Pretend

by Charlene Antrobus

  "No, me being annoyed is not cute," I said as I tried not to smile.

  "It is," he replied.

  "It's not," I mumbled as I kept my eyes on the TV.

  "Is," he whispered.

  "Isn't," I grumbled.

  "Is," he said as he let out a slight laugh.

  “I can do this all night Aiden.”

  “Me too and I always win,” he said with a smirk on his face.

  "Whatever. Isn't."

  "Is."

  "Isn't."

  "Is."

  "Isn't," I shouted as I turned my head around to face him.

  He of course caught me totally off guard with a kiss.

  "Is," he whispered as he gently pulled away from me to smile.

  “Told you that I’d win,” he said as he continued to smile.

  "Who cares, just kiss me," I said as I realised how much I was missing his kiss already.

  "Yes ma’am," he said in a southern accent before kissing me again. I couldn't help but smile. I had no way to describe how Aiden made me feel but it was amazing.

  This night was what I could only describe as perfect, right up until the point that the living room door swung open and she walked in...

  "Caitlyn?" Both Aiden and I sang in unison.

  "How did you get in?" Aiden asked as he stood up and stared her in the eyes.

  "The door was open," she said through her tears.

  "Have you been crying sweetheart?" I asked as I took a step towards her and let her fall into my arms.

  "It's ok, come and sit down," I said in a worried voice.

  "Did he put his hands on you?" Aiden asked in an angry voice.

  "I'm going to kill him!" He said as he began pacing up and down.

  "Calm down, just give me a minute," I said in a gentle tone. I watched as Aiden stormed out of the door, leaving me to cuddle Caitlyn to my chest. When I knew that she had settled, I lifted her chin gently so that I could look directly into her eyes.

  "So, how did you get here angel?" I asked in a gentle tone.

  "I walked," she whispered.

  "Oh gosh, Caitlyn that was dangerous sweetie, please don't ever do that again. So what happened?" I asked as I looked down at her innocent, twelve year old face.

  "Dad hit her again," she said in a calm voice.

  "Who? Kate, I mean your mom?"

  She nodded her head to say yes.

  I let out a gentle sigh before opening my mouth again.

  "Where is your mom now?" I asked in a worried tone.

  "At home I think, I just ran out of the house and came here. I did knock but no one came and the door was open," she said in a guilty voice.

  "It's ok angel, it's ok. Let's get you some hot cocoa, yeah?" I said as I led the way to the kitchen. She nodded her head as a big smile crept onto her face at the mention of cocoa.

  "Come on then," I said as I slipped her hand into mine and took her into the kitchen.

  I knew that I needed to calm Aiden down but right now my attention was focused more on Caitlyn and making sure that she was ok. I felt bad knowing that Caitlyn being upset would bring back memories of when Aiden's dad used to hit his mom. It was a memory that we all struggled to get rid of. I used to love coming to the Daniels' house as a child but not when their dad was around, he scared the life out of me. We never told anyone about the violence of course, not at first, we wouldn't dare. He never hit Crystal or Aiden but when he drank and became violent it was impossible to know how far he would go each time. I guess that the last straw was when a woman called Kate turned up with her six year old daughter, Caitlyn, asking if Susan was the other woman. It turned out that Aiden’s dad had been having an affair as well as being violent to both Susan and Kate. Neither of them knew about the other one, so they were both just as shocked. Once Susan learnt that as well as being violent, her husband was also having an affair and had a secret child with another woman she finally had the strength to kick him out that day. Sadly Kate always feared him and so she forgave him, took him back and lived with the violence. A decision that I'm sure, she has lived to regret.

  It was strange but Susan and Kate became friends. I guess that they both understood each other’s situation and they tried to help each other. This meant that Caitlyn spent a lot of time at the Daniels' when they first found out about her existence. I guess it makes sense now, Susan and Kate were trying to protect her from the violence. I guess that Susan understood what Kate was going through and in some strange way, tried to help. I soon realised that that was why Aiden and Crystal spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s house when they were little too, they were being protected in the same way. Aiden and Crystal don't see much of their sister, Caitlyn anymore but when they do, it was always a situation like this.

