ᴀᴠʏᴀɴɴᴀ
Few days later,
The bruise on my wrist was very light. He saw it anyway.
And we argued.
I wouldn't tell him where I got it. He argued that I don't tell him anything.
"You get bruises and it's 'nothing', " He grumbled.
I mutter to myself and walk away to the kitchen to calm myself down.
A glass of water later, I'm back on the couch beside him.
We both are angry. I know that.
We sit a little farther from each other, watching the TV just to escape the argument.
He was frowning, even though the scene was a romantic one, I had my jaw clenched without me even knowing.
The people in the movie were kissing. Just then, the doorbell rang. I thank everything because of the timing. Neither of us wanted to see that.
He stood up to open it while I grabbed my phone. There were emails. I never read mine. This time I wanted to, but Tobias called.
"Someone's here for you," He said.
"Who?" I ask.
He shrugs. I pray it's not who I think it is but I was right.
"Can I come in?" Mike asks.
"Leave," I say, sternly. Tobias is inside. Maybe if two say, he'll obey.
I decide not to do it, anyway.
"Avyanna..." He pleads.
I slam the door and lean against it.
"Is everything alright?" I hear Tobias ask and I nod.
"Yeah."
The doorbell rang again. Mike was always so determined.
I'm glad to see he didn't let that go.
"I'm going out," I announce.
"Okay." He didn't even look up from the TV. "Where, all of the sudden?"
"I'll tell you later." I grab my keys. I see him frowning again and realise. "Um... I'm going out...with a..."
As I search for the word, he switches the TV off. "You don't need to trouble yourself to tell me."
"It's not that-"
He just stands up and walks away to the bedroom. My bedroom.
I grumble as the doorbell rings again.
I open it.
"Let's go," I nod. He just follows.
We get into the car. I don't have a place in mind but I can't have him following me everywhere I go, so I'll just listen and get it over with.
"He's your boyfriend, huh?" I hear him say.
"None of your business," I reply.
"Tobias Johnson," He states.
"How did you -"
"He's the vice president of Johanna's company. That non profit one. Of course I know. Plus... We had previous encounters..."
"When did you meet him?" I roll my eyes.
"After you left for Europe. He was one of the first few people who escaped the city. He was quite famous then too. He was punished for bombing the Bureau."
Before I ask what bombing, he continues.
"He also had a girlfriend. Pretty cute, I'd say. She-"
I hold my hand up as if to stop him. And he did. I don't want to hear his story through anyone else but him.
"Anyway. Look, Avyanna. The city... I was never happy there. I thought escaping it, I'd finally get it. But I never knew that people here were way ahead of me. And I tried to fit in, Avy. You didn't. But I did. I thought by fitting in, I'd be one of them. And all this came along." He gestured to himself.
That was true. He wasn't like the old Mike. He never wore stripes if he could help it. Now, sitting beside me, is a man with striped pants and a tucked in shirt.
"People change," I state.
"Yeah. I didn't change mentally. I still hate stripes," He said, almost reading my mind. "But this was to fit in. And you... You came back after a decade and I... Honestly... Didn't want my past dug up again. Now, I realise, through the hard way-" He adds with a laugh. "- that our past is past but it is our past. And ignoring it doesn't mean it's not there. So I thought why not embrace it."
I am still driving. I don't know where or what. In a circle perhaps. Because I'm sure we'll never get this privacy anywhere else.
"And you, Avy. I... I honestly don't know what. Whenever you called... I wanted to answer it so bad but at the same time I didn't. I regret not thinking for a longer time because then I would have acknowledged how much I missed you-us."
He spoke continuously. I let him.
"And... You know I'm bad with words." I smile as he says that. "You know that better than anyone else. But point is, I'm sorry. I don't know what I can do to reverse it but... Please,"
I stop the car finally.
"Mike, eight years. Eight years I lived alone in Europe. You didn't email me but I'll let you off the hook for that. But I was so excited to know we both were in the same place. Like old times. You could have imagined my shock. I was broken. And for a while... I didn't know what I was doing."
He looked at me with such apologetic eyes that I knew so well.
"But-" I continue. "-Hearing your side of the story somehow solves a part of it. And... I'm... I forgive you. I forgive you but it's going to take a while before I'm comfortable with you again."
"Of course. Of course." He nods and hugs me from the passenger seat so tightly, disregarding everything I told him just now that I laughed at how the Mike I knew appeared.
"Maybe introduce me to Mr Johnson there?" He smirks.
I roll my eyes but nod.
--