Dust ✔️

Chapter Twenty -- Ambivalence

Chapter Twenty: Ambivalence

Thursday was the day. The day I finally decided to clean the mess I created, at least the holes in the wall and crumbled drywall on the floor. The booze, I cleaned days ago to rid the awful smell.

    It was a good today, mentally. Having the time to myself, helped me reflect on my life choices. I was choosing the wrong answer for so long that it was clear. I choose happiness.

    The clothes I was wearing, a simple V-necked white shirt and jeans, I didn't care about ruining. Grey paint that matched my walls somehow ended up on my arms and pants and plaster for the drywall was placed out accordingly.

    The music was loud, loud enough to blare out the noises around me, loud enough to blast out my thoughts. The one thing that kept me going on with the chore of fixing my room was the sound of music and the idea of a fresh start.

    I frowned at the wall and suddenly felt off. When I turned around, my bones practically jumped out of my skin. There she was, standing in her usual spot, in the door frame of my room.

    "Aria?" I stood up and faced her.

    The moments before she smiled felt like ages. But when she did, I was reassured that she was happy to see me. I couldn't help myself but to return the smile and rush over to her. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly which sparked a sense of relief.

    She returned the hug. "Hi."

    I grabbed the remote out of my back pocket and lowered the music. "How long have you been standing here?"

    A sly smile played on her lips. "Longer than you might think."

    I chuckled with uncertainty.

    "You're cleaning," She glanced around my room and landed on my arms.

    I shrugged. "Taking some responsibility in my actions."

    "How mature of you." She smirked.

    My smile fell quick at the realization that I never explained myself. "Aria. That phone call the other day, it wasn't what you think."

    Her blue eyes lightened. "I know."

    "It was Tyler's little sister, she was just being childish-"

    "Eli, I know."

    I paused for a moment. "You never responded to my messages."

    She followed me to the wall I was working on just moments before. "Before Lacey explained what happened, I already knew that phone call was a little... Weird."

    "It was more than weird." I muttered. It was downright disturbing. The fact that Zoey had the audacity to even attempt something like that was odd.

"Ultimately, I figured that I should give you your space. Lacey said it was something you were desperate for so I thought I'd leave you be for a bit." She squatted beside me while I finished the wall. I wondered if Lacey told her about Zoey's crush.

    "What are you doing here then?" I asked.

    Her big, blue eyes twinkled in joy and her expression was unreadable, but she remained quiet. Instead she moved away from me and walked around my room.

    I wasn't a fan of people going through my things.

    I continued to work on the wall, careful to not let it dry uneven. It was my last patch. "You'd be surprised to hear that I was worried then." I said, facing away from her. "But I appreciate the gesture."