  "Hello, anybody in?" Crystal said, interrupting my thoughts.

  "In here," I said as I gave Caitlyn her hot cocoa.

  "Caitlyn?" Crystal said as she walked through the kitchen door with a shocked look on her face.

  I saw the anger in her eyes immediately. It was the exact same look that was in Aiden's earlier.

  "Hey, come and give your big sister a hug," she said as she outstretched her arms and waited for Caitlyn to walk over.

  "Did he hit Kate again?" She mouthed to me as she held Caitlyn in a tight embrace. I nodded my head to say yes and watched as a sad expression filled her face. Crystal had a tough exterior but those who really knew her understood just how sensitive she truly was and this was always one of her weaknesses.

  "It's ok," I mouthed to her as I watched her eyes fill with tears.

  I knew that she would be picturing herself when she was younger in this similar situation. Only she would be the scared child. It hurt me to see her sad.

  "Right, you go and drink your hot cocoa whilst I grab a drink," she finally said as she managed to compose herself.

  From the day that Aiden and Crystal discovered Caitlyn's existence they never treated her as less than their sister. The love that they had for her even though they see her so little was a bond that many siblings would envy. I guess that was one of the many reasons that I loved both of them so much.

  "Has Aiden gone out?" Crystal asked.

  "No, he's in his room. I'll go and talk to him whilst you catch up with Caitlyn," I replied as I gave her a reassuring look. I knew that she was worried about him.

  "Thanks," she said before giving my hand a little squeeze.

  I walked out of the door and gently shut it in. This night was bringing back so many memories. I quietly made my way up the stairs, stood outside of Aiden's bedroom door and then knocked lightly. When there was no answer, I made my way in anyway.

  As I stepped in and closed the door, I found him lying on top of his bed with his arms behind his head, staring out of the window. He never moved or made a sound when I stepped in, instead he just remained frozen.

  "Hey," I whispered as I sat down on the edge of his bed, staring at him.

  "Hey," he muttered as he kept his eyes fixated on the window.

  "You ok?" I asked. Stupid question, I know but what else could I say?

  He shrugged his shoulders and turned his head slightly to look at me.

  We sat in silence for about five minutes before he finally spoke.

  "I don't understand him," he said in a quiet voice as he gently sat himself up so that his back was propped up by his pillow.

  "I know," I said, immediately knowing that he was talking about his dad.

  "Sometimes things just make no sense but God has a reason for everything. We may not understand what that reason is but things always work out the way that they are supposed to but we have to have faith," I said as I placed my hand in his and gave him a little squeeze.

  "I know," he said as he threw me a small smile.

  "April," he said as he stared deep into my eyes. Suddenly my stomach dropped, this seemed like he had something important to say.

  "Yes," I answered, nervously.

  "I will never be like my dad,"
he said as he continued to stare at me.

  "I know," I said with a reassuring smile on my face.

  "No, I need you to really understand. I will never ever hurt you like that, never and I will never let anyone hurt you like that again," he said as I watched the corner of his eyes begin to sparkle.

  "What Jake did wasn't your fault Aiden," I said as I moved closer to him and placed my hand on his cheek.

  "I should have been there. I let my dad hit my mom for years and then I let Jake put his hand on you," he said in an angry voice.

  "Stop, you were a child Aiden, we all were and there was nothing that you could have done-"

  "I could have and I should have, you're wrong," he interrupted.

  "I'm not wrong, your dad has a problem and until he admits that it will always be the same. You were a child and no matter how many bottles of drink that we hid, he always found more and he still got violent. There are some things that are simply out of our control and as for Jake that wasn't your fault all of us were fooled by him," I said as I stroked his cheek.

  "You've got to stop blaming yourself for things that are beyond your control otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy," I said in a gentle voice.

