The Psycho Is Innocent | ꪜ

Chapter 24: Faithfulness

Present

"ARE YOU GOING to be okay for the night?" Ariel asked as she leaned against the frame of his door. Larson nodded his head, wishing that he could ask her to stay over again. It would be inappropriate to do so knowing that his intentions weren't all too innocent, but regardless, he respected her to the degree where he didn't want to put her in an uncomfortable position. "I'm fine, you should head home before it gets too late." You should come inside is what he wanted to say, but with the words hanging on the tip of his tongue, he simply smiled.

However, he underestimated Ariel's ability to read expressions as if it were her profession. She knew he wanted her to come inside and neither did she want to return home. Her phone was currently blowing up with messages from her worried parents who expected her home two hours ago but Ariel didn't have the energy to explain to them why she was this late. On a normal day, they wouldn't worry, but she was grounded. She didn't care. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

She would deal with the consequences tomorrow. It's not as if they could do anything worse to her that she can't easily combat. "A–are you sure? Wouldn't your parents be upset?" Ariel brushed past him and stumbled into the foyer as she ignored the sputtering sounds of nervousness that emitted from his lips. "I don't care. They'll just ship me off to Doctor Julian's office because that's the only punishment they think will work on me. They won't ground me longer because they know it won't work. I'm good." Larson closed the door behind him.

"How can you say that so easily? From what you've told me you hated Doctor Julian, so shouldn't you be concerned if your parents send you back to her?" Ariel slipped off her shoes and hung her winter jacket on the rack beside the door. Larson followed in suit, still awaiting her answer. Ariel sighed, "you're right, Doctor Julian was a pain in my ass. I do hate her. But I can also handle her. There's nothing she could throw my way that I won't throw back." Larson eyed her warily, trying to decipher whether she was only putting on a brave front or if she actually had no care for the matter.

He couldn't tell. "Do you want me to make dinner before we uh–go to bed?" Ariel shook her head no then took a step towards him, prompting Larson to move with her footsteps until his back was pressed up against the wall and her hazel eyes were peering up at him intently. "No, I wanna do something first." He had no time to voice his confusion before she slipped her hand into his and tugged him down the foyer towards the flight of stairs.

Larson's eyes penetrated through their intertwined hands and that feeling of warmth settled back into his chest as memories flickered across his eyes as if it were a motion picture playing through the events that unfolded between them over time. He loved Ariel and he had a crippling feeling that it would never go away. Larson was never a conniving person even towards his enemies. But this. . .this was war and he hoped in the end even if it took a day, a month or a year: he would win Ariel back.

Past

Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer blared through Harry's old vinyl record which Ariel now possessed. This song was her guilty pleasure for more reasons than one. Ariel sat slumped against her wooden stool, one unstained finger swiping a strand of her hair behind her ear as her eyes skimmed over the blank canvas. She hadn't an idea of what to paint next, it was as if her mind had given up on all its complexities and creativity. She dipped her red paintbrush into the colour that vaguely appeared like her own skin complexion.

          As she swiped her hand across the canvas she felt the soft bristles of the paintbrush beneath her fingertips and she smiled. It was therapeutic: the only time when Ariel truly felt like herself. Painting was just a hobby and a side gig to make quick cash. But nonetheless, it was her passion and she was hoping that one day in the future this could be her career.