Damaged Mate

2

I wasn’t used to actually wearing my autumn coat during, well, autumn. It always felt hotter in the city, so when I walked out the next day and felt a shiver in the air, it was an unusual change of pace. One change of clothes later and I was back out the door, grabbing my bike off the wall before winding down the driveway.

Ayersville was, admittedly, a gorgeous place during the day. A bit simple, maybe, but there was a sort of old-world charm to it. As I biked along the forested road, it was impossible not to notice the leaves swirling around me. They were like tiny embers falling from the sky, a beautiful myriad of yellows, oranges, and reds. Not a sight I saw often, not even in Central Park.

“Alright, one point for you, countryside,” I grumbled under my breath.

At least biking downtown was a quick ordeal. Ayersville was only a small collection of old-fashioned buildings, modernized only enough to keep them upright and up to code. The largest stood only four-stories tall, sitting in the center of it all with a beautiful, ornately-carved fountain beside it. It depicted a crescent moon, with dozens of tiny trees carved into the rim. Two wolves ran across the water itself, frozen in mid-sprint as they chased each other throughout time.

“Okay, so, where’s the general store…?” I hopped off my bike and began pushing it about. It’s not like I’d never visited my dad before, but the longest I stayed was two weeks during winter break. Like, five years ago. At the very least, each building looked different enough to distinguish what they sold. A floral shop, café, ice cream stand—finally, a sign simply labeled “General Store” showed up.

“Very original,” I chuckled, heading inside.

It was like every grocery store I’d seen in those cheesy romance movies: small shelves full of hometown goods, a scarce number of folks wandering around with arm baskets in hand, and a staff I was certain had been there since its opening. I browsed the aisles for a few minutes, honestly fascinated with some of the stuff they shelved here.

“Who the hell keeps firewood on the inside…?” I wondered aloud, hand brushing across the many ‘flavors’ I saw. Hickory, mesquite, apple, pecan—if someone read these out loud, I might’ve mistaken them for barbeque sauces.

My focus may have been on finding the pocketknives, but the drink aisle was the first to catch my attention. As expected, most of them were either off-brand or some homemade attempt from the locals; thank God I managed to stumble across something labeled with a familiar brand.

“Guess a drink wouldn’t hurt,” I reasoned, hand reaching out to grab the bottle’s neck.

Only, I ended up grabbing someone else’s hand instead.

With a startled gasp, I flipped my attention to my soft-drink rival. He looked equally surprised to see me, oceanic eyes widening beneath some of the sharpest facial features I’d ever seen. A grey wool hat flattened his dirty-blonde hair, and his thin lips parted in a slight ‘o’ as we stared at each other. Or, more accurately, I stared up at him; the guy had to be well over six feet.

“Oh, I—” he stammered out.

“No, that’s—” I cut him off.

We fell into silence once more, tension building between us. Eventually, that grave expression of his warmed into an unexpectedly cute smile, dimples and all. “Should we flip a coin for it, then?”

“What makes you think I wouldn’t fight you for it?” The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I could feel my face cooking from embarrassment. But, luckily for me, this guy seemed to have a sense of humor and chuckled alongside me.

“If violence is the only answer,” he teased, “I would happily step down in surrender.”

That got a genuine snort out of me. “Oh, you don’t think I could take you on?” Stupid, Aria, stupid. Just shut up and stop digging yourself deeper in.

The guy’s grin persisted, thank God, as his hand shifted off the bottle’s neck and he extended it forward. “Well, if there is to be a duel, let it be founded on honorable beginnings. I am known as Aiden of House Lowell.”

I glanced between his hand and his face, relieved to see he still looked completely joking about this whole thing. “Well… I am Aria, of House Harvey,” I replied, taking his hand and giving it the firmest shake I could muster.

“Woah, you weren’t kidding.” Aiden laughed, freeing his hand as he shook it slightly. “That’s quite the handshake you’ve got there.” He paused, adding quickly afterwards, “Oh, um, we don’t actually have to fight, either.”

I grinned awkwardly, fingers running through my hair. “I guessed that, yeah. Though, I applaud your dedication to the bit.”

God, that smile of his was almost addictive. Aiden glanced through the shelves, eventually grabbing the soda bottle before holding it out toward me. “I’m gonna guess you’re new here, yeah? Unless the town’s favorite accountant has been hiding you in his basement ‘till now?”

