First Kiss & Broken Promises

Chapter 39 - He had fallen in love with me?

I shivered and hugged myself, rocking back and forth while the tears rolled and fell onto my lap. The drawings tugged at my soul, and I cried aloud for Ayesha, for Ary and the loss that still plagued him. He couldn’t be blaming himself for what happened, but I could see how he ended up holding himself responsible for his sister’s death. Vanya’s accusation must have sealed that night forever in his mind as a boy who had killed his sister. I felt a red hot rage ripple through my veins at that woman who called herself his mother. She couldn’t be his mother.

I sprang up off the bed, when I heard a sound from the bathroom and went to investigate. Even before the door opened, I knew without doubt, I would find Ary, but it did not prepare me for the sight in front of me – Aryan slumped against the tiles in the shower cubicle, fully clothed, clutching a bottle in his hand, his head rolled back. I didn’t know if the wetness on his face was from the tears or the water that had him soaking wet. He hadn’t seen me enter, and I stood there seeing him at his most vulnerable. I wiped my face clean of the tears before going to him.

“Ary,” I called softly, stepping into the sea blue shower cubicle.

“Pigtails…” he mumbled, smiling without turning to look at me. “I missed you…” he said, his eyes closing shut. “I’ve always missed you…”

“Ary, am right here…” I said, kneeling in front of him, but reeled back a bit as a strong smell of whiskey hit me.

“I missed you even when we were best friends, Pigtails…” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “You see…I couldn’t tell you that I had killed my sister. I was scared I would lose you…what if you had stopped looking at me the way you did,” he whispered, and this time I was sure the wetness on his cheeks were his tears.

“Ary…please look at me,” I pleaded, taking his hand into mine.

His hands were cold, and I started rubbing them. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head towards me, his stare unfocussed.

“You are here,” he said looking at me with his bloodshot eyes. Oh God! How long has he been here crying? “You are my Pigtails,” he stated, lifting his hand and tugging at my hair.

I bit back a sob and nodded. “Let’s get you out of here Ary,” I said, trying to lift him off the wet floor, but he kept flopping back.

I looked at the bottle rolling on the floor beside him and cursed. “How much have you been drinking, Ary?” I asked, a bit miffed that he would turn to alcohol for relief.

He came close to me, and peered at me, trying to focus on my face. “Not enough, Pigtails, ‘cos it still hurts like a bitch here,” he whispered hoarsely, thumping his chest with his fist, and I bit my lip hard not to howl with the terrifying ache building in my chest.

“You don’t need the damn bottle for that, Ary. I’m here!” I said firmly, and wrapped my arms around him.

“You’ll stay?” He asked, pulling away from me.

“Yes, I will. Now just help me get you up, please…”

“How can you help me forget what she said to me, Div?” he asked, looking at me intently. His eyes were clearing up, and he had just called me Div instead of Pigtails.

“Ary…”

“My own mother thinks am a good for nothing murderer! Tell me, how you are going to fucking help me forget that!” he shouted, and I shrunk back at the fierceness in his eyes.

“Are you going to let me sink into you, Div, like I have wanted to from the day I saw you under that mango tree, looking up at me with those big beautiful eyes of yours?” His cold fingers cupped my wet cheeks.