Page 47 of We May Be Fractured

New Year’s Resolutions

[Now playing ? Those Eyes—New West]

F irst week of the year, and Aaron was back at RPM.

He hovered around the shop, half expecting to catch a glimpse of Landon, half dreading it. Aaron had geared up for a big confrontation, except it never happened.

Turned out, Landon had lost his job.

The news hit Aaron like a punch to the gut.

His first instinct was to reach out, to bridge the gap between them, but he caught himself, phone half raised.

Landon had made it crystal clear: it was over between them.

So, Aaron stuck to getting regular updates from Nyle, who somehow managed to keep an eye on Landon.

From what Nyle had said, Landon was practically a ghost, drifting from his room to the summer house, barely making appearances even for food.

Aaron considered asking Ria for some advice, but she was as reachable as those half-melted snowflakes outside, leaving him on ‘Read’.

Fell contributed with his take—give Landon some space, then try to patch things up.

Maeve added her support into the mix, letting Aaron know she was rooting for them.

Still, Aaron found himself doing a whole lot of nothing about the situation. He wasn’t even sure where he and Landon stood now. And on top of that, Tori’s note had messed with his head. It had him all over the place, swimming in thoughts and feelings, and he hadn’t a clue what he should do next.

Then came Saturday morning. Community service was not done yet.

On the Tube, Aaron tried to lose himself in music, headphones on, blocking out the world. But every song reminded him of Landon. His heart raced at the thought of finally seeing him again.

When he arrived at the retirement centre, his nerves had gotten the best of him—sweaty hands, dry mouth, and hair he might have messed with too much. He continued through the gardens, finally spotting his lively, laughing group. Like a magnet, Landon drew his attention, the south to his north.

He stood apart from everyone else, looking more worn out than in the photos Nyle had sent. The under-eye bags spoke volumes about his latest sleepless night. It hit Aaron that Landon was probably just as restless as he was.

Having Landon around at night had become a comfort blanket for Aaron. His presence had been a real help when nightmares or panic attacks struck. Now, waking up without him made for a harsh jolt back to reality.

He remembered how Landon had shown him that little trick with the notch in the headboard, a way to ground himself. After learning about Landon’s past and his struggles with abuse, Aaron understood it even more.

He couldn’t shake off how brave Landon had been to let him in so much—into his summer house, his room, his bed, and maybe even into his life. Aaron had to face it, no matter how hard it was to admit: Landon had wormed his way into his mind and heart in a way he’d never thought possible.

“Hey,” Nyle approached him, all smiles and enthusiasm, with Maeve not far behind. Together, they bombarded him with a million questions.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron caught Ria’s stink eye and Cliff’s sorry look, which made Aaron want to roll his eyes.

Sarah came over, asking everyone about their holiday breaks, her conversation a welcome distraction. But Aaron had his eyes set on Landon, who didn’t seem to notice him at all.

As they picked up their tools, Aaron waited for Landon to say something, but Landon just collected his things and trod off to the cherry tree.

Aaron had hoped that seeing Landon again, maybe catching his eye or hearing his voice, might start to mend the rift that had grown between them. But their silence made things more strained, as if they were drifting even farther apart.

Throughout the first half of their shift, Aaron stole fleeting glances at Landon. Whenever he made a small mistake, he’d catch Landon’s sceptical look, but neither of them made any effort to actually come closer or start a conversation.

Aaron felt like he was on tenterhooks. Then it hit him—while he was holding back, waiting for Landon to make a move, Landon seemed to be doing the exact same thing. They’d reached an impasse.

Finally, when lunch break rolled around, Aaron mustered enough courage to try to engage Landon. He spotted him in a quiet corner of the garden, the very same spot when they’d first met. Landon leaned against the conservatory wall, now free of graffiti, with a vape pen in his hand.

“You quit smoking?” Aaron asked as he edged closer, trying to break the ice.

Landon glanced at him and then stared off into the distance. “New Year’s resolution,” he said sharply. Up close, Landon’s under-eye bags were more noticeable than ever.

“Maybe I should give it a try.”

Without a word, Landon handed him the vape pen. Their eyes met, and the weight of Landon’s intense stare almost crushed him.

They stood there, the only sounds from the pigeons cooing and the faint buzz of traffic in the background.

Aaron wanted to say something, anything , but he couldn’t find the right words. Landon’s coldness worried him; maybe things between them were too broken to fix.

