My Fake Boyfriend

Girls Are Nature's Best Therapy

It was then when he finally looked into my eyes and I could see the sadness woven into them.

At that minute, I could have cradled him. His eyes resembled that of a lost child- vulnerable.

He was vulnerable and it was an odd sight to see on what was named the face of Redwood High. He didn't seem like the same guy to me. He seemed broken- an expensive vase that couldn't be fixed, but only replaced with a cheap fake replica made to deceive.

That's what he was. He was just like me. He was playing the same game which made me think of how little I knew of the playboy.

He looked back to the area where our hands had been conjoined and shook his head before looking into my eyes.

And that's when I saw it. Even if it was for a split second- it was right there in plain view as if he placed it there deliberately, pleading for help. For anything.

For a second he was open and I saw it in his eyes.

Love.

It shone and glimmered in his eyes for that split second as if he was reminiscing whilst staring at our hands and all I could do was stare. I knew who it was and my chest burned as my head sketched out the name.

I just stared in helplessness as I watched the playboy deep in his thoughts- thinking about his love and not me.

Thinking about Avalon.

*********************

After that, I had gotten out the water- too numb to swim and too hurt to even be near him. Aaron, on the other hand, swam for a while.

The forest was quiet after that. The only thing that could be heard was the howling of the wind and the gentle splattering noises Aaron made with the water as he swam.

Aaron also left the water after that; dressed himself and came towards me, copying my position as his body fell limp on the grass beside where I lay.

So, then we both lay in silence, thinking about several ways the incident could have gone differently.

"Lexi?" Aaron said, breaking the silence.

I wanted to shout and scream at him for what had just happened, but I couldn't. If I did, I'd give him another part of me- the part that showed him that he had the ability to hurt me; the part that would show him I cared. 

If I did that, I would let him win and I would have opened myself more to the hurt that was bound to come with the raging sea that was Aaron. I scoffed internally at this. I had likened him to the sea a while ago, not even knowing the truth to my words. He was dangerous and now I knew. 

"Mm?" I responded, trying to play it cool, but in actual fact I was anything but.

My heart raced a little faster when he had called my name and I thought back to what happened in the lake.

To everyone else, it must have looked like a normal average day couple that were about to kiss, but didn't. It looked as simple as that.

But, it wasn't.

The way our palms touched and, in some way, connected the two of us for a second. The way that, in that time, I could feel all his sadness; dreams and vulnerability as though he opened up to me. The way that, whilst our palms were connected, Aaron consumed my every thought.

I scoffed. I thought of him that whole time and he thought of....her.

Whilst his palm was in contact with my own, he was connected with her. He could see her.