The Year 2000 (Flashback of Lord Ardan Eryndor and Aldric Draekhaven' past in high school)
I'm the only one who understands you
Ardan
Something isn't right. I can't explain it, but the weight in my chest won't go away. Owen still won't talk to me. He won't even look at me. And everyone else? They act... weird. Like they know something I don't. Like they're waiting for me to figure it out. I should ask. I should demand answers. But I don't. Because deep down, I already know what they'll say. That it's me. That I'm the problem. And there's only one person who doesn't make me feel that way. I find Aldric outside after class, leaning against his car, arms crossed. He doesn't even look surprised to see me.
"Thought you'd come running sooner," he says, smirking.
I don't respond. Just shift my weight awkwardly. He watches me, eyes sharp knowing. Then he sighs, like he's dealing with a child who doesn't understand the world yet.
"Come on. Let's go somewhere quiet." The drive is silent. Aldric takes me to the same abandoned park we used to sneak off to last year. The one only we know about. He waits until we're sitting on the swings before he speaks.
"So," he starts, kicking at the dirt. "What's wrong this time?" I grip the chain of my swing. "You already know." "Do I?" His head tilts slightly. "Tell me anyway." I exhale sharply. "Owen. The rumors. Everything." A beat of silence.
Then—
"He would've left you eventually," Aldric mutters. I stiffen. He shrugs, glancing at me. "People don't stick around forever, Ardan. Not unless they need you for something. And the second they don't?" His voice lowers. "They're gone." My stomach twists.
"That's not true."
He laughs softly. "Isn't it?"
I don't answer. Because I have seen people leave before. Friends. Family. Everyone except... Aldric. He watches me carefully, like he can see every thought forming in my head. Then he leans closer, voice quieter, gentler—
"I'm the only one who understands you." Something about the way he says it makes my heartbeat faster. "You know I'm right," he continues. "I know you better than anyone. I know what you need. And I'll always be here." His fingers brush over mine, light but deliberate. "You just have to trust me." I swallow hard. And I nod. Because at this point? Who else do I have?
************
I hate going home. It's suffocating. The expectations. The cold distance from my parents. The constant feeling that I'm not enough. Aldric is the only thing that makes it bearable. So, when he calls me late at night, voice smooth and commanding, I don't hesitate.
"Come over." I barely say goodbye to my parents before slipping out the door. When I arrive, Aldric is waiting for me in his dimly lit room, lying on his bed like he's been expecting me for hours. He pats the space beside him. "Bad night?" I nod, sitting down. He studies me for a moment, then sighs dramatically. "Why do you even bother going back there?" I blink. "What?"
"Your parents don't care about you," he says bluntly. "Not really."
My stomach tightens.
"They don't see you," he continues. "Not the real you. They just want you to be what they expect. And you're still trying to make them happy?"
I clench my fists. "They're my family, Aldric."
"And I'm your family now," he counters, voice calm but firm. "I'm the one who's here for you. I'm the one who actually listens."
He shifts closer, his shoulder pressing against mine. "You don't need them, Ardan. You only need me."
His words shouldn't feel so right.
But they do.
And that terrifies me
Aldric
It's working. He's unraveling. Every time something goes wrong, he comes straight to me. Every time he feels lost, he lets me guide him. And now? He's scared to exist without me. I make sure of it. I reinforce it. With every passing day, I remind him—subtly, gently—that the world outside of me isn't safe. That everyone else will hurt him. Abandon him.
That I'm the only one who won't.
I see the shift in his eyes when I say it. The doubt, the hesitation—slowly crumbling. He's starting to believe it. Good. Because once he fully believes it? He'll never leave me again.
************
Do you think their friendship is normal? Let me know in the comment section