If Not for the Mystery Book

016

By the time Anthony knocked on the door, Sasha had paced so much she may as well have run a few miles. She was beyond nervous, far from ready to share what she was about to share with him. She opened the door, revealing the brunet with a smile. His face faltered when he saw her, though. Her nervousness must be obvious.

"What's wr-wrong?" he asked, eyebrows drawn in concern.

"Come in," she said, motioning inside. "I have some things I want to tell you." He followed her in, and she could feel the question emanating from him. She sat him down at the counter before pacing in front of him. He watched her silently, his patience astounding her.

Eventually, Sasha stopped, facing him. Taking in a breath, she began her speech. "Anthony, I really like you," she said, looking down at the floor. This was already embarrassing. "But there are some things I think you should know about me." Her eyes nervously flicked up to his before returning to their place on the floor. Taking a deep breath, she started confessing everything.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. My mother was a prostitute. I have absolutely no idea who my father is, and I have no intent in finding out. My mother left me when I was thirteen. I ended up moving in with my neighbors, but no one could look at me. Everyone avoided me like the plague and were rather obvious about it. Every time someone new moved into town, it wouldn't take long for them to find out and hate me." She paused, rubbing at her eyes. She refused to cry. Her voice was unsteady enough as it was, she didn't need tears to accentuate that.

"I never had friends. I never had true family. I dedicated myself to schoolwork so I could get a good scholarship. I got one and moved out here so I could go to the university, and to get far away from my home town. I never really made good friends here. Everyone told me I was too serious, too sad. So I changed myself. After this, I still didn't make friends. I was too happy for people's liking. I smiled too much. I realized that no matter what I was, no one would like me.

"I decided that I wouldn't let people's opinions affect me. I stopped caring what others thought of me, and I actually started to get happy. I didn't care what people thought of me until now." She paused, shaking with the effort it took not to cry. "Because now I don't want you to hate me, but I knew you needed to know where I came from. So here I am, telling the last person on Earth that I want to hate me all my secrets." A tear streaked down her cheek, which she quickly wiped off her face. "I'm sorry I'm a disappointment. I understand if you don't want to look at me anymore."

It was silent for a while. Sasha shamefully wiped away the tears that escaped her eyes, shaking violently in her shoes. He had yet to say anything. Was that a bad thing? After a good two minutes, he finally broke the silence.

"Come here," she heard in a soft voice. Her heart pounded as she looked up in confusion. "Come here," he said again, just as softly as the first time. She hesitantly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around herself. She stood a respectful distance from him, fearful of what was about to happen.

Anthony's hands reached out, taking her upper arms in them. He gently pulled her closer until her legs were pressed against his. He moved his hands to her face, wiping away the tears that were on her cheeks. At this angle, he was slightly shorter than her. The chair was pretty tall, but it left him a solid three inches shorter than her. She was confused, however. He hadn't said anything or reacted in any way.

"Sasha, look a-at me," he said after a while. She felt cold, distant. Her bloodshot eyes slowly moved and met his. He offered a small, sad smile. "Can't you j-just be my girlfriend now?" Sasha's heart skipped. What did he just say?

"Did you not hear me?" she asked, surprised by his response. No matter how happy that question made her, she didn't understand how he got there.

"Yes, I h-heard you," he said, voice quiet. "Sasha, you're not your p-parents. It doesn't m-matter where you came from o-or what people think of y-you. Do you unders-stand?" Another flow of tears left her eyes. Anthony quietly wiped them away. He made her feel safe. She slowly nodded her head, showing her understanding of what he said.

"Good. Will y-you just be my g-girlfriend now?" he asked. Sasha quickly nodded her head, not knowing how to speak. He smiled before continuing. "I'm hungry. L-let's go get some food."

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