Fragments of Hearts: A Healing Romance

Chapter Ten

I have been speeding more than legally allowed, and I feel my skin boiling. It seems like no air is actually entering my body. There's a mix of adrenaline and anxiety flowing through my blood, making me feel dizzy.

I've been ready to find out whatever hides behind the hell's doors, but now that I feel so close to the truth yet so far away, I question whether or not I can handle whatever's going on. What I'm most curious about is what I'm going to do afterwards. There's no possible way to avoid involving myself since I'm literally driving towards my source of information. Despite not knowing what I'm getting myself into, I do want to be involved.

I drive past the empty streets, with only the lights of passing cars and the streetlights visible. I know that I'm approaching the park Anne talked about, as I see the small gates with trees and benches beside them, dividing the small place from the small streets.

I spot Anne in a blue hoodie, twice her size, sitting on one of the benches, waiting. 'I guess I'm not the only one here too early.' I park my car near the entrance, knowing nothing will happen at this hour.

As I get out of my car, feeling the breeze hitting my hot skin, I walk towards Anne. She seems to not notice me as she looks down at her phone. The harsh blue light illuminates her face and the dark circles around her eyes. It's not very noticeable given the darkness covering almost everything. She's tired, and I guess that's because she's been sick for almost a week. Her skin seems paler than usual, and she seems overall more toned down. I still feel bad because she got sick, and it's partially my fault.

As I step in front of her, she raises her gaze towards mine, smiling softly. I try to smile back, despite feeling little to no energy to act social right now.

We exchange a few words, with me asking her if she feels better and her telling me how she's been dealing with the sickness for the past week.

"I don't know how to start telling you," she says, playing with the end of her hoodie as she talks. Her voice is raw and quiet as she words her thoughts, her vocal cords trying their best to sound as normal as possible.

"Allow me to ask then. There's no pressure," I reassure her, looking towards her, despite knowing that she's rather avoiding eye contact right now. "Who's Tyler?"

She takes her time to answer. I see how she's staring at the pavement with great interest as she thinks hard about it. I know she already has an answer, but I think she just wants to find the right words.

Despite it being the start of fall, the air chills my skin as if it's winter. I maybe should have worn more than a shirt, but the cold is somehow refreshing. It contrasts well with the tense air between me and Anne. I don't want to intimidate her, so my gaze is towards the trees in front of us, looking lifeless.

"Tyler..." she takes a breath, finding her voice. "He was someone I shouldn't have had anything to do with. I was the reason why he's not here at the moment." She looks down, feeling her gaze dropping slightly as she tries to find the right words once again.

"What happened?" I rudely interrupt her thoughts as she stops breathing for a second. The silence between us allows the slight breeze of the weather to be louder and colder than it should.

"Let's say he was worse than Chris. He used to rule the school before Chris took his place," she continues as her gaze locks towards me. I'm still ignoring her gaze. I don't want to make her more nervous than she already is.

"I ended up reporting him. Some of his actions included me directly," she continues as her gaze locks towards me. I feel her energy pouring onto mine, and I don't need to look back at her to know that she's trying to embrace sanity as she recalls memories, which seem overwhelming.

I can relate to this kind of energy. It's way too similar to how I was feeling when I first started seeing a psychiatrist.

"He was sent to juvenile detention since he was a minor back then. I still remember the way he looked at me when he got taken away. I thought he would end me; I genuinely thought he was going to do something. But instead, Chris took his place and didn't hesitate to try to make my life a living hell," she stops, letting me take in the heavy stuff. I think there are a lot of details she's not saying, but I feel the way she doesn't want me to judge her.

"I heard Chris talk on the phone with someone," I confess to her. "He almost screamed when, I believe, the other person said something about Tyler coming back." I can hear her gasp for a second. "Chris was talking about you. He wasn't saying your name, but I clearly heard the way he was talking, insinuating it was you."

This time, I connect with her gaze. I see the shock in her expression, her eyes dilated, full of confusion and fear. I don't think she fully realizes what I just said. Her hair falls on her face, her green eyes losing a pinch of color, her skin becoming paler than it already is.

Despite her baggy oversized clothes, I can sense the way her body tensed. She sits more straight, looking at me without seeing me. She's staring into the void as she processes what I'm saying.

"Look Anne, I know I'm still in the shadows as you won't share details, which I fully respect, but I think I can help you," I put my hand on her trembling shoulder, squeezing it slightly to bring her back to reality. She snaps slightly at my touch, this time looking at me, not just staring.

Her green eyes light up back to the color I've been used to, her looking at me as if trying to see if I'm joking or not. She looks livelier, as if a light of hope showed up on her darkened street, but I know how this feels. I'm still waiting for my spark of light, which will get me out of my black hole. Regardless, this is not about me; it's about her.

"How can you help me?" she barely speaks, every word as a whisper. She looks intensely at me, searching for an answer, before I can word out my thoughts. I don't know what she expects me to say nor if she expects anything at all.

I don't know what this impulsive decision will cause, but I think this was the chance I needed. In order to help myself, I can save a soul from suffering. This will change the course of things significantly, but I'm yet not sure how.

"I'll be your protector," I say back with a raspy voice, my throat getting dry. I can't believe I actually said it that way. She might think I'm insane, but I continue before letting her make an opinion. "You are on a very shaky boat in the middle of the ocean because you can't find the stable piece of land you can take a break on."

I think I lost Anne completely. She's confused as hell, and I'm not sure what I'm saying anymore. Maybe I'm too dramatic, but my point has to be made; there's no going back.

"Let me be that steady land you need right now. I can physically protect you from Chris and Tyler, whenever he decides to show his face, and I can be your mental wall you can lean on," I finish saying, not aware of how much time I needed to say that.

She stares at me, shocked somehow. I think she stopped breathing for a moment. Her green eyes look twice as big, her expression not readable. I believe there are a lot of things going through her head, but I can't see what it is.

Does she think I'm crazy?

To be fair, I'd understand her. We don't know each other well enough for me to just suggest being by her side like a parasite 24/7, indirectly assuring her that this will save her from whatever madness is going on in her life.

I have little to no clue what I'm getting myself into, but I'm invested.

I don't even think there are enough words to explain how I'm feeling right now, nor how I can process what happened. I anticipated every reaction from her, but not this. In this chilly night on a bench, I can feel an outside source of warmth that I didn't see coming.

Anne is hugging me. Tight.

Her body, though trembling because of the cold, is hanging onto me, as if she needs me. I know she's somehow also thankful for what I proposed to her; I can feel it.

I take my time to process her action, as she's not saying a word. Her trembling stopped, and I can feel her grip loosening.

I don't hesitate to take her into my grip before she backs away. I hug her back, not sure who needs this hug more.