Cold Fingers

Chapter 4

After Jaye went back inside, I got in my car and, for what seemed like the first time in months, I could see a small flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. It was faint and far away but, at least, I wasn't in complete darkness. The dinner was a success and I let out a huge sigh of relief. I drove back home and, dreading my parents' disapproving stares, I remained for 10 more minutes to silently enjoy the comfort of my Mazda.

I smiled to myself, suddenly remembering aunt Annie's loud, colorful laugh. Whipping out my phone, I unlocked it and touched the orangey icon that displayed my contacts. Without needing to scroll, I swiped the area of the screen where her name was displayed and I was soon welcomed by the familiar ringing noise.

"Aaron, honey!" I heard my aunt's voice filled with excitement at the other end. It was probably close to 6PM in San Diego, since I was three hours ahead of her.

"Hello, aunt Annie!" I chuckled, grinning like a fool in my car.

"Oh, gosh!" she gushed and I imagined her placing the palm of her left hand above her chest. "It's so good to hear your voice again. I missed you!"

"Sorry, auntie, I got caught up with.... uh... stuff. I missed you, too." I mumbled, scratching the back of my neck.

"It's fine, how are things?" she asked and I could sense her childish impatience to hear my answer. She knew I was trying to convince my parents to let me go visit her, but I didn't get to tell her the good news.

"Uhh, same old, same old..." I teased and laughed upon hearing her groan of frustration "Yeah, I managed to get permission to come visit you."

"That's so cool!" she shrieked and I waited for her to calm down a bit before mentioning that I was going to bring a friend with me. Quite unsurprisingly, aunt Annie assumed I was talking about another guy.

"Honey, I had better buy more food, then. You, boys, are going to devour everything you come across!" I could hear her smiling widely and I involuntarily snorted.

'Should I tell her or make it a surprise?' I thought, amused. After a few seconds, I decided on the latter just to get the chance to watch the expression on her face when she meets Jaye.

"Yeah, sure..." I smirked to myself before continuing "We're hoping to arrive on Friday."

"Good, I'll make sure you have your beds ready. I guess I should get started now, since it's the weekend. The shop has been crazy work lately. I'm absolutely exhausted when I get home!" she replied, sighing softly. Aunt Annie ran a rather small business in East Village and sold art supplies. She lived in a small neighborhood called Sherman Heights, not far away from The White Comet, as she had named her shop over 6 years ago.

"At least it's going great, right?"

"Yeah... I want to show it to you when you get here." she sighed again "It's late, you should go to sleep, Aaron."

"Okay... I'll pack lightly."

"Can't wait! I'll bake a cake, maybe."

"Yeah..." I laughed, feeling a bitter taste rise in my mouth at the thought of cutting the call and facing my parents. Aunt Annie wished me good night and I was left alone again. Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car, shut the door and locked it. Exhaling deeply, I walked towards the front door and pressed down on the brass handle, opening it. Silently, I took off my shoes and placed them in their rightful place on the shoe rack. I knew Mom appreciated whenever I did that. I dusted off my jacked and squeezed it though the various layers of clothing on the coat hanger. Before I could make a quick getaway to my room, my father called out to me.

"Aaron!" I heard him raise his voice and my Mom quickly murmured something I couldn't quite catch. I took a turn towards the living room and saw them sat on the sofa, Dad with his glasses pushed down his nose and working on his laptop and Mom curled up next to him, nursing a cup of tea in her hands. No matter how many times they failed at trying to understand me, I could not deny that they made a nice couple. Just watching them like this made me a bit jealous, knowing the almost nonexistent odds of me meeting someone that compatible and close to me.