The Bully And His Quiet One

Chapter 42

Aiden's POV

Blake had told me yesterday that he was going to hang with Leo pretty much all day today. He wanted to go for a walk beforehand so that we could spend some time together. I tried to tell him that we didn't have to since we see each other practically everyday, but he insisted that we did, so here we are walking back home in the brisk morning air. His phone went off and he pulled it out looking at the screen. "It's Leo, he's asking when I'll be there," we had just gotten back to the house. "I'm going to go, I'll see you later." He gave me a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too, have fun." I walked to the house while he got into his car and drove off. I noticed that Julie's car was gone so I wasn't even sure if anyone was home, but Anna was in the kitchen when I walked in to get some water. 

"Hey, a package came for you this morning, I put it on your bed." I wrinkled my forehead in confusion.

Who would've sent me a package? "What's in it?"

"I don't know. I'm not a creep who goes through other people's mail."

I chuckled at her and walked upstairs to find this package, Anna following. There was a box taped up on the bed with writing saying "Handle with care. To: Aiden." It clearly was not mailed as there was no shipping label. I looked suspiciously at Anna and she just shrugged. I grabbed the pocket knife Blake keeps in the nightstand for protection as he says, and opened it. I found a puzzle piece painted a light blue color with "me" written in the middle of it. There was also a note in the box. "This is a puzzle of me but I have seemed to have lost my pieces while I was out, and this is the only one I can find. Please help me find the rest so I can put it together. Follow the directions of the back. Blake," I read it aloud. "What is this?"

"I don't know," Anna responded and then gasped, "What if it's a proposal?"

"Stop." I turned the paper over and read the back, "I lost the next piece at the place of where I found you when we spent our first night."

"And where's that at?" Anna asked.

I thought for a moment. He started helping me a couple days after I was raped, things were pretty bad after that so it must've been in a place that I used to make an escape from the house. "I think it's the park."

"Then let's go."

We walked the couple blocks to the park and found Julie sitting in the grass, reading a book. I walked up to her, "Hi Aiden. Are you looking for something?"

"Yeah, Blake said there would be a puzzle piece here."

"He told me you would be looking for that." She pulled out a board, a note, and a puzzle piece from her bag. The board had puzzle piece shapes drawn on it. The one from the house went in the top left corner, and the new piece that said "memories" went right under it.

I pulled out the note, "Congrats on finding the second piece, you only need 7 more. For the next one, have mom drive you to the place where we ate on our second date." When I was done reading it, Julie was already off the ground and walking to the car. I looked at Anna who shrugged and we followed her. Luckily she knew where we were going because although I remember it, I do not remember the name of the restaurant nor how to get there.

I walked in and did not see anyone I recognize. "Hi there, how can I help you?" the lady at the front asked me. 

"Um. This may sound a little weird, but I'm looking for a puzzle piece."

"This one?" she pulled out a piece from the podium thing that said "laughter."

"Yes, thank you." I walked back to the car and placed it in the bottom left hand corner. "Hopefully that was not too awkward for you. You're a third of the way there. I left the next piece at the place we went after we ate." Julie looked over at me after I read it. "The beach."