Feather After

Chapter 51

Feather After // Chapter 51 // Little Things

Aria's POV 

"So did it hurt?" I asked him but as soon as I heard it myself, I realized how vague it sounded. I mean if someone stabs you obviously it hurts; emotionally or physically. I saw his eyes turn dark as if he was sad but he didn't say anything. He looked at me but his face was emotionless. Then I realized that no matter how close we were sitting to each other; we were yet so far away from each other.

I don't know what he thought or said about me and I knew irrespective of what I wanted to think and say, Ignatius and I were far away from each other, even if I wanted to do something I couldn't do anything at all.

"Well life wasn't easy, especially after what happened to the mother who gave birth to me," he titled his face to the other side; I guess he didn't want myself to see his face.

"I was so young, maybe three or four years old but all the memories are so alive like it happened a few hours ago," he looked at me and gave me a weak smile. I tried to smile back but I wasn't able to portray myself as a happy person.

"What do you think would have happened if you weren't taken out?" I asked me, I don't know where the question popped out from, but I wasn't sure if he was ready to tell me that or for that matter if I was ready to hear what he had to say.

I was born in a rich family, I probably had everything that anyone would ever want, irrespective of the fact that my family wasn't there till now but Nanna and Manchurian never made me feel alone. They were there to protect me and guide me, maybe that was the reason that at the age of seventeen I wasn't taking drugs or going bad things.

"Well I would probably be dead or would have been traded for sex," I opened my mouth to say Anything but nothing came out of my mouth, nothing.

"That's crazy, but-"

"Aria, No matter what problems you had, money was not one of them, I know it was not that easy but for you it was easier, when you don't have anything to lose living is a very hard job because you have nothing to protect or cherish," he looked at me and put his hands on mine, I felt my heart stop of a second, "life wasn't easy, until I was put into adoption by state social services after they saw my state," he smiled, "I'm okay," he squeezed my hand and let go.

"Can I ask you something, just one thing?" He looked at me and nodded. I looked at him, swallowed my saliva in, "what is your worst memory?"

He looked at me and tilted his head upwards, "well, that's a tricky question, but I think it was the one when my father burned me with cigarettes, the flowers I showed you earlier the center part of it the burn of cigarettes," he shrugged.

I suddenly wished that I hadn't asked him about it. He was strong irrespective of the fact that he had been a dick to me before; he had been through too much.

I know it didn't make it any better but I know I wouldn't have survived that.

"Life doesn't give you what you want, but it's our choice how we react to it and it's our responsibility to make the best of it," he smiled.

"Well I'm famous now, the whole school knows who I'm and what I'm, I thought the Meet gala was like a small thing, please know now that I'm engaged-"

"Run away with me, you don't have to go through this," his voice was firm and so persuasive, I almost wanted to do what he was asking me to but I was already a very bad person, I couldn't and I didn't want to be worse than this.

"I'm not that amazing you know? I'm as shitty as you," I wanted to change the topic. It was already worse. There was no point in digging his wounds because of what happened; happened. Me; asking about it didn't make the whole situation any better. It made it worse.