This Beautiful World - Book #1 (BxB)

Chapter 23

It was hard to do, but we filled everyone in on what happened. After that was done, Riley excused herself and then went upstairs to be alone. Her father stayed down here and was currently speaking to my mother in private. Before she left to speak with him, my mother was sure to give Caitlyn and me a stern scolding. She was upset with both of us, especially with Caitlyn for leaving without permission. But, she was glad to have us back. 

Riley was not the only one to excuse herself. Arin and Stella were exhausted from staying up all night, so they eventually left our company as well. I was grateful that those two accompanied us, despite the circumstances that befell us. If it were only Riley and me, then perhaps we wouldn't have had the courage to go out there alone. Maybe that would have been for the best. Regardless, it was good to know that they had our backs even though they barely knew us. They were good people. 

As the day went on, it was mostly in silence. Alex and I stayed together downstairs, while the majority of the people stuck here stayed upstairs. There were a few others down here who made small talk amongst themselves, but they didn't bother with me or Alex. The other young girl who seemed to be around my sister's age, Milly, glanced at us now and then but never came over to speak with us. Whenever our eyes met, she quickly looked away. I thought about introducing myself, but the girl seemed shy. I was afraid of accidentally scaring her. She didn't seem to interact with the others that often. 

Eventually, before it got too dark out, Xavier announced that he would be starting dinner. Caitlyn was quick to volunteer and help him. My sister was always fast when it came to stepping up and helping people. It was a trait that we had in common. That, and our stubbornness. Right now, she wanted to make herself useful and help out however she could. I wanted to offer my assistance, but Alex grabbed my hand before I could.

"Could you stay by my side for a moment longer? There's something that I want to speak with you about," he said.

I nodded. If there was something that my friend needed, then of course I would stay and listen to him. Though I was mad at Alex before, that anger subsided a while ago. I couldn't be angry at him when something could happen to us at any moment. He also apologized to us already, but I could see on his face that he still felt terrible for what happened.

When he didn't say what was on his mind, I asked, "What's wrong?"

Alex seemed nervous, then he let out a sigh. "Listen. I know that I already apologized, but I still feel really bad for what happened. Ever since this shit began, I've been on edge. I have been a shitty friend to you and Riley. And I realize that me going with might not have changed what happened, but I still feel like the outcome could have been different. If anything, I should have been there to support you guys, especially Riley. What sort of friend am I to abandon Riley in her time of need? Even now, I should be supporting her."

"I think that right now, we need to give Riley her space. She's torn apart by what happened. But perhaps later, you and I can spend some time with her. We can't change what happened or make the pain go away, but we can at least be there for her." If Riley would accept us, that is. She made it clear that right now she wants to be alone. I gently squeezed Alex's hand and added, "Thanks, by the way. For apologizing. And I'm sorry as well. You're not the only one on edge because of this. I keep hoping that I'll wake up from this nightmare, or that somehow this will just miraculously end. It's hard to accept that this is our reality now. But while we're going through this, I don't want to argue with you. We're a team, and we need to stick together." 

He wasn't the only one who wanted to try harder. We were all scared. Alex opened his mouth to respond but was cut short when we noticed Xavier approaching us. He quickly let go of my hand. 

"Would you two mind fetching Arin and Stella? I sent some of the others to get the rest of the group as well. Caitlyn and I are just about finished with dinner, and we'd like everyone to join us as a group if possible. They should both be in their rooms on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Arin is on the right and Stella is on the left," Xavier said. 

We wouldn't deny helping him out a little bit. Fetching those two would be an easy enough task. When we agreed, he thanked us for our help, then Alex and I left to get them. Enough time had passed, so I hoped that the two of them were able to get an ample amount of sleep. Ever since we arrived, Xavier and his group had been doing what they could to take care of all of us. We needed to step up as well so that not everything fell on their shoulders. Now was the time to start working as a team. We shouldn't get used to relying on them for everything. 

Once upstairs, Alex went to Stella's door first. He turned to me and said, "You get Arin, okay?" 

I did as I was told. I knocked on the door, then waited for a response. Alex was quick to get a response from Stella, but I didn't get the same from Arin. Perhaps he was still resting. I felt bad for disturbing him, but I wanted to let him know that food was about to be served. Even if he didn't join us immediately, I knew that Xavier would save something for him. I didn't know their relationship well, but I could tell that they were close friends. 

After a moment of no response, I let out a sigh, then entered the room. I didn't see Arin anywhere in the first room that I walked into, nor did I hear anything. I assumed that he was still resting in one of the bedrooms, which wasn't hard to find. The room that I walked into had its curtains drawn, but I could see that Arin was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Even in the dim light, I could see how handsome he was. It was easy to tell why my sister fell for him. 

Gently, I went to shake him awake. I didn't have much time to react after I touched him. Arin was quick to grab my arm and before I knew it, he pulled me down and pinned me to the bed. His grip on my arms was tight and I knew that if I tried, I wouldn't be able to get out of his grasp. 

"Arin, it's just me. Aiden," I said in a calm voice. Perhaps touching him to wake him wasn't the best idea. I must have startled him. 

When he realized that it was only me, he looked apologetic. "I'm so sorry. I acted out of impulse. With all of the shit going on, I'm feeling a bit anxious."

"I know. We all are." He was still over top of me with my arms pinned, so nervously, I added, "Um, would you mind letting me go now? This position is a bit . . . awkward."

Quickly, he released me. I caught him blushing before he covered his face with his hands. "I apologize, again. I'm not quite awake yet."

I couldn't help finding his reaction a bit cute. I knew that it was only an accident, so there was no harm done. But I wanted to tease him a little. "Do you often hold other guys down like that? It seems like you've had experience with this before."

He glanced over at me and I shot him a smile. Arin bit his bottom lip, then quickly looked away. "Y-you would be the first."

"Oh?" I chuckled, then got off of the bed. Part of me wanted to tease him a little more, but I didn't want to push any boundaries. I decided it was best to get back to the original reason why I was here. "Anyway, Xavier wanted me to get you. Dinner is about to be served." 

Arin still seemed a bit bashful after our exchange, but he nodded and stood up with me. Together, we left to joint the others.