Words Unsaid || on hold

Chapter 1

        The door slammed.  Angry, heavy footsteps sounded their way through the hall, making their way to the bedroom where I was sitting.  I shot up, looking around for somewhere he wouldn't see me.  I crawled into the closet, squeezing my small frame in between shirts and coats.  The door opened, slamming against the wall.  I held my breath, trying to stay still.  The sound of heavy breathing rang through the room, and he walked around the small space, coming scarily close to the small closet I was sitting in.  

"Aria!" he yelled, walking out of the bedroom.

I let my breath go, carefully stretching out my legs.  I bumped into a shirt, its hanger making a screeching noise on the rod.  The footsteps outside the room stopped, and paused for a moment.  Slow tears started to fall down my face as I prayed and hoped he hadn't heard the soft noise.  He continued, walking further and further away from the bedroom.  Breathing a soft sigh of relief, I shakily opening the closet door and sat myself on the bed in the middle of the room.

"Noah?" I called, quietly.  I pulled at the sweats I wore, adjusting them on my hips.

He walked towards me, and through the open door I could see his face was contorted in anger.  He walked into the room, standing in front of me.

"Where were you? I called for you!" he yelled.

"I was just in the bathroom.  I just came out." Lies had become a second language for me.

"What's for dinner?" He had stopped yelling, but his voice possessed a razor sharp edge, and I knew he could lose his temper any second.

"It's ready.  In the fridge."

He cracked a small smile, happy that I had done what was asked.  I followed him to the kitchen, biting my lip to hold back tears that threatened to fall.  I pulled plates and glasses from the cupboard,  placing them on the kitchen island.  The chipped, mismatched plates clashed with the rest of the picturesque kitchen.  The island was a creamy white, and the kitchen had a modern design, containing sharp edges and geometric shapes.  The floor was a dark wood, and the cupboards were a stark white, with silver handles.  The sinks were polished silver, and the faucets matched the handles on the cupboards perfectly.  The plates seemed out of place, just like Noah and I did.  We were never meant to be together, and here we were in this crazy, controlling relationship.

* * *

"You gonna wash up, Ari?" Noah looked at me expectantly.  I cringed at the old nickname.  Noah raised his eyebrow, and I knew his question already had a specific answer.

"Yeah." I attempted to smile at him.  I picked the plates up off of the counter, placing his in the sink and grabbing the sponge and soap from the cupboard underneath it.  I scraped the untouched food off my plate, and into the trash.  I started scrubbing at the plates, and dried my hands on the towel, padding into the bedroom.  Noah had gone into the shower, leaving his clothes littered on the floor and bed.  I picked them up, folding them and placing them carefully in the closet.  The water turned off in the shower, and Noah walked out, dripping water all over the floor.  

“Babe,” he started, “clean up all that water.  It almost made me slip.” He looked at me arrogantly, almost smirking as I nodded.         

Squeezing by him, I grabbed a towel from the bathroom cupboard.  I got on my hands and knees, wiping the puddles off of the floor.  He stood still in the doorway, watching to make sure I had cleaned up every last drop.  Once all the water was soaked into the towel, he moved to the closet, pulling clothes out of drawers.  I threw the towel in the laundry basket, and sat myself on the bed, pulling my knees to my chest.  He brought his clothes into the bathroom and changed quickly.

“I’m exhausted.” he spoke.

I almost slapped him.  I almost screamed at him.  I almost said that he had done nothing all day while I had cooked and cleaned.  That all he had done was drink in a bar someplace, spending all of his parents’ money.  But I didn’t.  I only nodded, climbing under the covers and moving myself as far to the left as possible.  

“Come here.” he said, opening his arms.

I gave him a small smile, moving towards him.

“I love you.” he whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist.  

“I love you too.” I mumbled, almost as if I was convincing myself.