  As I finished that sentence, I saw something that I have never and would never have expected to see in my entire life...A tear run down Aiden Daniels' cheek.

  I held him so tight that I felt like I was going to explode. I wanted to take away his pain but I knew that it would take way more than that but I had to try. It was crazy but seeing him like that made me feel hurt, I could literally feel his pain and it was breaking my heart. He never cried beyond the one tear but it told an entire story, one that I understood clearly.

  "You know, I just realised something," he whispered into my ear as we continued to embrace.

  "What?" I asked.

  "That all this time that I've been up here, I missed you," he said as I felt the slight smirk on the side of my cheek. He was back.

  "Wait, did Aiden Daniels just say the 'M' word?" I gasped as I pretended to be shocked.

  "I think I did and do you know what?"

  "What?" I asked with a smile on my face.

  "I think I liked it," he said before letting out a little laugh.

  "So, you're back then?" I said as I stood to my feet and looked down at him.

  "Yup," he said as he stood up in front of me.

  "Thank you," he said before I took a slight step back to look at him and then placed my hand in his and smiled.

  "Come on, time to play the big brother role and make them feel safe," I said as I attempted to pull him out of the room.

  "Wait," he said as he stood frozen.

  "What's wrong?" I asked in a worried tone.

  "I forgot something," he said.

  "Oh ok, what is it?"

  "This," he said before cupping my cheek with his hand and planting the softest and most passionate kiss on my lips.

  "Promise me that you will never forget to do that again?" I said as I smiled at him.

  "I promise," he said as a smile filled his lips.

  It wasn't long before we were all gathered in the kitchen and trying to make Caitlyn feel better about tonight’s events. It worked, of course and it seemed like all of the pain of the night had become a distant memory, for now.

  "Hey, I'm going to give Kate a call and let her know that Caitlyn's here," Crystal whispered into my ear before walking out of the kitchen door. Aiden gave me a questioning look but I gave him a smile that told him that everything was fine.

  Somehow this night turned out much better than I had expected.

  * * *

  Last night seemed to come and go very quickly and before I knew it, it was Thursday. Since Kate had agreed to let Caitlyn stay the night it meant that we had to get up a little bit earlier to drop her off to school first. She seemed happier today, which was good.

  After a long day of lectures, boredom and catching up with Crystal's date in between periods, the day was finally over.

  "Hey," Kyle said as he ran to catch up with me.

  "Hi, I thought you'd be outside waiting," I said as I slowed down my pace.

  "No, our class got held behind," he replied.

  "Still coming to mine to see Mimi?"

  "Yeah, of course," I said as we walked towards the school’s parking lot.

  I looked ahead and spotted Aiden, leaning against his car.

  Was it possible for someone to look that hot all the time? How I had managed to resist him all of these years, was beyond me.

  I felt the instant change in Kyle's body language and somehow, I sensed the tension that ran through him as we approached Aiden.

  "Hey," I said as a smile spread across my lips.

  "Hey," Aiden said as he threw a smile back in my direction. I also saw the look that he gave Kyle but pretended not to notice it.

  "I'll be two minutes," I said as I turned to face Kyle.

  "Cool," he mumbled before walking off towards his car.

  "So," Aiden said as I watched him trying to keep his distance.

  "So, what?" I asked with a smile on my face.

  "So, I really want to kiss my girlfriend right now," he said as a smirk filled his face.

  "Oh is that right. Where is she?" I asked, playfully.

  "She's close," he said as he kept his eyes fixated on mine.

  "Oh really, what's stopping you?"

  “Well, she's my sister's best friend, which is cool by me but she's sort of a chicken and scared to tell her so you know,” he said as he let out a small laugh.

  “Oh be quiet,” I said as I playfully hit his arm and laughed.

  “Crystal can be dangerous you know,” I said as I raised an eyebrow and continued to smile.

  "So can I," he whispered as he looked me up and down.

