Circumstellar by J.W. Lolite Page B

in. “Fine.” I stood up and made my way out of the room. Ty followed and closed the door behind him. I had to admit, it really was pretty dark. With Ty close behind, I made my way to Lesia’s older brother’s room. When Ty opened the door, I turned to leave.
    “Wait.” He reached out and grabbed my arm. “I want to talk to you.”
    Irritated, I turned back to him. “What?”
    “I just wanted to apologize for earlier. At lunch, I mean. I didn’t mean to blow up at you like that. It’s just that,” he started, walking into the room and pulling me with him, “it’s been eight years.” He sat on Eden’s bed, and I joined him, all of my previous anger washing out of me. “She just left us,” he whispered.
    I looked deep into his forlorn eyes, and my heart ached for him. I knew exactly what he was talking about. Two years before I moved here, Ty’s mother just up and left one day: no goodbye, no note, nothing. Ty and his father had gone to the park one morning, and when they returned, she was gone. A few of her clothes, some pictures, and an old suitcase were the only things she had taken. She left everything else, including two broken hearts.
    My aunt liked to literally drown her sorrows in alcohol. Ty’s dad, on the other hand, had a different vice: work. Ever since his wife left, he buried himself in his work, escaping home at the crack of dawn and not returning until the moon was high in the sky. It was his way of coping – shutting himself off from the world, including his own son. But I knew he still cared in his own way. He always made sure Ty had some money for the week. And as for Ty –
    “Why are you smiling?” he asked. He sounded so lost.
    “I was just thinking about when we were kids. You remember when I first moved here?” The fond memory filled me.
    “Yeah, I remember,” he said with a small smile of his own.
    “You used to be such a bully. All the other kids were scared of you.” I laughed. “They all warned me stay away. And then, when we went out for recess, you came right up to me and grabbed my arm. Do you remember what you said?”
    “I remember,” he replied, his voice filling with mirth. “I marched you in front of all the other kids and told them that you were mine and that no one else could play with you.”
    “That’s right!” I giggled. “And you kept it that way, too. Right until Lesia tapped you on the shoulder one day and said she wanted to play with me. And what did you say?”
    “Well, I guess so.” We were rolling on the bed at that point, trying to stifle as much of our laughter as possible. It had been too long since we had goofed around like this. Gasping for air, I sat up and wiped my eyes.
    “Must not have been able to resist that pink bow,” I joked, nudging him with my elbow.
    “It was too cute,” he admitted, sitting up beside me. “Thanks, Ingrid. You always know just what I need to feel better.”
    “Well, obviously.” I smirked at him. “We’ve been friends for how many years now?”
    “A lot,” he replied, smirking back and meeting my eyes. As we gazed at each other, I could feel the atmosphere in the room shift into something completely different – new, but wonderful. The moon shone through the bedroom window, striking his eyes and making the deep cobalt orbs shimmer with a light almost as intense as mine. I was slowly drowning in them, sinking deeper into his very being. Let me be consumed. His breath was warm on my face, and I vaguely wondered if Lesia’s mom was a heavy sleep – Lesia!
    Bolting up, I offered a hasty “good night” and made a beeline straight for the door. I didn’t even turn around or wait for a reply. When I opened the door to Lesia’s room, I saw that she was already in bed. As quietly as I could, I retrieved my things and entered the bathroom. Bright red blotted my pale face, and I set about dousing myself with cold water from the sink. Trying to settle myself down, I started brushing my teeth and