Chapter 41: Chapter 40

Kristal Anderson

Life was falling apart right before my eyes and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

My pessimistic brain had taken me through this exact scenario countless times and I thought that I would be more prepared, more acquainted with all the possible outcomes but I guess I was wrong. I was very very wrong.

All that time I spent overthinking this scenario meant absolutely nothing because the paralyzing fear I felt now that I was actually living it was something I hadn’t accounted for.

All the ways in which aunt Jenna would look at me now, express her disappointment, all of it was flashing right before my very eyes, so vividly. My body had gone through so many emotions in one night, I didnt know if I’d be able to handle it.

“I expect to see you at our front door within the next thirty minutes, Kristal,” Those were her last words before she hung up and I think my heart stopped beating right then and there. I had been a shell of myself ever since, the disappointment in her voice plauged my every sense, all I could see, hear was her. I was spiralling and this time not even Aiden could pull me out of the tunnel I’d fallen into. His voice was just as gentle and soothing, his words just as reassuring but I was in too deep.

The only words I could manage to utter was that we had to leave, he didn’t protest. We were fifteen minutes into the ride and the silence that surrounded us was thick with uncertainty. It was clear that this was taking a toll on both of us.

He was giving me my space but I could still feel his eyes on me whenever they weren't on the road and his firm hand on my thigh that he used to remind me of his presence by giving it three occasional squeezes. I knew that he wanted to help me, wanted to calm my nerves and rid me of my worries but at that point neither of us knew how to do that.

“Aiden, I'm really scared,” Those were the first words I uttered since we got in the car. We were now parked in his driveway and the sight of my house with all the lights still on made a whole new level of fear rise in the pit of my stomach, making this whole thing so much more real. It wasn't a dream, she was awake and she made it known.

He turned his full attention to me after turning off the engine, his hand moved to the back of my head as he pulled me in and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Stay here, I'll go inside and talk to her. All of this started because of me,” I was already shaking my head before he could even finish his thought process, “Kris, I got you into this mess and I'm gonna get you out, I'll talk to her explain how things happen–”

“Aiden, no you can't,” I said leaning more into his touch as his hand moved from the back of my head to my cheek, "First because she won't listen to you, she's upset and she doesn't listen when she's upset. Second and most importantly, I can't let this be your first encounter with her. Now she sees you as the man who pulled me out of the safety bubble she worked so hard to create for me, to her you're the enemy. The first time you two meet I want her to see you for what you truly are; the man who broke me out of the mental hellscape I was in and made smiling feel like second nature again.You two are the most important people in my life and I want you to get along, Darlin,"

His hand on my cheek slipped away but not for long as he took my hand in his and brought it up placing a feather light kiss on my knuckles, and just then something shifted in his gaze. I couldn't quite pinpoint the exact root of it but it was an obvious change that was accompanied by the movement of his eyes as they drifted away from mine. There was an overwhelming sadness in his gaze and I found myself questioning my words, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

He shook his head bringing his eyes back to my face, a sad smile on his lips, "You did nothing wrong Darlin, I just realized something," He paused for a moment, I nodded waiting for him to elaborate, "I know that when it comes down to it, if you're forced to choose between us and salvaging your relationship with your Aunt, you'll choose her,"

"Aiden no–"

"You don't have to pretend Darlin, I know how important she is to you–"

"Yeah but so are you," Something twinkled in his eyes, "and Aiden, leaving you is not an option in my mind,"

And just like that his teeth were on full display for me, giving him that glow that only he could pull off, "You mean that?"

I couldn't help but giggle, "Of course I do silly, and I know that aunt Jenna's upset right now but at the end of the day I know that she loves me and wants to see me happy. So when the dust settles, and she sees how happy you've made me and she'll want to be apart of that too, we just need to be a little patient," His lips were on mine and that same feeling of bliss overtook me, everytime he kissed me felt the same; just as electrifying, just as addictive. I pulled back just a few inches, our lips still brushing, "I won't push you away this time, Aiden, I need you right by my side,"

"That's all I will ever ask of you; for you to never shut me out,"

My life was now full of uncertainty, I didn't know who to believe, or what to believe. I was questioning my entire existence and the person I'd always considered a saint. And through all that Aiden had managed to remain a constant, the only thing I was sure about. I wanted him with me through the good, the bad and the ugly.