  "Yeah but I'm not scared of you sweetheart," I said sarcastically.

  "Really? Just wait till you get back tonight, let's see if those words still roll off of your tongue so easily," he said as he began to smirk.

  I should probably start worrying now, I sense tickling.

  "Yeah, yeah. Well as much as I would love to stand here talking to you all day, I think I had better be going now," I said.

  "Ok, I'll be waiting up," he said as he winked at me.

  "Ok, bye," I said as I walked away with a smile plastered across my face.

  How did he still have my stomach doing back flips?

  "Ready?" Kyle said as he smiled at me and got into his car.

  "Yup," I said before slipping in myself.

  The journey to Kyle's house wasn't very long and was pretty much spent in silence, other than the odd comment about school.

  "Home, sweet, home," he said as he pulled up outside of his house. I smiled at him and then slipped out of the car. I was so excited to see Mimi that I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face.

  "Wow, he has you smiling that much?" Kyle asked as we walked up his path.

  "He does but it's not him," I said.

  "Oh, then why do you look so happy?" He asked in a confused tone.

  "Mimi, I've missed her," I said as the excitement ran through my entire body.

  "Of course, I should have known. I'm sure that she'll be just as happy to see you when she finds out that you're here," he said with a smile on his face.

  "She doesn't know?"

  "Nope, I thought that it would be a nice surprise," he said as he opened the front door with his key.

  "April," Mrs Edwards said as soon as she seen me walk through the door.

  "Hi," I said as I felt her arms tighten around me.

  "It's so lovely to see you sweetheart. Billy, look who's here," she shouted.

  "Thank you," I replied as I listened to the footsteps that were heading in the direction of the hall.

  "Oh my, it's April. So how did this silly boy manage to win you back? I mean, I for one am happy, I didn't take to that other girl one bit," he said as I felt my cheeks heat up.

  "Oh Billy be quiet,
you're embarrassing the poor girl," Mrs Edwards said as she slapped his arm.

  "I'm only telling the truth honey. You can’t say that you actually liked that Rochelle girl can you?"

  "Well, that isn't really important is it and her name was Rachel," Mrs Edwards said as she glanced at me with sympathy.

  "Rochelle, Rachel who cares, I'm just glad that this boy has finally come to his senses. Seen the light he has," he said as he gave Kyle two, stern pats on the back.

  "She's not my girlfriend dad," Kyle said in a frustrated tone.

  "Huh?" Mr Edwards asked in a state of confusion.

  "We're just friends Mr Edwards," I said in a bid to mask Kyle's annoyance.

  "Oh, I see," he muttered as his face went a bright shade of red.

  "I tried to warn you, you silly man," Mrs Edwards said, quietly.

  "She's come to see Mia," she continued.

  "Oh, well that's lovely isn't it," he said as he shifted his eyes from me to his wife.

  "It is, now why don't you let these kids go on upstairs and go back to whatever you were doing," she said as more of an order.

  "Yes honey, see you kids later."

  "Bye Mr Edwards," I said before following Kyle who was already making his way up the stairs.

  "Sorry," Mrs Edwards mouthed as I glanced back at where she was stood.

  "It's ok," I whispered before continuing up the stairs. That was very awkward, however the whole Rochelle or Rachel line did put a sneaky smile on my face.

  "Sorry about that, I know how embarrassing that must have been for you," Kyle said as I continued to follow behind him.

  "No, it was fine," I lied.

  "April, I know you too well to even believe that response," he said.

  "Ok, it was pretty embarrassing but no harm done," I replied as we walked towards Mimi's room.

  "Ok, wait out here for a minute," he whispered before pushing Mimi's bedroom door open and walking in.

  I nodded my head and waited patiently.

  "Jeez Kyle, you're supposed to knock, I am a girl you know," she huffed as he stepped inside of her bedroom.

  "Sorry squirt but I have a surprise for you," he said as he let out a small laugh.

  "Why didn't you say, step into my office," she replied as I silently began laughing.