Beautiful Symphony

Chapter 23

  I faced him, dreading every moment that lay ahead.

"So, you know that I'm just here for the summer, right?" I asked.

"Right. Until August."

"Right. Right. About that.." I did not want to continue. But I had to. "My Dad, he has this stupid job, and it's really important. And, well, they.. Called, and..."

"And..?"

"We're- I'm going home." I blurted out.

  He didn't say anything. He just laid there.

"So... I won't see you anymore?" He finally spoke up.

"Unless you come to Virginia." I sighed. I put my hands over my face. "I hate this. I really do. I don't want to leave."

  Again, he remained silent. My heart was so heavy. For once, Elliot had nothing to say. I was so angry. Angry at myself, for doing this to him.

"I'm sorry. I really am. It's so dumb. You're so - so great. You've been nothing but kind towards me and now I'm just leaving. I don't want to. I don't want to leave this town. I don't want to leave- leave you." I started tearing up.

  I sat up, and placed my head on my knees. And I cried. I cried like a child. Because I was devastated. I had finally found someone who I could be myself with, someone who loved me.

  Waking from his frozen state, Elliot sat up to comfort me. He rubbed his hand up and down my back, making a "shh" noise. Here I was, telling him awful news just to have him comfort me.

  He lifted my face up from my knees and gave me a empathetic look. "Come here."

  He leaned into the corner of his bed, arms wide open. I slid into them, resting my head on his chest. He held onto me, stroking my hair.

"I don't want you to go either, Ari. I love you, you know?"

  I did know. And that's what made it so hard to leave. I loved him, too. I had only met him around a month ago, yet I cared so much for him. You can call it "puppy love" or whatever else you may like, but to me, it was everything.

  I looked up at him. "I love you too." I whispered, tears rolling.

  He kissed me, very gently, and wiped my tears with his thumb. I laid back down, enjoying his warmth. We just laid there, together. Enjoying what time we had left.

                                     *****

Elliot's POV

After a few moments, she fell asleep in my arms. I stroked her hair gently, not wanting to wake her. She was such an interesting girl, and she was slipping right through my fingers.

We had only been together about a month, but I already was so invested in her. She made me happy.

I know that the whole idea of love at first sight is, well, ridiculous, but ever since I saw her, I knew she was special. Something inside of me was saying "Don't let her slip away. She's different."

I sighed as I began to feel tired myself. I could have easily fallen asleep right there, but I didn't want to send her home late. I just laid as still as I could, listening to her steady breathing.

Mom knocked on the door before peeking in. I gave her an embarrassed look while she grinned.

"I'll leave you two be as long as you leave the door open."

"Alright."

She waved and left the door halfway open before returning downstairs.

I looked down at her sleeping face and sighed. I knew going into this that she wouldn't be here forever, but I didn't expect her to leave so soon. I had so many plans for us.

I'd had girlfriends before, but not enough to brag about. They were usually just girls that I went to school with. Nothing special. I never introduced them to my family, let alone let them in my room.

Ariette was a different story. She was like a princess in a fairy tale, and I couldn't stop chasing after her. She could understand me. She listened to every word I said, never getting bored. And she genuinely liked me.

Not that I'm unlikeable, it's just that I'm pretty much a huge history nerd who makes cheesy jokes and spontaneous gestures. Not exactly every girls "dream guy".

I sighed and laid there, rethinking everything. Should I have chased after her, even if I knew it wouldn't last forever?

I thought about it for a second, and immediately knew that I wouldn't change anything even if I could. I loved everything about her, and I was so glad to call her mine.

*****

I woke up to the smell of his cologne and the warmth of his chest. I didn't even realize that I had fallen asleep. I blinked a few times and scanned the bed for my phone. When I saw the time, my heart dropped.

Crap. I've been here for hours.

They called me, too.

I poked the side of his face, causing it to scrunch up. I poked again, and his eyes fluttered open.

"Stop that." He said, in a sleepy tone.

"I gotta go." I waved the phone in my hand.

"Oh, crap." He rose up. "What time is it?"

"Time to go home before I get killed." I scooted to the edge of the bed, stretching out my limbs.

I walked over to his mirror, fixing my messy hair. He got up, slipping some shoes on and sifting through his own brown locks.

"I'll walk you home."

"You don't have to, I'll be fine." I assured.

"I'm still going."

I just shrugged and headed downstairs. I said a quick thanks and goodbye to Lucy before we headed out.

As we got closer, I spoke up. "I don't know what we're gonna do about this whole thing, but we can talk about it tomorrow."

"Okay." We stopped in our tracks, the house in view. "We'll figure something out."

He gave me a smile, and I returned it. I gave him a quick hug before hiking back up to the house. As I reached the door, I took in a deep breath, unsure of what was going to happen next.

Be strong, Ariette.

I turned the knob and stepped inside.

[Greetings, readers! Thank you so much for reading this far into Beautiful Symphony! I love all of the love this book has gotten, so keep it coming! :) I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do, and have a wonderful rest of your day. :)
-RosalineMidnight ]