Dark love story part 4

	The first time he hugged me was after we'd known each other for over four years and we had already been close. He only hugged me because he didn't know what else to do when I told him my parents had passed away. He had come round a lot to raid my books or play computer games so he'd known them. I hadn't told him until after the funeral after I had finally come back to school. I don't think anyone had hugged me till then since my parents had their car accident so when I started crying into his shoulder he just held me tighter. Since then I probably could have counted all the times he had invaded my personal space on one hand. Now his head was in my lap as he read to me. I unfroze and brushed his hair that usually stuck up everywhere down flat he adjusted his glasses and continued reading. I didn't open my eyes, I just pretended this new side of him was normal.
	I think keeping me busy for my birthday was his entire plan as my parents had died on my birthday last year heading out to watch a movie together I was in the backseat chatting excitedly about how keen I was to see it when the car had suddenly veered off the road. We'd been on a country type road that connected our town to the next going a high speed and before I knew we'd veered off I had somehow lost conciousness and woke up in a hospital the next morning. The nurse sent the doctor in and that's when my life had changed I was their only living relative so now suddenly I was set for life with old family money and all the money my parents had owned in a big house on my own. Alex offered to move in but he'd just moved into his apartment with his room-mates at the end of our senior year I had been put up a grade so I was 17 whilst he gloated about being an adult.
	I broke out of my dark reflection of the year as Alex sat up. I opened my eyes as he moved.
	“Ready for that run? Sorry I read more than a chapter,” He said as he folded up his glasses and placed them on his book. I nodded and he stood up and ran in the house coming back a minute later. He helped me up then skidded down the stairs taking two at a time I smiled and followed suit a little slower so I wouldn't fall.
	He took off as soon as his foot hit the ground. I was a few steps behind and chased after him his laugh floating behind him as the distance between us grew. I widened my stride and watched as he shortened his and I steadily caught him as he chose our path looking to be the edge of the fields that surrounded the house. Realising this I took the lead and then laughed as he had to stop because of a stitch. I doubled back and smiled at him as he grimaced clutching his side.
	“I shouldn’t have laid down,” he groaned.
	“Rookie,” I laughed as I shifted from one foot to the other.
	“Am not,” Alex panted, “I just haven't run much since starting work.”
“Swimming?” I offered gesturing to the pool we had just passed as we raced around the house.
“Sure, want to swim like this or do you have a swim suit to change into?” Alex peered at me.
“Actually I have my swimsuit on under this,” I smiled at him.
“Let me guess a bikini that will probably never see the light of day,” He laughed scratching his face.
“Pretty much,” I nodded as we walked over to the pool that was pristine clean. He pulled off his shirt and shoes barely tossing them aside before diving in.
	Usually his point about my bikini never seeing the light of day was spot on but I decided to be brave as I'd been hitting the gym and taking self defence classes so I pulled off my shirt and shoes too throwing them next to his and watching his tanned back as he started doing laps thinking that it wasn't too late he hadn't seen me I could put my shirt back on. My black and white patterned bikini top suddenly making me extremely self conscious.
	“Fuck it,” I muttered and dove in. I surfaced and brushed my wet fringe out of my face and noticed Alex staring at me from the other side of the pool. I swam across to him which wasn't very far as he'd gone the width of the pool not the length so he wasn’t very far from me. I came up beside him and playfully splashed him but he grabbed my shoulders roughly and turned me. 
	“What are these?” His voice came out rough as he scanned my back.
	“Scars,”
	“From?”
	“The car accident. Doctor said somehow I flew through the back window and my back dragged along the ground as my parents hit the tree,” I tried to turn back around but his hands still held me in place.
	“You never said... You were there?” His voice broke on the last word. Unable to take the scrutiny anymore I dove down in the water to get away from him. The water seemed to turn cold as I climbed out keeping my back to him as I threw my shirt on and walked into the house dripping wet and shivering. I headed straight for my room and the shower not wanting to explain myself to anyone. He was confusing me already with how he was acting. I never taled about the accident and I wasn't going to start now. I spent the rest of the night in my room. I think some part of me was waiting for him to knock but besides hearing his door slam I didn't even hear him again.

Tags: sad,