Chapter 4: Aaron's Upset
I was surprised to find myself home when I opened my eyes. I stared at the wooden paneling of my ceiling, wondering why I was here, and not at the hospital. I looked around the room, recognizing the white walls of my home along with the vanity and dresser that also occupied the room. My walk-in closet door had been shut tight, along with the bathroom door that sat next to it. Yep, this was definitely my room. I went to sit up, but my body screamed at me in protest. I groaned loudly as I forced myself anyway. My whole body felt like I had been hit by a car, and not like my car had hit a tree. My neck and head especially throbbed wildly as I tried to stretch.
I went to shove the comforter off my body, but a small black mass prevented me from doing so. In fact, it meowed in protest. I watched as it came to life, sprawling from the crevice of my legs as it turned in a circle and sat on the bed. With a careful paw, it licked the top and then brought it over its ears as it started to clean its self. Amused, I stared at it. Clearly it made its self at home while I was down and out. I am glad that it at least was starting to get comfortable around me.
Now that I was awake, I studied it further. I was hoping to find a collar or something to tell me that it was owned by someone. How this poor innocent creature came to be in the middle of nowhere was beyond me. I couldn't keep an animal; I wasn't home long enough to keep it company or take care of it. I could barely manage to take care of myself as it was. Never have I ever been responsible for anything more than a goldfish in my entire life.
Sensing my distress, It purred as I ran my hands through its soft black fur. I watched as it arched it's back and meowing softly as it turned around and around on the bed, clearly enjoying the feeling of being pet. The peaceful moment was disrupted as the door to my room quietly swung open. Aaron walked in, bags under his eyes. He seemed less angry now, and more or less just really tired. Guilt ran through my veins, knowing that I was partly the reason for his fatigue.
"I really am alright Aaron. You don't need to sit here with me. Thank you again, for not taking me to the hospital. I appreciate it." Aaron passed me a white mug as he quietly sat on the edge of the bed. I took a sip from the warm mug, enjoying the flavor of lemon tea as it hit my tongue. I guzzled it quietly, not realizing how dehydrated I was feeling until I took the first sip. After I emptied the cup, satisfied, I looked at him watching me. His eyes carefully gauging me. I couldn't help but notice that he was still wearing the same outfit he was earlier, but it was starting to become more wrinkled as the night passed on. His hair was a disheveled mess on top of his head, sticking up and poking out every which way. A sign that he was stressfully pushing his hand through his hair.
"If you don't mind, I might just crash here tonight. I brought an extra set of clothes just in case. It's pretty early in the morning, and you don't have another vehicle. That and I think it would be best if you were monitored throughout the night. That gash on your head was pretty deep, but with you being so passed out I managed to stitch it up and bandage it. I'm so lucky my ex-wife is a nurse." He said with a sad smile. I offered my cup to him, and he accepted it without looking. Feeling a little tired again, I pushed myself back against the head board and leaned against it.
"She sounds like an amazing person." I said quietly. He nodded his head and shut his eyes tight. I could see the pain surfacing once again upon his face. You could tell he missed her greatly. Even split apart, he still worshipped her like a goddess, and that spoke volumes of him.
"When you told me you crashed, and all I could think about was possibly losing you too. The pain I felt was so close to the pain I felt when my ex-wife and I got a divorce, it hurt. You burrowed your way into my damn heart Rose. So please take good care of yourself as my friend. You make the work we do bearable. It would really be such a shame if something happened to you." He said turning his head. I saw a single manly tear streak down his face as his eyes settled on mine. The sincerity took the air from my lungs.
Never once had I ever seen such tenderness. At least not since my parents death. I had known we were close, but never close enough to warrant such pain in his eyes. I could feel myself shutting down inside. I never wanted to experience the pain I felt in the hospital that day, and if I had to start pushing him away I would. I don't want him to feel the death of a closed loved one ever again. It really was too much to bare. I guess that was why I never wanted to date, because I didn't want to deal with the pain if we were ever to separate. May it be by death, or of choice.
"Aaron, I really am ok. It was nothing to get worked up over. Please go and rest, I think you are starting to look worse than I do." I said pasting a smile to my lips. Silently we stared at each other. Even without words, he knew something was wrong. A great read of character as he slowly and gently placed his hand on the top of my leg.
"Rose, you are my friend whether you like it or not. I know you don't like getting close to others, but please promise me you won't push me away because of what I told you. I don't know what happened in your life to make you this way, but nothing hurts worse than getting shut off. Keep that in mind before making your next decision. Good night, Rose." He said letting my leg go and lifting himself off the bed. I watched him silently shut the door behind him, leaving me alone in my somber thoughts.
The cat meowed, getting my attention with a fluffy paw swatting gently at my face. It brushed it's head aggressively against mine, demanding attention. I chuckled to myself as I did as it asked, petting it in the quiet of my room. Aaron had now started to fill my thoughts. Knowing that he cherished me only because him and I worked equally hard at the company we both let enslave us. The hurt in his eyes really bothered me too. I didn't want to be the reason someone looked like that, ever. I knew what it felt like to have your heart ripped from you and stomped on.
I never wanted Aaron to ever feel like that again either, especially when his divorce was still recently fresh. Reflecting on all the years we had spent together; I knew that I would feel the same way if anything happened to him. How did I let someone get so close to my heart? I could never view him romantically, but he was more of a brother I never had. Someone I would defend and stand up for. I've met his mom and dad, I would often spend holidays with his family, and I have met his daughter on more than one occasion. I knew his wife didn't like me because of how close we were. That was why I never once met her. Often times I think I was also a factor in his divorce, and any time I asked he would say I was stupid for thinking something like that.
The pain in my chest only grew as the tears welled up in my eyes. I was probably just over thinking things at this point. I mostly did when I was experiencing an emotional wave, and sometimes a good cry would always make me feel better. So that is exactly what I did. I grabbed up the tiny cat in my arms and hugged him to my chest as I cried myself to sleep. I hoped that everything would be better by tomorrow.
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