We sat down in the coffee shop, and for the first half an hour, the only things we said were our orders. We sat in silence, both terrified to talk about what happened, even though neither of us truly knew.
"This is all my fault." Bradley said quietly.
"What are you talking about?" I asked while leaning in.
"There's something I haven't been telling you." He said while looking down.
"What haven't you been telling me Parker?" I asked, slightly raising my voice. I could feel my heart rate quickening.
"At the time it just, i don't know it just didn't seem important I guess." He looked at me for the first time, immediately realizing the worried expression on my face.
"Parker..." at this point I could barely breathe.
"I just didn't want to worry you. I thought I just imagined it or something. I don't know, it was stupid, I, I should have told you I know I was just-"
"Just what?! Spit it out!" By now I was yelling. Not because I was mad, just because I was afraid.
"I was scared." he paused and looked at me. I gestured for him to continue. "After you, um, died, in my, my dream. Right before I woke up, I saw you, alive but, but there was this, i don't know, this black stuff around you. And, and you had these, um like wings and your eyes, were, like, they were this gold. Like an unnatural gold. You looked almost, evil." I leaned back in my chair, attempting to process what he just said.
"How could you not tell me this?" I said as calm as I could.
"I wasn't even sure if I saw it and I didn't want to worry you."
"Worry me? You don't get to choose what I feel. You should have told me! I don't care if it would have scared me! We can't keep things from each other, not in this kind of situation!" By now I was yelling at him out of fear. Not anger, I wasn't that mad, but I was terrified. Tears started to form in my eyes.
"Hey," he said in a calming tone as he stood up and came to my side of the booth. "It's okay," he said, wrapping his arms around me as I shook with terror. "It's over now."
"No it's not." I whispered back. "It's only beginning. We don't even know why this is happening! How can we say it's over?" I sighed and leaned into him. "I'm scared Parker."
"I know, I am too. But we are going to get through this. We are going to figure out what is going on and why and we are both going to make it out alive." His words were encouraging, and helped restore any hope I had lost in the last 24 hours.
I looked up at him. I memorized his face, every scar, every freckle, everything. "You know," I said, "this is going to hurt when it's over." I said, leaning back into him.
"What do you mean? Neither of us are going to get hurt. I won't let it happen." he said while playing with the loose strands of my attempt at a pony tail.
"No, I mean, us. Whatever this is that we are, no matter what, one of us is going to get hurt. My friends won't approve of us, your friends won't want you even talking to me. Whatever this is, it's doomed from the start." I sat up and looked at him again. "So why are we trying?"
"Jenn-"
"No. I'm sorry, I just, I just can't get hurt again." I stood up and grabbed my bag as I walked out of the coffeehouse.
I know that I hurt him when I left, and in all honesty, I hurt me too. But it was bound to happen eventually. We would never work.
I looked down at my phone to check the time. 11:48. My lock screen was filled with texts from Bradley, but I did my best to not care. Charlie would be home at 12:00 today because of his early dismissal, so I quickened my pace so I could beat him home and surprise him. Jill was supposed to be home around 12:30 so I would get to spend some time with Charlie alone like we used to as kids.
I got home at 11:58, just in time. I ran into the kitchen to make some popcorn as I rummaged through our movie collection. I decided on "47 Meters Down," one of our favorites. The popcorn was ready by 12:00, on the dot, so i put it in a bowl and sat on the couch waiting for him.
12:05-No Charlie.
12:10-No Charlie.
12:20-No Charlie.
I sighed in anger, mad that Charlie wasn't home. Finally, at around 12:25, he came walking through the door. "Jenn! What are you doing home?!" he asked with excitement.
"Why are you only getting home now?" I asked as calmly as I possibly could.
"I went to my friends house for a little bit." He said with a shrug.
"I don't remember you asking." I said moving closer, my voice starting to raise.
"I didn't think it would be a problem." he said, getting slightly worried.
"I came home early to spend time with you." I lied. "I made popcorn and had a movie all ready to go." My voice was rising a lot now. I was practically yelling. "You can't go to your friends house without asking!" Charlies face held fear, something he rarely showed.
"Your, your eyes." he said while backing up. "They're, they're golden."
A/N--Okay so I started telling my friends that I write books and now some of them are reading it so, hi to you guys. And I just want to warn you all that you're probably going to get mad at me at some point within the next few chapters...