I knew that the conversation with aunt Jenna would be painful but it was inevitable and I couldn't push it back any longer, so after reassuring him that I'd see him soon I made my way to my house. Swallowing the lump that was already forming in my throat, I opened the door and walked in.

"You have no idea how disappointed I am in you," Her voice filled my ears following the click of the door shutting behind me. She was getting up from the living room couch the moment she laid her eyes on me.

Those words were like a punch in the gut, especially coming from the woman who raised you. "Aunt Jenna, I can explain I–" I was already walking toward her, hoping that by some weird miracle my closeness would help diffuse the situation.

"What is there to explain? You snuck out your window like a hooligan, there is nothing else for me to know," Her tone had never been so...cold, it sent a shiver up my spine making goosebumps rise all over my body.

"Aunt Jenna, I was suffocating, the walls of my room felt like a prison, I needed out and I knew you would never allow it–"

"Oh so you sneak out? You put yourself in danger after I worked so damn hard to keep you safe!"

I had no rebuttal for that. My eyes moved downward toward the wooden flooring, "I'm sorry," Was all I could say and I truly meant it, the guilt I felt for lying to her consumed me.

"Oh you're sorry?" She scoffed crossing her arms over her chest, "That's all you have to say? Kristal you went against everything I've ever taught you and snuck out for no good reason–"

"I had a reason. . . I- I didn't mean for things to happen this way, I was going to come clean and tell you how everything happened a-and I was going to introduce you to my boyfriend; one of the good reasons I did what I did,"

The look of disbelief that plagued her features when the words left my mouth looked familiar; that was the look she gave me when I told her about my high school boyfriend. She stared at me like I'd just told her the biggest deepest secret known to man. It felt as though deep down Aunt Jenna still viewed me as a child, that nine year old girl that she took under her wing.

"Boyfriend?"

"Yes, boyfriend, we met a little while back w-we never meant for it to get this far but it just happened and I know how crazy this may seem–"

"Kristal Anderson, how can you be so calm about this?! Do you understand what you've just done? You put another person on your father's radar, do you understand what that means? Do you know how selfish you are?" The anger was radiating off of her and hitting my body in waves. She reached down to the center table, picking up a few pieces of paper I hadn't even realized were there. "This is how selfish you are," She held the papers in my direction, I took them my heart beginning to speed up, "while you were out on your little excursions, pretending like your life is normal, I've been here stressing in silence,"

There were five pieces of A4 paper, each with only one sentence on the center of the page.

Hickory, Dickory, Dock. Was on the first one.

The mouse ran up the clock. On the second.

The clock struck one. On the third.

The mouse ran down. On the fourth.

Hickory, Dickory, Dock. On the last.

It was the nursery rhyme.

"Your father has been leaving these in our mail box for the past five days," My eyes snapped away from the papers in my now shaking hands, meeting hers, "I kept it to myself because I knew that you were already going through so much and I didn't wanna worry you even more, here I was thinking that you were suffering meanwhile you were out doing god knows what with a random man. You were out adding another person to his hit list all while your father circles in on us. Kristal he is close,"

Uncle Greg's words ringed in my ears, echoing with her words. I didn't know what to believe, what to think, who to believe. It felt like I was going crazy inside my own head, it was an overwhelming feeling.

Though every ounce of my heart was telling me that Aunt Jenna had no reason to lie to me, that my father was truly close and he was playing some sick game with this nursery rhyme, there was a whisper in my brain, replaying his words.

Your father didn't kill her.

Jenna isn't the angel she makes herself out to be.

Jenna is not a good person.

Despite all that, knowing that he was close left my body in complete disarray, my palms grew sweaty against the paper as images from my mother's death flashed before my eyes but instead of her in that pool of blood, it was Aiden and Aunt Jenna. That made me grip the pieces of paper tighter nearly crushing them on my hold.

"Aunt Jenna I–"

"Save it, I don't want to hear a single thing, I can hardly look at you right now so I suggest you go up to your room, Kristal," Though she used the word 'suggest', I knew that that was far from a suggestion. That was an order. I knew that there would be no getting across to her today, she was rightfully upset. I had to give her time so I placed the papers down on the table and began to move towards the stairs until she spoke again.

"I know that your mother would have wanted me to do everything in my power to keep you safe and that's exactly what I'm going to do. But now I'm gonna do things differently; prepare to see a new side of me Kristal,"

I did not mean to take this long to get this chapter out so sorry!!

Hope you enjoyed it though!

Thanks for coming along my loves <3