Treat You Better

Chapter Fifteen: Room 211

Chapter Fifteen: Room 211

"You've been extra quiet lately." Angelo observed aloud but still quietly as we sat at our easels in Art Class. My favorite class of the week, besides Geography.

I was finding it really hard to enjoy it though. I was finding it hard to enjoy anything ever since the morning Dad agreed.

I just constantly felt myself slipping into that numbness waiting for me. Everytime I'd catch myself but I was still getting closer with every day that passed.

I tried to make myself go back to the way I was; happy, delusional, but music was just noise, food tasted bland, sleep was full of fear and I could never seem to reach my Mom.

I missed when I thought I had a perfect life, when I thought Hale was the best thing to ever happen to me, where I thought my mother actually cared about Dad and I, where I thought I'd always be glad to bring my boyfriend a cup of coffee every morning.

If you'd told me a few weeks ago that I'd turn into this weak girl fighting hard for her spot in the light, I'd have given you a hug and told you to get some help.
But now, I was struggling to remember who I was before.

Perhaps I could just let my trip to Paris with Hale seal my fate, I could never get away from him. I was so close to the peaceful numb anyways, it was far better than whatever this was....

"Are you okay?"

My eyes gained focus and I realized I was staring at my empty canvas.

Are you okay?

Three words, softly spoken. A question. Concern.

Fingers trailed along the back of my hand on my lap before curling around my hand in a firm grip.
Electricity zipped through my entire arm and struck me somewhere in the chest.

My eyes widened and I slowly turned to look up at Angelo. He was staring back at me, the space between his brows creased slightly with worry.

His eyes were stormy grey, like it was about to rain. I liked the rain, I liked his eyes and their ever-changing shades, they darted around my face, searching for something, and slowly a long lock of his golden hair fell in place to obstruct his view.

I liked that.
He looked a bit annoyed as he hurriedly brushed it away with his fingers. His hair was like sunlight. Hmm, I could write that down.

Why did it feel like I was seeing him for the first time?

He moved his grip a little, absently stroking the ring on my thumb with his own thumb. I doubted he knew he was doing it and that alone made me swoon.

"Answer me," he demanded, quietly.

He asked if I was okay and he wanted a reply. That's new.

"I'm..." I whispered, and shook my head. I was what, exactly? "I just... I don't know..."

"Someone asked me that once" He whispered with a shrug and took his hand away from mine while I tried not to show my disappointment. "You'd think it would be easy to answer. I replied the way you just did."

That was kind of hard to believe. The smooth, controlled, silently-brooding Angelo once an anxious, stammering, nail biter. "Really?"

"Yeah, I wasn't just not okay, I was a lot of things I couldn't think to say. I got confused."

I couldn't help but stare, he was making so much sense right now. "Exactly" I said. "Did you make sense of how you felt later?"

"Of course," He glanced at me before going on with his painting. "I'd tell you but we're in class."