So, he waited, hoping Landon would jump in. He’d been the one to approach, after all. But Landon stared at him for a little longer, then sighed and strode away, leaving Aaron there by himself.

He was about to head back to the others when Cliff came over.

“Heard about Landon. Everything okay?”

“Why the fuck do you care?” Aaron snapped. “Happy now? I’m back with my aunt, and whatever was going on with Landon is done. We’re even.”

Cliff’s face hardened. “I’m not happy, nor sorry. Your aunt needed to know the truth.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. “

“You’re just— Wait, what?” Cliff’s forehead wrinkled.

“Yeah, you’re right. She needed to know.” Aaron slid his hands into his jeans pockets and shifted restlessly on the balls of his feet. “Look, Cliff, I’m sorry for all the crap before. I was a mess. I still am, but I’m figuring stuff out.”

“Sorry doesn’t fix a thing, you know.”

“It doesn’t. But it’s where I can start. I was a prick. You didn’t deserve how I treated you. After the crash, when Tori…my sister, died, I was trying to survive, but I never thought about who I was hurting.”

Cliff opened his mouth, paused, closed it, then said, “Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”

“I couldn’t. Talking about her, the accident…it was too much. I didn’t want to make it feel real. But it is, and I need to face it.”

“You really are a prat.” Despite his words, Cliff stepped forward and hugged him.

It was awkward, but Aaron went with it. They’d only hugged once before when Cliff got dumped by his one and only girlfriend.

“For what it’s worth,” Cliff said, stepping back, “I hope things turn out well for you. With Landon, your aunt, your trip…everything.”

“Cheers, Cliff. And I am sorry. Really.”

Cliff tilted his head, the air between them starting to clear. “It’s okay. Maybe it’s time we both moved past all this.”

As Cliff left to join the others, a heavy weight lifted from Aaron’s chest, not full-on forgiveness but something else. Closure, maybe. And for now, that was enough. He knew he had more to sort out, more apologies to make, but this was a step in the right direction.

At the end of the day, Aaron lingered, half expecting the usual shout to go somewhere. But it never came. With a dull pressure still clinging to him, he headed home.

Aaron was almost halfway to the station when Ria called out to him, stopping him in his tracks. Turning, he faced her, but her usual bright smile had gone. She appeared upset, and Aaron knew it had to do with him.

“Landon’s waiting on your next move,” she said.

“I know. I do want to sort things out.”

“Do you?” Ria’s gaze pierced him, as chilly as the friend she was defending. “Landon’s been through a lot. If you’re not fully in it, then maybe it’s time to call it quits, quick and clean. Better than dragging it out and hurting more later.”

Aaron clenched his fists as he met Ria’s confrontational stare. “Landon doesn’t need you to fight his battles. Back off, will you?”

“How about you stop being such a coward and grow up? Or are you really a selfish prick as Cliff says?”

“Get lost, Ria. I’m not in the mood for this.” Aaron turned to leave, trying to keep his anger in check.

But Ria wouldn’t back down. She followed him, relentless. “What’s your deal, Aaron? When you found out about Landon’s past, you vanished. Are you one of those who can’t handle being with someone who’s been abused? Does it make you sick, dealing with something so dirty and contaminated?”

Aaron spun around. Despite her petite frame, Ria stood her ground.

Maeve was right—Ria could turn from a cute kitty into a fearsome tiger.

“Don’t ever talk about Landon like that again.

He’s not dirty or contaminated. I’d take down anyone who made Landon feel that way, if only to make him feel better. ”

“So, you do care about him.”

“Of course, I do!”

“Then why did you disappear when he needed you the most?”

Aaron bit the inside of his cheek. He knew how it must look, as if he’d bailed on Landon right after finding out about his past. “It’s not like that. I want to be there for him, I really do.”

“Looks to me like you’re running away.”

“I’m not,” Aaron replied, frustrated. “We needed some space. Landon told me to go.”

“Oh, to hell with what Landon told you! He’ll never admit it, but he needs you.”

“He doesn’t need me. He doesn’t need anyone.

” Aaron reached into his pocket and pulled out the stuffed bunny.

“Landon’s not held back by his past, not like I am.

He’s incredibly strong, the strongest person I know.

And me? I’m like this silly little rabbit, always ready to run.

Today, I couldn’t even say more than a word to him. ”

Ria laughed, then moved closer to him. “You’re good for him, Aaron.”

“I highly doubt that.”