fragile

25

Mira and Colton were holding hands.

They were sitting on the sofa, just the two of them.

She was giving him the strength that he had always wanted but had never gotten.

If only he wasn't a pussy in high school, she could have been the best thing to ever have happened to him back then as well.

The birthday party had been awkward as hell. Some other friends had arrived shortly after his parents, and even though everyone mingled, there was still that tension between him and his parents.

Colton tried to be as cheery as he could be regarding everything that had happened.

It was so hard.

So fake.

He didn't talk to them, at all, and they made no effort to talk to him either.

They were guilty, he knew. They regretted what they did to them. They regretted not coming to their only daughters fucking funeral.

At least, he hoped they did.

After his parents had left, Sammy had given him and Mira some alone time.

He didn't really ask for it — Sammy wanted him to man up and ask her out, to forget about his parents and live his life.

Colton didn't want to do any of that.

Well, he did, but it wasn't the right time. He was still shaken up from his parents' unexpected arrival.

It had been years since they had decided to cut Casey off. Because of that, he had taken her under his wing instead and deliberately cut off contact with his parents, too.

They had never really cared about them and gave up on them; he realised that as he got older.

He supposed his Mama cared. But his Pa was never one for affection and she always followed whatever he would say.

They were just their trophy kids and when Casey wasn't fit mentally anymore, they needed to throw her out.

Colton scoffed, bitterly as he glared at a spot on the floor.

Life was about finding your own way to success, and he had to learn that the hard way.

His body suddenly trembled and his hands shook; he wasn't even aware that he was in tears. The hand that was tightly held by Mira didn't move, however.

It was secure in her grip. She ran her other hand up and down his arm in a comforting manner, providing the warmth that he desperately needed.

He let out a deep breath through his nose, trying to compose himself.

"I'm sorry, Mira," he choked out.

"Sorry for what?"

Her soft, almost melodic voice echoed in his ears. He let out a breath of satisfaction.

"I—nothing. I'm just being stupid."

"You're not."

He turned his head to look at her. She offered him a gentle smile and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and tell her he loved her.

But he couldn't.

Not yet, anyway.

"Do you think I was too harsh?"

"Harsh?"

"On my parents?"

Mira bit down her bottom lip, eyes sliding to the left as if she was contemplating something.

Colton squeezed her hand gently.

"You can tell me," he said, calmly.

"I...I don't know the whole story between you and your parents. So, who am I to judge?"

He scoffed. "Anyone can and should judge them. They wanted to get rid of Casey after she lost her sanity. And then they wanted to get rid of me because I wanted to look after her. So, they did and we cut off all contact and never spoke to each other again."

Mira was silent for a little while. He glanced at her and her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips drawn down into a frown.

"Maybe it's not as simple as getting rid of you and Casey? Have you tried talking to them about why they did what they did?"

He was stumped.

She was right.

A part of him knew that, but the other part knew that there could be no excuse, no reason to why a parent would want to kick their kid out -- sane or not.

Colton scowled. "What other reason could they need?"

"I don't know," she softly muttered. "But maybe you should talk to them." At the look he gave her, she rushed to add in, "At least for you to get some closure. You don't have to get along with your parents or anything."

He ran a hand down his face with the other hand. After contemplating it for a few seconds, he nodded.

"You're right. I'll do it."

"Good."

When he looked up, the compassion in her eyes roped him in, a full-blown smile appearing on her face.

He inhaled sharply. It was an involuntary reaction but he didn't care.

All he could focus on was just how beautiful she looked.

Her curly chaotic hair framed her small face and at that moment, all he wanted to do was kiss her.

He wanted to kiss her badly.

But he didn't want to scare her away. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He was in love with the woman, not purely lusting after her.

So, instead, he pushed down the urge and his mouth managed to curve up into a faint smile.

"I'll do it for Casey and myself." He then paused, glancing in her direction before continuing. "And for you."

Her smile froze. And just like that, her grip on his hand slowly loosened.

Colton knew he had fucked up.

But he didn't care.

His feelings for her were obvious, and he wanted her to know about them.

He wanted her.