Stay With Me
The next few days pass in exactly the same way.
It’s all a haze.
I wake up, go to school, come home and pretend like everything is fine. Even if it’s not. February always does this to me. Just the reminder of that day sends me into a mental
and physical spiral.
The weight of it settles deep inside, pressing down on me.
It’s been two years. Two years since the accident. Two years since I lost my dad and my brother. And still, no matter how much time passes, no matter how much love I have surrounding me, February drags me down into a place I don’t know how to escape from.
Zaid tries to shake me from my mood, but not even his comfort is enough to chase my demons away. Aiden knows something is up, but he never really questions me, even when
we talk.
Jake has been avoiding me completely.
I avoid intimacy, flinching at the thought of letting myself feel too much. But every night,
like clockwork, when the loneliness becomes unbearable, I find myself in Zaid’s bed.
He never asks questions. He just holds me.
I make it as far as Tuesday before Jake has had enough
We’re all sitting at the dinner table, the quiet sound of forks clinking against plates filling the air. I barely pick at my food, my appetite nonexistent.
Then Jake sets his fork down. The sound is deafening.
“I need to know what’s going on,” he says, his voice steady.
I tense when I lift my gaze to his. He’s not angry, just hurt, and he’s looking right at me.
“You’ve been distant. You get home from school and barely say a word to us. You haven’t
been sleeping with me. Is something wrong? Did- Did I do something?”
1/4
Stay With Me
Aiden and Zaid are quiet, neither of them saying or doing anything.
My throat tightens. I stare at my plate, my fingers clenching in my lap.
I feel Zaid’s eyes on me. When I glance at him, his gaze is gentle but urging, silently telling me that it’s okay.
Aiden notices the look, his brows furrowing as he glances between us. “What is going
on?”
I inhale.
Aiden pins his look at Zaid. “What do you know that she hasn’t been telling us?”
I swallow hard, my voice barely above a whisper when I finally speak. “The accident…It happened on Valentine’s Day. Two years ago.”
Silence. I can feel their eyes burning into me.
Aiden exhales sharply, and Jake leans back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.
“February is tough, and when you were talking about Valentine’s Day-”
“Shit, Alina. I’m so sorry,” Jake trails off, his expression shifting to something softer.
Aiden pushes back his chair and walks around the table, wrapping his arms around me from behind. His chin rests on my shoulder, and he squeezes me tight. “You should’ve told us. We would have understood your need for space.”
I shrug, blinking back the burning in my eyes. “I didn’t want to bring it up. I didn’t want it to ruin anything. I don’t know if I want to do anything on Valentine’s.”
Jake shakes his head. “You’re not ruining anything. We just-” He sighs, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “We want to help.”
I nod, because I know that. I do. But how can they help? What can they do?
Jake takes over, changing the conversation so that we can move on from the heavy topic. I’m thankful that I don’t have to talk about it anymore, but that doesn’t stop my mind from spinning.
2/4
Stay With Me
After dinner, we move to the living room, pulling out board games and cards to keep my mind busy. It works.
I get competitive.
So do they.
We’re screaming at each other over the coffee table when we all suspect Aiden of cheating. He just laughs. “What? Because I’m winning I have to be cheating?”
“Aiden, you’re winning by way too large a margin,” Jake shakes his head, wrapping an arm around my waist to draw me onto his lap.
I lay back against his chest and laugh. “Aiden, come on, be honest.”
He barks a laugh, taking out a stack of cards from his back pocket.
Zaid leans back, throwing his cards on the table. “I knew you weren’t that smart.”
That makes us all laugh.
Jake’s fingers run absentmindedly through my hair, and the steady beat of his heart is soothing. We listen as Zaid and Aiden recount stories from when they were younger, about how many times Zaid caught Aiden cheating at games.
Jake lowers his hand and draws circles on my waist. His breath fans my ear and he whispers. “Stay with me tonight.”
I close my eyes, letting myself focus on his warmth. On his touch. I can’t avoid him
forever. My body is ready for whatever distraction he can offer. I’m done with the
wallowing.
I nod.
He breathes out in relief. “Shower?”
I nod.
He plants a hot kiss on my neck and helps me up. Zaid and Aiden understand immediately
and we all say our goodnights, not missing Aiden’s annoyance and
3/4
Stay With Me
Zaid’s worry.
We all make our way upstairs.
“I’ll meet you in there, Jake,” I say, staying behind to talk to Zaid.
Jake looks between us and nods, heading into his room.
Zaid’s dark eyes shift to me, his throat moving as he swallows thickly. “You’re okay?”
I nod, taking his hand in mine. “Yes.”
“You sure?”
I smile at the sentiment in his voice and step closer, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Yes. I just wanted to say thank you for helping me these last few days.”
He wraps his arms around me.
“I know you understand better than most.” My voice trembles.
He exhales, kissing the crown of my head.
“But I don’t want to wallow forever.”
He nods. “I know. I just- just as long as you’re okay. And you want this.”
“You don’t have to worry about me when I’m with Jake or Aiden.”
He pulls back, looking down at me, his eyes on mine. He finally nods and kisses me softly before heading into his room.
