Dangerous game

I cough slightly as the warm smoke fills my lungs. Aaron glances in my direction, a gleam of sadness in his eyes. Things weren’t supposed to be this way for us.  We sit in silence and absorb the sounds of the forest. This used to be a happy place, our happy place. I feel his icy fingers pry the cigarette from my grasp. I can’t help but watch as he slowly takes a pull, the end glowing amber. 

“What happened to us?” I hear a voice say barely over a whisper, only to realize it was my own. His eyes never leave mine as he exhales smoke. “Maybe we were doomed from the start?” I studied his face, unable to read any emotion. His dark eyes stare into my soul. 

“Do you really think so? After all we have been through?” I snatch the cigarette from between his lips, tossing it to the ground. I can’t help but feel my throat tighten as tears threaten to spill over my eyes. The light glow of the cigarette fading out, turning the cement an ugly shade of grey. Just like us. Once burning and alive only to fade away.  Memories begin to flood my mind, his warm lips smiling against my skin. Our first date. The many nights of sneaking out. 

“I love you Clara.” His soft voice breaks the silence. I lean my head onto his chest and close my eyes. “And I love you, that’s the problem.” I feel his arm snake around my waist, pulling me closer. “What if we run-“ My words are cut off, his lips brushing against my own as he whispers “They will find me.” I press my lips further into his prolonging the inevitable. He is right. Once you join an organization like the Ivory hand, there is no escaping. 

“This is all your fault. Everything. You broke us.” Suddenly filled with anger I shove him away, my voice cracking. I can see a flash of anger in his eyes before he grabs my arm tightly. “Clara I did this to stay alive, to keep you safe. Don’t you dare sit here and act like this is any of my fault.” His fingers dig into my arm, even through my jacket sleeve I can feel the immense pressure he is applying. “I can’t live with myself if you hate me.” The wind whips my stray hairs, sticking them to my tear stained cheeks. I hear the old wooden bench beneath us creak as I shift my weight. 

“Aaron, I tried to hate you when this all started. I can’t. No matter how hard I want too.” I allow him to pull me back into him as I begin to cry. We were perfect. We had it all, until I ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Aaron happened to be in the same area and saved me, thankfully before anything horrible happened. I can still feel the terror and panic I felt when a large hand covered my mouth and yanked me into the darkness. That night he injured the strange man, whom was unknowingly a member of this organization. Aaron had skills, there was no doubt. Being 6ft fall and 200 lbs, he wasn’t any easy opponent. He was also smart, very intelligent with software. I remember in high school he hacked into the school system to change his grades once. It was no surprise they would have contacted him for a partnership. 

I knew something was different. Aaron was avoiding me, not showing up to work. He had random bruises that he would blame on his younger brother. He seemed distant suddenly.  He never once told me what he was doing. Not that I really wanted to know anyway. I glance back up at him, slowly taking in his features for possibly the last time. His dirty blonde hair smeared across his forehead, sticking from sweat. His eyes were trained on the ground, staring at the remnants of the cigarette butt. Even without looking directly at them, I already had them memorized. They were dark, almost an ocean blue with a grey halo surrounding them. It was always my favorite feature of his. 

“I should probably get going Clara. Markus is going to be expecting me soon, and this is a meeting I cannot be late for.” Aaron shuffles opposite of me, pulling my hands into his. “Am I going to see you again?” I watch his face contort into pain as he processes my question. “It would be best if we didn’t. I can’t guarantee your safety if I am constantly around you. They will see you as a weakness, and use that against me. It isn’t safe.” I can hear the guilt lacing his voice. He slowly brings my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss into my knuckles. With one last look, Aaron reluctantly grabs his bag and disappears off into the trees. 

I’m not sure how long I sat there after he left. The harsh wind picking up, looking as though it was going to storm. I feel a finger slip into a small indent in the bench, looking down I smile. C&A. I had almost forgotten when he engraved our initials here last summer. It was a much simpler time. There was hope for us. For our future then. Dragging my shoes into the dirt, I finally decide it’s time to go. 

The walk home was long. Cool droplets of rain began to fall, causing me to shiver. I wondered if Aaron was outside in the rain. Sighing I shake away the thoughts of him and enter my apartment. As I enter, I notice something doesn’t feel right. My Tom-cat did not come to the door to meet me as she usually does. The lights in the hall also were left on, and I usually never leave them on. Quietly I place my keys in the tiny dish on the counter. 

“I suggest you don’t make a sound and have a seat.” I freeze, an unknown male voice reverberates through the room. Heart pounding, I slowly turn towards the sound. A tall man was leaning against the doorway to my bedroom. His eyes were cold and dark, both of his arms were laced with various tattoos. I could make out the imprint of a gun underneath his shirt, seemingly tucked into his waistband. “ W-who are you?” I couldn’t hide the terror in my voice as the man slowly approaches me. “I said have a seat.” His voice comes out sharp, a hint of an accent that I can’t distinguish. He reaches out and harshly pushes me into the couch. My stomach twists into knots, the man sits across from me. 

“For a small girl you seem to have a lot of dangerous involvement don’t you?” He smirks, leaning onto his knees and studying me. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” I murmur, fearfully afraid to say anything more. He chuckles, slowly leaning back into the chair. “Yes you do Clara. Your little boyfriend is so set on protecting you, but he doesn’t realize all he has done is put you in more danger.” 

My eyes dart to meet his, his cold stare sending shivers down my spine. “Yes I know who you are, I know who Aaron is. I know the sticky situation he has brought upon himself as well as you. I’m here to propose a deal that will ultimately help both of us.” The man studies me carefully, assumedly for my reaction. 

“What are you talking about? Who are you? How do you know who I am?” I rattle off a million questions, my brain failing to process anything that is happening. “I am TJ. I used to be a part of the ivory hand. I have been trying to take them down for years, and because of your dumb boy toy you are going to help me.”