Moon and Stars

thirty eight

Fred felt as if the breath was knocked out of him, and he took a seat in her desk chair, letting out a sigh. A wave of guilt ran over him, and he rubbed his face, his skin growing red as he became upset.

"I...I'm sorry." He whispered, and he heard her choke on a sob.

He was oblivious to what she was going to tell him, and hearing him apologize broke Aurora's heart. He was apologizing now, he was feeling guilt now, but she was the one in the wrong. She was the one who lied to him for days on end, only raising his hopes.

"I haven't been taking care of you, and here I am yelling at you while you're down." He whispered again, his knees bouncing quickly.

She couldn't bare to hear him apologize when he wasn't the issue at all. Aurora began to shake her head, her hands coming up to her ears, and tears soaked her cheeks.

"Shut up, just shut up." She repeated, and Fred's eyes darted between different points of her body.

The way her tiny wrists covered her ears. The way her chest rose and fell quickly as her breathing became rapid. The way her knees shook slightly as she cried.

She was broken, and he didn't even notice until now.

"No, Aurora, I'm being ridiculous. You've been killing yourself and you're doing it again right now. You think I don't see the blood around your nails? I'm so sorry for neglecting you, and forcing you to work through your pain. You don't have to take a job at the shop if it's torturing you this much." He rambled, the words spilling out of his mouth so quickly that Aurora almost didn't catch them.

He was turning the blame on himself before she even had the chance to speak because he was the good guy and that's what the good guys always do.

"Fred, stop it!" She yelled, smacking her hands down onto the bed beside her to get his attention.

He snapped his gaze up to her eyes, and the two of them stared at each other. The power the eye contact held was intense, and it seemed to go on forever, with the only noise being their breathing and the quiet ticking of the clock on the nightstand.

Aurora's tear stained cheeks grew cold as they dried on her skin, and she brought a hand to wipe them away, putting it right back onto the bed. Fred let out a sigh, not breaking the eye contact, as he waited for her to speak again, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

"This isn't your fault." She whispered, and his heel began to tap the floor again.

"What isn't?" He asks, and her eyes fall down to her hands, which come together out of nervousness once more.

"Me. My health, this isn't on you." She clarifies, and she hears him stand up.

Bringing her head up, she watches as he silently crosses the room and comes to the bedside, taking a seat in his normal spot. He turns to face her, crossing his legs under him, and grabs her hands gently, taking them in his own so she doesn't pick at her nails anymore.

He felt her tense in his touch, but ignored it, deciding it's what she needed. He had been so oblivious to what she was going through, and he let her slip away right under his nose; there was no way he was going to let her go.

"You are my concern, Aurora, no matter what. I hate myself for letting you fade on my watch, and I swear it won't happen again. We can get through this together, darling, I promise." He says, saying the last part at a whisper.

He leans forward and plants a kiss on her temple and can't help but notice how she flinched when he does so. He pulled away and furrowed his brows, and Aurora did everything in her power to avoid eye contact with the boy in front of her, not able to bare looking at his sad eyes.