Bella
The first time I saw Aaron Morris, I felt sick to my stomach. It was like seeing a ghost. It was him. No ...of course it wasn't, but the resemblance was uncanny. I felt a shiver down my spine as I looked at those startling green eyes. Despite myself, I wanted to hold him, kiss him, taste his lips.
He and Aaron were like night and day. People in the hallways sometimes stopped him to shake his hand, calling him a good sport as they slapped his back. He warmed up easily to people, smiling so much that the corners of his eyes crinkled.
In direct contrast to this was Aaron, who seemed to suck the joy out of any room he entered, strolling down the hall with his chest puffed out and head held high like a conquering hero. His interactions with others were rough around the edges; he was rude and disrespectful. The stark opposite of him.
I should've kept my distance from him.
But I couldn't control my throbbing heart. It hurt every time I was near Aaron. I started to watch him quietly from a distance but didn't dare go near him since he was supposedly a bad guy.
Then I went to that party, and everything changed. I saw a different side of Aaron. He took care of me at my weakest point. He was sweet and gentle, which was out of character for him.
Aaron acted just like him. My obsession started right then. I wanted him so badly that I didn't mind making a fool of myself. The more he drove me away, the more I wanted him. His eyes, his laugh, his smile-all of it was different from the one I loved once and yet it was familiar, too familiar to forget.
I started following Aaron, left him love notes, and sabotaged all of his relationships. For four years, I tried to make him love me. Shamelessly. Nothing he said or did bother me. Even when my aunt made me move to a different state, I still thought about him. I sat there and counted the days until I turned eighteen and could move back. So I could see him again. I applied to the same college as him so I can continue to pursue him.
I know I'm crazy.
I tried so hard because I was living in a fantasy. I thought Aaron could fill the emptiness in my heart. The emptiness that was created by him.
But I was wrong. Aaron wasn't him, and he could never love me. I was delusional to think I could make him feel that way about me. I was stupid. He proved it by saying how he really felt about me. The way he grabbed me and said those hateful things to me made me realize how much he hated me. How stupid I was. I should thank him for breaking my illusion.
And I guess my heart too. Sure, it hurts, but I'll get over it. He will never have to see me again.
I won't chase after you, Aaron, I promised myself in my head.
Aaron made me realize I was after the wrong person. Aaron was not the guy I wanted. The guy I loved was kind And gentle, and he loved me for the way I am. Aaron would never. He probably thinks I'm the craziest and the dumbest person in the world. So I will let him go.
It's time to stop.
Goodbye, Aaron. It was my mistake to compare you to someone who I can never have again. I am sorry for that. You will never have to see me again; that's a promise.
If only Aaron didn't look like him so much...
"Bella! Are you up there?"
My mother's voice brought me back to reality.
I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself, and answered, "Yes, Mom, I'm here."
I glanced one last time at the old photographs scattered on my bedroom floor. Pictures of the one I had loved, the one who had left an indelible mark on my heart, and the one I had foolishly tried to replace with Aaron. It was time to put those memories away, to let go of the past, and to move forward.
I wiped away a stray tear, determined to finally break free from the grip of obsession that had held me captive for far too long. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I had to find my own happiness, separate from the ghost of a love that could never be resurrected.
With newfound resolve, I gathered the photographs and placed them in a box, sealing it shut, and I went down the stairs to join my mother for dinner.
It was time to face the future, a future without Aaron and without the haunting shadow of the one I had lost.