To Be Loved (Another Little Taste)

I couldn't help but giving you another little taste. It was one of my favorite parts to work on.
Aaron's P.O.V.

I heard them. Every single sound. It wouldn’t stop echoing in my head. I felt that annoying feeling in the back of my throat, tight and resisting to give in to the tears that were surely coming.
There was a soft breeze. It was soothing; it calmed me, though not enough.

I’ve been here for hours.
My eyes are heavy, but my heart is restless. I’m too tired to even sleep. I know that I’ll be here all night, and I know that I’d be alone the whole time.

Skye’s P.O.V.

I was happy to wake up to the same scent as yesterday, minty and musky. I smiled as I laid my head on Adam’s hard chest.
“I love the sound of your heartbeat,” I told him quietly.
I could hear it very clearly. It was strong.
Boom, boom. Boom, boom.
“Why?” he asked, chuckling.
“Because when I listen to it, I know you‘ll live a long life, so it makes me happy to know that I‘ll have you with me forever.”
He smiled and held me closer to him.
“Promise me something, Adam?”
“What is it?”
I hesitated. “Promise me that you’ll always remember that I love you. Always. Even if you someday lose your memory. Keep it in the back of your head. Remember it like you remember how to breathe.”
His face was blank for a moment, and then he closed his eyes. He opened them again and looked at me. He grabbed my hand resting on his chest and pulled it closer to his heart.
“I promise.”
I sighed softly and laid my head back on his chest as Adam ran his fingers through my hair. He kissed my forehead.
This is how I always wanted it to be for us, the next long days of our lives together. I wanted to be with him like this, always right there, listening to his heart thump as it tells me he will be with me for the rest of my life.
I instinctively looked at the time on the digital clock next to us. Eight thirty-seven A.M. I felt like I was forgetting something, and I remembered.
“Aaron’s supposed to pick me up,” I mumbled to Adam. “He should have been here by now. Did he call?”
“No,” he muttered back. “I left my cell phone on all night. Didn‘t have time to turn it on.”
He smirked.
“He would have called if he couldn’t come…”
Something wasn’t right. It wasn’t like Aaron. I know he kept his word, and he would have called if he couldn’t.
I got on my feet and stretched. I picked up my phone from the desk and dialed Aaron’s number. It rang twice. That’s when I heard it. I stood right outside our door and saw Aaron’s phone vibrating loudly. My heart ached as I considered the possibility that was forming in my head.
“Oh, God,” I groaned.
“What’s wrong?” Aaron asked, instantly by my side, caressingly kissing my shoulder.
“Adam. He left his phone here. He must have come back for it. He heard us!”
I hid my face in my hands, horrified.
“So? He still would have called. He‘s not the kind of guy to get all uncomfortable and freaked out about that.”
“You don’t understand, Adam! Aaron-” I covered my mouth quickly.
“Aaron what?” He said suspiciously, his eyebrows furrowing.
I closed my eyes. Should I tell him? I wondered. I didn’t want to hurt him, but he should know. I didn’t want to keep this from him forever.
“Elena, Aaron what?” He asked again. He rarely ever called me Elena, except when he was serious or worried.
I took a deep breath, and looked down at the floor. “Aaron, he…a few nights ago…he told me he had feelings for me.” I raised my head, though I kept my eyes on his chest. I didn‘t have the courage to look into his eyes.
“He kissed me,” I whispered.
He squared his shoulders. Slowly, I looked up at his face.
His expression was blank.
“And I thought for a while that I had feelings for him,” I said slowly.
Still blank.
“But I don’t,” I said quickly, defensively. “I love you and only you. I know that now.”
The doorbell rang. I kept my eyes on Adam a few seconds longer, then walked downstairs and opened the door.
There stood Aaron. He had circles under his red eyes.
“Aaron…”
“Sorry I’m late,” he mumbled, looking at the floor as he stepped inside.
“Aaron, I-”
Adam was suddenly right there, grabbing Aaron from the collar of his shirt, shaking him a little. He was fast.
“Damn, you, Aaron! How dare you put even one finger on her! Trying to steal my girl, huh?” I saw him pull back his hand, elbow out, and I quickly pushed Adam away, resting my hands on his chest.
“Please, Adam, stop! Please,” I sobbed. I had my eyes shut tight. I felt his body relax and he slowly wrapped one arm around my waist, the other on the small of my back. I could feel him staring at Aaron over my shoulder.
“Don’t you dare come to the wedding.”
My eyes opened wide in horror. I looked at Aaron, and he just stood there, looking at the floor. He probably hated me now, and I couldn’t stand to look at him and remember just how much I’d already hurt him. I couldn’t imagine how he felt.
I dug my face back into Adam’s chest.
I heard the door close.

