𝙰𝙲𝙰𝙳𝙴𝙼𝚈'𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙴𝙻𝚂 || 𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝟿 (DISCONTINUED)

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚁𝚃𝚈-𝚃𝚆𝙾

Aria's POV

I sigh, running a hand through the now free locks. I put them onto my shoulder, untwisting the strands from each other. We are all staying at Nathan's now seeing as George seems to be aware of my existence again, after going to Victor's to get all of my stuff that Victor had bought the day before. The dress I had been wearing is hanging up against Nathan's closet door, in its bag immaculately. I'm currently sitting in a new pair of underwear, covered by an oversized towel that is dry.

'Am I doing the right thing mom...? Should I be trusting Blake this easily?'

I run a hand down my face, groaning inwardly at myself. When Blake had mentioned that he used to babysit me, a memory played in my head but it was fuzzy. I remember a boy looking after me when my mom wasn't around sometimes, but I can't remember much about the boy. I rub my left temple, a small migraine making an appearance.

"You okay baby?" I look up to see North standing there in the doorway, a concerned look taking over his face. It makes him look older than I know he is, the lines constructing his face sharper than usual. I smile softly and nod, holding a hand out to him. He smiles, pushing off the door frame and walking towards me. "Are you sure? You were rubbing your head." He places his hand in mine, sitting next to me on Nathan's bed, pulling me into him. To stop myself from falling, I use my other hand to steady myself. A breeze hits my skin, meaning my towel dropped, and I feel my cheeks heat up and refuse to lift my head, knowing North can't see the front of me as it's pressed against him.

"Έχω ένα μικρό πονοκέφαλο, αυτό είναι όλο (I have a small headache, that's all)." I admit, feeling North's hands running along my bare back. His hand freezes when he feels the bra strap, making me go bright red in embarrassment, and I clear my throat. "Περίμενα τον Γκάμπριελ να φέρει τις τσάντες... Ήθελα να επιλέξω (I was waiting for Gabriel to bring in the bags... I wanted to choose)." I feel North nod against my head and his hand goes back to rubbing up and down my back.

"Μου έλειψες μωρό μου. Και ο Σάιλας το ίδιο. Λυπάμαι... (I missed you my baby. Silas did as well. I'm sorry for...)" North trails off, his hand gripping at my waist. I sit up slightly and hold onto him, my arms wrapping around his neck.

"Και οι δύο δεν έχετε τίποτα να λυπηθείτε. Δεν έφταιγες εσύ. Δεν κατηγορώ εσένα ή τον Σάιλας (You both have nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't either of your fault. I don't blame you or Silas)." I lift my head hesitantly and lift his, looking into those dark eyes I have loved since I was a kid. The dark brown softens, putting his walls down and letting me in. I lean my forehead against his, taking deep breaths with him as my hands move from around his neck and onto his chest softly. He takes a sharp breath in and places one of his hands on my hip and the other on top of mine. "Μου λείψατε πάρα πολύ. Τίποτα δεν ήταν το ίδιο χωρίς εσένα (I missed you both immensely. Nothing was the same without you)." His grip tightens on the two body parts he is holding only slightly, mindful of my body still being injured.

"I'm sorry I didn't see the signs of what your father was doing to you. I should have realized, demanded you came with me and Silas." North switches back to English and I feel his breathing becoming slightly shaky. I shake my head and force my head up to look at him. North lifts his head, tears starting to build, full of guilt and regret. I run my thumbs under his eyes, feeling the tears falling onto my skin. I close my eyes and kiss the tip of his nose, my hands resting on his cheeks. I linger slightly, feeling his breathing returning to normal, and smile when I back away.

"I purposely hid it from you because I didn't want either of you to worry." He shakes his head and chuckles lowly.

"You were unconsciously protecting him, don't lie. You knew what we would do if we knew." I giggle, shrugging as I knew exactly what he meant. A smile comes onto his face as he comes back to me, away from the guilt and to the contentment he must feel in the present. He tackles me down to the bed, making me squeal and him to laugh hardheartedly. He still has one hand on my hip, the other one keeping him hovering over me so he didn't have him crushing me and hurting my current injuries. I smile, poking his left cheek which causes him to puff them like the Τετραοδοντίδες (Tetraodontidae), a family of marine creatures like pufferfish. I laugh hard, my stomach muscles hurting slightly from tensing but I ignore it, enjoying this time with North. He smiles, releasing the air in his cheeks, and leans his head against mine, his eyes closed.