Trapped in a Fantasy

Chapter-15

On a highway to the countryside
3:40 p.m.

•••EVANGELINE •••

"Concentrate!" I scolded myself with my eyes glued to my laptop. Aaron turned his head  and narrowed his eyes at me. He turned back and carried on admiring the scenery from the window seat, pretending as if he was in a sad movie.

Or maybe your face was too annoying?

"Definitely annoying", he replied softly.

How did he? like---it was a thought... Ugh, I said it too loud.

Anyway, we were currently in a bus to Lake Miseria.

We had already spent a week here and I hadn't even wrote a single word about it.  I mean who could blame me? There were too many distractions.

First, that date. Then more drama with Aaron, the free Wi-Fi, the beautiful places  and the delicious food. I simply didn't have the time to sit comfortably, think in a clear mind and write a mind-blowing essay.

Feels like high school all over again.

I stared at the laptop's screen waiting for the essay to magically appear.

Not working.

You know what? I'll just write the name of the places we visited and leave the essay for later.

First week in Rome:
The Vatican Museums, The Colosseum, The Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trajan's Column, the Villa Borghese gardens, Trevi Fountain, Bocca della Verita a.k.a the mouth of truth.

I slightly cringed. That place gave me the creeps. After several terrifying thoughts, I kept the laptop back into my bag and leaned back on my seat.

Should I say something to Aaron? I'd probably just start a fight.

Everybody in the bus was quiet. Some of them were sleeping while some were using their phones. When we climbed the bus, we were all hyper. Talking, singing and playing games. But seemingly, people get tired easily.

I felt sad for Aaron. He was just sitting alone and using his laptop while we were all having fun. Nobody even bothered to invite him. And he seemed really pissed off because of us making noise. You could see it on his face. I thought he was gonna explode and tell us to shut up but he didn't, miraculously.

I peeked quickly at Aaron. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He just looked so blue. And at some point, deep inside, I knew he reminded of the old Samantha.

The bitterness between the words he said.

The secrecy.

The heart that seemed like it stopped beating years ago. 

After so many pointless conversations during the tour, I discovered Aaron doesn't really want to be my friend.  I didn't even talk to him that much. We both were just quiet. And I found it very disturbing.

"Aaron?" I asked.

He tilted his head towards me, his eyes meeting mine. "Yes?" he answered in a calm tone.

And that's when I saw it.

For the first time, his eyes were the colour of honey. That look of undying anger he had towards the world had left his eyes. Even under the rays of the sun, his eyes were usually pitch black. And the sudden change of colour in his eyes terrified me but at the same time, made me happy.

But he broke eye contact with me and within a split second, the Aaron I know was back. His glare so cold, it sent shivers down my spine. A dark aura surrounded him like a protective shield. Should I be scared?