I was anxious all the next day. When I woke up, Adam was gone. He left a note that said he went over to Noah’s to rehearse. I knew he was staying longer than he needed to.
I tried to keep myself busy by cleaning, but there wasn’t much to clean, so I finished quickly. I went upstairs to the room, took out a book, and waited.
I heard a car pull up around six, then I heard the front door open and close. It was silent for a few second, but then I heard him begin to walk up the stairs, and I stood.
He entered, carrying his guitar case, and closed the door behind him.
“Hi,” I said quietly, forcing a smile, though only one corner of my mouth curved.
“Hey.”
It was silent.
Then he dropped his case and pulled me close to him. I shut my eyes closed to prevent from crying. Didn‘t work.
“I’m sorry,” I sobbed into his shirt. “Please understand. Please forgive me.”
He held me tighter and rest his chin on my head as he smoothed my hair. “I understand. I forgive you.”
I clenched to him more. There was no distance between us, I was as close as possible, and yet it was never enough for me when I held Adam.
I lay down on the bed and Adam laid down next to me. He pulled me close to him and I rested my head on his chest. We stayed like that for a long time, in complete silence, just holding each other.
I wondered if now was a good time to ask…
“Adam?”
“Yeah?”
I opened my mouth to say it, but no sound came out. I closed it, then opened it again. “Please let Aaron come to the wedding. I’d feel bad if he wasn’t there.”
“No,” he answered, gentle but firm.
“Please. I’m just as guilty.”
He looked down at me. “I can’t, Skye.”
“But he’s your brother!”
“I can’t forgive him for what he did.”
“He didn’t mean to! He told me all he wanted was for me to be happy with you.”
He sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, but the answer is still no.”
I pouted, and I could feel tears in my eyes. “Okay,” I muttered, my voice only above a whisper. “Fine. Sorry I asked.”
He looked down at me again and groaned. “Skye,” he pleaded. “Babe, please don’t-”
I looked away so he wouldn’t see my agonized, pathetic face.
He sighed again. “Fine,” he said through his teeth. “But just promise me something.”
I looked back up at him. “Anything.”
“I want you to remember something too. Remember that I would do anything to make you happy.”
I nodded my head. “I promise.” I put my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
He pulled me closer, and kissed my forehead.
“You’re still going to sing at the wedding, right?” I asked him, worried that he’d changed his mind.
I could hear a smile in his voice as he spoke.
“Of course I am.”

Aaron’s P.O.V.

I ended up at the beach again.
When things were bad, I threw rocks. When things were really bad, I went swimming.
I sat by the shore when I got tired. The sand was hot, and my body burned even more from the blazing sun, but I didn’t go back into the refreshing water. I stayed there, and hoped that it was possible that I can be burned until I was nothing but ash, hoped that I can be put out of my misery once and for all.
I grabbed a handful of sand, then slowly let it slip through my fingers. I did the same thing over and over, until I picked up a piece of glass with the sand. I observed the glass, and it reminded me of Elena. Everything was reminding me of Elena. When I closed my eyes, I saw Elena. When I opened them, I saw Elena. I couldn’t get her out of my head. But this piece of glass was different. Glass was easy to break. Glass was sharp. It was very delicate, but it could cut you if you held it in a certain way.
Just like Elena. I shattered her, and she’d cut me without trying.
I didn’t realize I’d clenched my hand with the glass in it into a fist until I saw the dripping blood. I opened my hand and dropped the glass. I just continued to watch the blood drip.
Plop. Plop.