𝓜𝔂 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓲𝓯𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓫𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 | Enemies to lovers | 18+

Chapter twelve

It's a pretty mild day for November but I still put on my extra warm jacket that I still had at the cottage.
The wind is blowing the last leaves left on the trees away.

We've been walking for ten minutes in silence now.
But as long as it's comfortable I don't mind it.

"So you said you often came here when you were younger?" Aiden asks and I know he's not referring to the weeks I spend here after my sisters death.
He's rather making reference to what I told him about my childhood here.
Which is also one reason I could never bring myself to sell the cottage.

I could've required the money from selling it, especially after dad also left us.
But I couldn't.
I loved my grandma fiercely even though we didn't visit her that often, which I really regret.
And this was her little heaven. Completely without any 'annoying human people around' like she always said. Only her very loved cat Barney.

"Yes, like I said, it was my grandma's cottage. We didn't visit her that often, which makes me kind of sad, but I still have a lot beautiful memories with her here."

He smiles.

"Aiden are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm good. I - I often just grieve for my childhood, because it feels like I've never really had one." He says.

That's new for me.
I knew his father was difficult, but was it that bad.

"What do you mean?"

"My mom got sick when I was eleven." He winces as he whispers it and my heart hurts for him.
I take his hand in mine and squeeze.
He squeezes back.

"And my dad, like you probably already know, actually hated me. He still does, to be honest.
I just wasn't what he wanted.
I was a disappointment to him.
And as a child that hurt. I just wanted him to be proud of me."

"Oh Aiden."

"Don't. I'm not saying this so you can pity me."

"I'm sorry. I don't pity you, I'm just sorry for little Aiden."
Because my heart burns when I think of a little Aiden, his mom too sick to even talk to him and his dad ignoring him. Just because he's an arrogant asshole.

We arrive at the water hole.
'Water hole' doesn't do it justice, but sea or lake doesn't fit, and pond sounds even worse.
The water is beautifully blue just how I remember it.
And the little waterfall is also just as I remember.
It was always the highlight when we walked here in the summer heat and then as a reward we were going swimming in enjoyable almost magical blue water.

"This is beautiful." Aiden speaks.

"I also associate a lot beautiful memories with this place."

"Tell me about those."

I take the blanket out of the rucksack, I brought with us.  Earlier Aiden insisted he should carry it.
But I rolled my eyes and kept walking.
Until he just took it from my shoulder.

We sit down and I start talking.

"My sister was still pretty young, but she always insisted to come with us anyway.
She was so stubborn."

"Just like you." I roll my eyes, it was so obvious he would say that.

"Anyway. Like I said, she always insisted, and my grandma couldn't say no to her.
But she had to wear armbands when we went swimming.
And one time she swam with them too close to the stony wall, and they just broke. Like the air slowly came out of them. But she didn't want us to know so she tried to get back to land.
But you have to know that she couldn't actually swim.
So me and gran sat there when she came towards us. And I'm not saying swimming on purpose, because it was anything but. She looked like she was fighting some nonexistent sea monster and at first we got worried.
But as soon as she was out of the water we all laughed so hard. I still remember my stomach hurt." I chuckle at the memory and Aiden grins.