"He had the awkward tenderness of someone who has never been loved and is forced to improvise."
IN WHICH two neighbors meet only to be thrown into a world that was the opposite of their own and forced to battle for their lives every night alongside...
Kaia hit him on his shoulder, "don't bring me into this."
Tyler rolled his eyes as Taylor shoots him a scolding look as well before turning to look back at the silent duo with a nervous smile. "What Tyler means is that you both seem a bit tense, there's about 10 minutes before class, how about you guys talk things out and we'll go grab some snacks?"
Йой! Нажаль, це зображення не відповідає нашим правилам. Щоб продовжити публікацію, будь ласка, видаліть його або завантажте інше.
Ashlyn pursed her lips, glancing around the stairway awkwardly as she listened as the others walked away towards the vending machines, Taylor and Kaia talking about what they should get with Kaia making sure to mention she can handle the paying for it. Tyler argued against her just as they faded out enough so she could no longer hear them.
When their voices faded out, Ashlyn shuffled her feet, wondering why they were making them talk when neither of them knew what to day.
"..." Aiden hesitates, he's never gotten into an argument with a friend before, he's never spent enough time with someone to argue with them. Kaia and him have their disputes, but Kaia has never genuinely snapped at him like Ashlyn had last night, but even if they did argue, could he really compare what relationship he held with Kaia to Ashlyn? It wasn't the same and last night made him way too aware of it. "Are you sure you should've come to school with your head injured like that?"
Ashlyn glanced up, surprised he spoke first, not that it should surprise her. "... What about you? You're limping."
"Yeah, Kai wanted me to stay home, but it was kinda my own fault, so I still came, haha." Aiden shrugged, his smile brightening the moment Kaia's name left his lips, something Ashlyn didn't fail to notice.
"'Haha'?" She questioned his response, he really didn't take anything serious, did he? Her head pounded just then and she winces. "Maybe we should talk later, my head's throbbing."
"Ah- Wait!" Aiden called out to her, hesitating, thinking back to the horror he felt watching Ashlyn get attacked and Kaia nearly dying. He reaches out, placing a hand on her shoulder. ".. I'm sorry, Ashlyn." Ashlyn's eyes widen. "I didn't think me getting hurt meant you, alongside Kai, would get hurt too."
Ashlyn thinks back to last night, seeing the way he shook as he held Kaia in his arms, seeing the absolute horror as he rushed past her in order to grab Kaia before she fell. She knew he was sorry, he didn't need to say it. His face last night told her all she had needed to know when it came to what happened last night.
"Ah-, am I too close?" Aiden pulled his hand back quickly as he remembered Ashlyn's words from last night. "To be honest, I'm still confused about the boundary thing." Aiden confesses as he glances away from her. "I've never really tried to get close with someone like you. Kaia doesn't really react the same as you do to certain things and to be honest, she's the only experience I have to actual... well friendship, I think? I don't know. I'm not really sure what you would call what we have, I don't really want it to be friendship- Not that I don't want to be her friend! She's amazing, I love spending time with her, she's like the best person I've ever met, I've never met someone like her before nor have I ever bonded with someone like her, I haven't really bonded with anyone before her, and I don't think I want to have a bond like ours with anyone else." Aiden's eyes widen. "Sorry I'm getting off track."