I shook my head, accepting the bottle with a smile. “No, I’ve been hiding in the city for a bit, actually. Just came over before school starts.”

“No kidding?” Aiden flashed a sympathetic grin. “Man, that’s just every senior’s dream.”

This guy. I was really starting to like this guy. “Well… I’d be willing to share this most-coveted soda with you, Sir Aiden, in exchange for more information about this place?” I asked.

“Ooh, what a tempting offer,” Aiden chuckled. “I wholeheartedly accept your proposal, Lady Aria. As long as you let me know when this little skit of ours should officially stop.”

That got a good laugh out of me. “What, not enjoying this little moment of improv theater?”

“Usually, girls get annoyed with the bit,” Aiden admitted. “I think you’re the first to play along for this long.”

Was that flirting? Was he flirting with me?

“Anyway, let me go grab some paper cups from the back,” Aiden said, starting down the aisle. “You caught me just as I was getting off for the day.”

“Lucky me,” I replied, cheeks starting to ache with how hard I was smiling. “I’ll meet you by the front door?”

“It’s a date,” Aiden called back as he vanished behind the aisle.

As soon as I was certain he was out of earshot, I let out a tiny squeal and danced in place. Second point for Ayersville; maybe being the new kid would be somewhat tolerable, now.

---

When I asked Aiden for information, I didn’t think he’d give the inside scoop about the entire town. Yet, there I was, strolling through the park after an hour or so of being shown the sights. The best places to get coffee, secluded forest paths that led to breathtaking, miniature waterfalls; he really had been born and raised in this place.

“It helps that my dad’s the mayor,” Aiden explained as we took a seat on a nearby park bench. “He thinks it’s important for a leader to know his territory like the back of his hand.”

I nodded, sitting beside him and clutching the half-finished soda bottle. The paper cups had been a bust, so we’d opted for two long and twisting straws and just stuck them in through the top. Like a couple would. Did this officially count as a first date?

“Well, that’s pretty much everything Ayersville has to offer.” Aiden let out a huge yawn, stretching his arms upward as his bones cracked with pleasure. God, but he could probably wrap those arms around my waist three times over. “It’s no city life, but hopefully, I’ve managed to make a good first impression.”

“You really know your stuff, I’ll give you that.” I took a short sip from my straw and offered the bottle to Aiden, who happily accepted. “Thanks again for showing me around. Really, I appreciate it. When I first got here…” My words trailed off a bit, gaze tilting to my hands folded in my lap. “I dunno. It felt really overwhelming.”

Aiden set the bottle to the side as he scooted a bit closer to me. “I… guess it would be like me being thrown into the city, huh?”

I chuckled lightly, quickly wiping my face before any stray tears attempted to escape.

“Hey.” Aiden lifted his arm, but paused, as if considering something important. “You won’t beat me up if I put an arm around your shoulders, will you?”

That got a bigger, if not somewhat sobbing laugh out of me. “Go ahead.”

With a nod, Aiden settled himself next to me, arm hanging off my shoulders as he oh-so-gently hugged me close. I took the moment to lean against his chest, the world falling silent while his heartbeat helped center my emotions. It all felt like a dream, a very bizarre, fantasy-fulfilling hallucination I’d wake up from. But, no; I was actually being comforted by this super sweet guy, someone I’d literally met only today.

All good things had to come to an end, though. Our tender moment was interrupted by a buzzing in my pocket, forcing me to push away from Aiden. A flashing alarm came up on the screen as I slipped it free, indicating that it was creeping into sunset hours.

“Ah, shit.” I got up from the bench, glancing nervously at Aiden as I spoke. “Okay, don’t judge me, but I have to start biking home. Dad has this curfew on me—it’s super lame, I know, but—”

Aiden offered a reassuring grin. “No, it’s okay. You’re not the only teen with one, I promise.”

Oh, thank God. So I wouldn’t be relentlessly mocked by my peers once school started.

“You need a ride home?” Aiden asked as he, too, stood up. “My truck’s parked at the general store. We could throw your bike in the back, if you want.”

Whoever was in charge of the universe deserved a raise. “S-sure, yeah. I’d like that—ah, appreciate it! I’d appreciate it.”

As amazing as all this was, I had to keep it together. No reason to freak this guy out by being clingy and weird.

“Cool, cool.” Aiden nodded, offering the bottle to me once more with a grin. I took it happily, sipping as we started back on the park path. Alright, Ayersville—keep this up, and I’ll happily finish high school here.