I sit on the edge of the single bed in the room and wait for him to say something, anything but this thick silence.
When he finally does talk his voice is low and calm but hard which is terrifying "What has gotten into you? First you walk alone in the pouring rain, when I try and help you all you do is get mad, and I ask you to do one thin, one thing Aria and you go against it! Why?" He looks over at me waiting for an answer.
"I-...you're not in control of me! I can do what I want! I'm not weak or useless I can do things to contribute. I don't need people to pity me." I spit out the word pity like venom and all my hurt turns into anger at him, at Autumn, at whatever cruel god is watching over me. "Why do you even care?! I'm nothing, so what if I get sick it's my own fault for being stupid!" As soon as I finish yelling I can see the hurt flash across his face, and I feel terrible. He crosses the distance between us in a few steps with his long gait and he grabs my hands gently holding them in his larger ones.
"I care too much for you to get hurt." His voice is barely audible and cracks but he looks at me so sincerely I turn away. "Aria look at me." He speaks so gently as he releases my hands to turn my head to look at him. "You," He wipes away a traitor tear that made it's way onto my cheek with his thumb. "matter so much. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt Aria. Let me protect you, I know you are more than capable of doing it but please, please let me." He's still looking directly into my eyes, inches away from my face when I break down and start crying.
He just holds me as I cry, softly murmuring into my hair. I'm not sure how long we stand like that in each other's arms but as my tears begin to slow he slowly but surely eases us onto the floor so we are sitting together with his arms still wrapped around me. Eventually I calm down enough so I'm sniffling and he's humming and running a hand through my hair.
"Sorry." I whisper dumbly, at first I'm not sure he heard me.
"It's alright love." He shifts so I have to look up at him "just let me be here to help you from now on. Allow me to be your rock to lean on. Be with me so we can lean on each other and be each other's strength. Let me love you Aria." He looks at me his eyes full of a raw emotion I hadn't seen before. "Will you be mine aria?"
"Only if you promise to be mine Andrew." He smiles and kisses me softly. It's sweet and innocent and it feels right.
