part two

After mine and Nash's phone call, I just sit on the couch and wait for Aaron. About ten minutes later, the door swings open, and Aaron walks into the living room with a McDonalds bag. He tosses it to me and plops down. "I got you a cheese burger," he says.

"I said I didn't want anything." I slide the bag over to him, but he moves it away.

"Eat."

"Nash told you, didn't he?" I stand up from the couch and cross my arms. Aaron doesn't speak. "Didn't he?" I raise my voice to try and get an answer.

"Cameron did, actually," he mumbles.

"Cameron! Fucking Cameron!" I cover my face with my hands. I scream; I just scream. I fall to my knees and scream.

"Cheyenne." I feel Aaron's hand on my shoulder, but I push it away.

"Leave. Me. Alone," I seethe and glare at him. I stand back up and push him away from me. "Just leave, please." Someone bursts through the door. Nash and Cameron come towards us. "Get out!" I scream and run towards the stairs.

"Oh, no you don't." I hear Nash say and wrap his arms around my waist. He picks me up and takes me to the couch. He sits in front of me on the coffe table, and Cameron and Aaron stand on either side of him. Nash leans forward and puts his hands on my knees. "Are we doing this again?" I look up to Aaron, who is staring at Nash's hands. I pull my knees away from his touch and watch as Aaron's eyes soften. I smile a little. He's still jealous. "Cheyenne, look at me." I look into Nash's eyes. "Are we going to do this again?"

"I told you that we," I motion to all of us. "Aren't doing anything again. It's my choice."

"You did this two years ago and got put in the hospital. Do you want to do that again?" He's angry.

"When I got out of the hospital, I met Aaron." I smile. The best day of my life.

"Cheyenne, how long have you not been eating?" Cameron asks, sitting down next to me.

"I've been eating. Just not as much as I used to."

"Can you please start eating normally? For me, and Nash, and Aaron," he asks. "Please."

"Someone called me fat."

"What?" Nash moves out of the way so Aaron can sit in front of me. "When? When did this person tell you you were fat?"

"I was um, I went out to look for a bathing suit, and I found one that was nice, I guess. Well, I mean I thought it was nice." I wipe my nose and eyes on the back of my hand. "I went into the dressing room and needed help tying it so I opened the door. Um, I asked a girl to tie it so she did. When I asked her how it looked, she said I looked..." I swallow the lump forming in my throat from crying. "Fat. She said I looked fat, and that's why I haven't been eating very much. I'll start eating, okay? I'll start shoveling food into my mouth like some damn pig and get even more fat." I push through all of them and run up the stairs. I go to my room and shut the door. I put my back against the door and slide down. I sit cross legged on the floor; my elbows resting atop my knees, my head in my hands. Tears are streaming down my cheeks, and no matter how hard I try to stop them, I can't. There's a soft knock at the door, followed by my name. "Did they leave?"

"Yes," Aaron whispers. I hear him sit down, and I turn around to face the door. I see Aaron's fingers peek from underneath the door. I reach out and touch his fingertips. "Let me in," he pleades quietly. I let his fingers slip away, and I reach for the doorknob. I turn it slowly and scoot back so it can fully open. Aaron is looking at me, sitting perfectly still. "I love you." I smile. "Thank you."

"For what?" I wipe my eyes, but the tears keep coming.

"For being my beautiful, amazing, great girlfriend, and for loving me." I cover my mouth and let out a sob. I close my eyes.

"I love you." I crawl over to Aaron, and he opens his arms. I sit on his lap, and his arms enclose around me. I wrap my arms around him and lean in. I place my lips on his.

"C'mere. I wanna show something," he announces. We stand up, and he leads me into the bathroom.  He stands behind me and makes me look into the mirror. He hugs my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder. He rolls up my baggy shirt and makes sure it stays.

"What are you doing?" I ask, trying to put my shirt down.

"Showing you how beautiful you are." He rubs my stomach and kisses my cheek. "I love you, all of you. And you better love yourself too." He pokes my side, and I smile. The tears have subsided now, and I'm hungry.

"Is that cheese burger still downstairs?" Aaron chuckles and nods. He rolls down my shirt.

"Yes, it is. It might be cold though." I shrug.

"Oh well."