1983
Aaron hotchner,
18 years old just graduated
God he was so happy, he used to think this day would never come but it did, he graduated high school Haley is by his side smiling to him lighting up his inside with pure joy, he's going to college, he's leaving that place he's leaving him.
He felt guilty about how he feels remembering his little brother and mother, he knew how selfish it was to want to leave when he know what his father could do, Aaron did his best to protect his brother from knowing or seeing that side of their father and he would like to think he succeeded, his brother was too young to understand anyway Aaron told himself.
He knew his father didn't have much time left and he felt guilty for not being sad, his father was diagnosed four months ago it was lung cancer, there wasn't much the doctors could do at his stage and it wasn't like his father wanted to fight either.
Since then it seems like his father accepted his fate, he still drank and smoked and he still beat his mother on occasions like when dinner wasn't the way he wanted it to be, but for some reason he didn't hit him, not even when he tried to protect his mother which will usually earn him a good slap but not now.
Now he just looked at him not saying anything and then turning his back to him and clumsily walk out of the kitchen mumbling about how they don't deserve anything beautiful or good in life because they are so ungrateful.
He might not hit him anymore but he still knew what to say to make him feel like he doesn't deserve anything in life all while throwing his trembling hands up in the air in different directions as if showing what he would've done to him if he could.
And without physically hurting him he managed to do that, managed to make Aaron question not only himself but the fact that even if there are still beautiful things in his life does he even deserve them? Does someone who doesn't feel bad about his father dying deserve good in his life? Does someone who's willing to leave his family behind deserves beauty?
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He let himself slip again he was back there, seven years old, in the swing between the green trees he loved so much, he didn't know who it belonged to before but after so many times he visited that place Aaron claimed it and considered it his own, the swing looked old the branch felt like it's gonna break every time he sat on it, it wasn't really stable and the ropes looked like they are holding the branches with every little string they are made of, it wasn't perfect but it was his.
he loved it and he was always careful he made sure it can still be used every time he went there which was almost every day.
he first found the place when he ran away from his father's rage he hated him he hated himself for running and leaving his mother with him but he couldn't help it.
By the time he realised he shouldn't run he was already out of the house, he later found that place and he never let it escape his memory.
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Years later he was ten years old now, while running away again he heard crying, a little girls ones and instead of going to his secret place he followed it.
He won't know that this little girl will keep popping up in his life like she was tied to him all this time.
He found her she was sitting next to a tree her head buried inside her knees her little braids looked like some kind of pattern and her hands were hugging her legs
"hey! Are you okay?" Aaron called her, she didn't answer, she stopped crying but she ignored him head still between her knees. Aaron found it rude he just wanted to help her
"my name is Aaron what is your name?" Finally she raised her head
"Em- Emily my name is Emily" he smiled
"Why are you crying Emily" he asked, she looked really tiny and Aaron wondered why she is here alone, he sat next to her waiting for her to talk
"my daddy left" Aaron couldn't help but feel jealousy, I wish mine did
but he didn't said that to her instead he just said
"I'm sorry" maybe it was because he always wanted a brother but he really wanted to help her to do something to make her stop being sad but she just nodded
"mother told me he left us because he doesn't want us anymore I think it's because of her, if only we didn't move to this place" she wiped away her tears
"it doesn't matter Emily it wouldn't change anything, it's his loss he doesn't deserve to be your dad" Aaron said shrugging his shoulders.
"But I'll miss him" Emily said tears filling her brown eyes again, Aaron almost regretted telling her this, of course she won't be comforted by that she was still a little girl who missed her father.
"don't cry Emily it will be okay" Aaron couldn't help the rage building up inside of him towards both his father and Emily's
"it will be hard but you will feel better" Emily looked at him "how do you know?" Raising her eyebrows
"because I'm a big boy i know things" he smiled at her, she smiled back
"promise?"
"I promise Emily" Aaron answered
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So here's the first part of their story
"Seven" is a four part chapter which means we have three more parts to go before we are moving to them meeting again and discovering they know each other! Stay updated
This was kinda from Aaron pov so next chapter will finish his pov and we'll move to Emily :)
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𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 𝐀𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 | hotchniss
Romance❝ They both looked at each other, eyes floating over each other's faces exploring every little detail almost like they were tattooing this moment into their mind, Emily took a big breath taking in his smell in the process, cherishing it like some ki...
