Chapter Twelve

            I couldn’t sleep. I mean how could I? I was about to go on another adventure with Theo and as usual I had no idea what it would be. That’s the thing with Theo; I never knew what was going to happen with him, which I liked. Tossing and turning, I couldn’t fall asleep. Question after question kept running through my mind. What were we going to do? Where were we going? Would he wear that blue collared shirt that brought out the colors of his eyes? Whoa, no. I couldn’t be thinking of Theo like this. I was just getting my hopes up. He clearly had no feelings towards me like I had towards him. But I couldn’t stop thinking of him. Every waking moment was spent thinking of him. When he would text back or how he must look today and sometimes it irritated me. For once could I not stop thinking about him? All this thinking left me wide awake for the rest of the night, but sometime around two in the morning my eyelids began to feel heavy and the last thought I had in my mind was Theo.

            There was something ringing beside me and it was very much annoying me. Pulling my arm out from my blanket, I felt around my bedside table for the ringing noise. Finally finding the source to the noise, I pressed the button on the side and the noise finally stopped. Now that was more like it. The peaceful sound of me sleeping and-

            “Jesus, Aurora. How much do you sleep? I thought writers get up early to write about the sunset or something.” There was something familiar about that voice. I have had that voice play in my head a million times. Oh dear God no. My eyes shot up and I immediately get up, hugging my blanket to my chest. On the edge of my bed was Theo sitting there in that stupid blue collared shirt that I loved, with a phone in his hand. After taking in his appearance it was only then that I realized how horrendous mine must have been. Crazy bed hair with blood shot eyes and not so cute pajamas. I pulled my blanket all the way beneath my eyes to cover up my reddened cheeks. Could this get any worse? And apparently it could. At that moment both my dad and David walked into my room and noticed Theo and I. Theo immediately got up from my bed and straightened his shirt out and looked at the floor while I hide behind my cover.

            “Oh um we didn’t mean to interrupt anything, I mean, not that anything was going on, wait that sounds mean what I mean to say is-” My dad fumbled with his words as he looked from Theo to me. But before my dad could continue with his ineloquently put speech David saved him.

            “What we mean to say is it seemed a while since Theo came up here so we wanted to see if he had woken you up or not. Oh and breakfast is ready if you want some.” He said to the both of us. I nod quickly which David and dad took as their cue to leave and hurried out of the room, once again leaving Theo and me alone.

            “I wasn’t up here for long really. I mean I didn’t want to wake you or anything so I was waiting for the right time to do so.” Theo said scratching the back of his head. I leaned back into my pillows and just watched Theo for a few seconds. They way he got nervous and embarrassed was quite cute.

            “So what brings you all the way to my bedroom, Theo?” I ask as I consciously get out off bed, knowing Theo will see my ugly pajamas and run the other direction.

            “Well I did tell you we were going on an adventure, right? I’m here to keep my promise.” I said with a big grin.

            “And you had to wake me up?” I said as I walked to the bathroom and begin to brush my teeth.

            “Well, I had to make an appointment for it so we can’t miss it. Plus it was kind of hard to get that appointment.” I spit out toothpaste into the sink and look up at him curiously. He had to get an appointment for this adventure? It must be something big for him to have to get it early.

            “Now I’m pretty curious. Let me take a shower and we can go.” I said as I closed the bathroom door. If only I knew where he was taking me.

*

            “Bye David! Bye Dad!” I yelled as I walked to the front door with Theo.

            “Be safe, guys!” My dad responded. Theo opened the door for me and I smiled. We made our way door the driveway to his car and he once again opened the door for me like a gentleman. It was when we were on the highway when I couldn’t contain my curiosity anymore.

            “Theo can you please tell me where we’re going.” I whine as I shuffle in my seat like a little child. Theo smiles as his eyes dash towards me for a second.

            “Wait another five minutes and you’ll see.” He said. I huffed and leaned back in my seat. Sometimes I enjoyed the fact I didn’t know where I was going or what I’ll be doing, but sometimes I just really wanted to know. While I went through a guessing game in my head the car suddenly stopped. I turned to Theo who was unbuckling his seatbelt and I looked outside my window. To be quite honest this wasn’t what I was expecting.

*

            I was never really a big fan of hospitals. The walls were too white and the lights were always too light, plus it was always so cold. Isn’t to cure a patient to make the place warm? Theo was ahead of me while I lagged behind and took in my surroundings. Nurses and doctors walked around with clipboards and folders in their arms discussing whatever medical issues they were discussing, but what I was more interested in were the people inside the rooms. Trying my best not to be creepy, I peered into each room I passed by; only getting a glimpse, but that was enough. Some were happy, but most were worried and sad. That’s when I started thinking. Why would Theo bring me here? What’s so ‘lovely’ about hospitals? As I was thinking I wasn’t looking and ran into something, or to be more precise, someone. Rubbing my head I looked up to find Theo smiling at me.

            “Too distracted by the thought of me, Aurora?” he asked winking at me. I blushed a deep shade of red and shook my head. He laughed and grabbed my hand.

            “Well, know you have to pay attention. This is where our adventure starts.” I looked up past him to the sign, which read ‘Operation Theater’. Theo pushed open the double doors and we walking into a dimly light room. Theo, still holding onto my hand, led the way through the room. Once my eyes got adjusted to the lighting I found a stool in front of me and sat down as Theo sat down next to me. After a minute or so the lights turned on, but not in the room I was sitting in; it was in the room opposite to me. Doctors in greenish coats and surgical mask milled around the person lying on the table and waved their hands for a bit. After they huddled over the body for a few minutes they dispersed and it was then that I got a clearer look. In the midst of all the white sheets there was blood. But when I leaned closer I saw where it was coming from. The heart.

            “In surgical terms, it’s called Bypass Surgery, but it’s most commonly known as open heart surgery.” Said Theo from beside me. I was in shock. I was looking at a live and beating heart.

            “That’s his heart. Like his actual living, breathing heart.” I say in shock.

            “Again, in medical terms, that is true. But the heart is more than that, Aurora.” I look at Theo a little confused.

            “What do you mean?”

            “You love with your heart, not your brain. It’s the hardest working muscle in the human body. It not only tries to keep you alive, but it tries it’s best to protect you. However, that’s not true all the time.” He said as his blue eyes looked at me.

            “Why isn’t it true all the time?” I ask, placing my head in my palm.

            “Well we put up walls around our heart so it doesn’t get hurt. Every time it does get hurt we build a stronger wall. But there is one time all those walls just fall.”

            “Heart surgery?” Theo laughed and I cracked a smile.

            “Then but also when we fall in love because to fall in love people have to see us as we truly are. Our raw selves. But when sometimes we fall in love with the wrong person and we expose our hearts at the wrong time. That’s when our hearts break. There is nothing to protect it and we don’t have the energy to protect it.” I looked up at him and then looked to the beating heart on the table. I wondered how many times the man on the table fell in love, how many times his heart was shown to the wrong person.

            “So why do we fall in love, even though our hearts could get hurt?”

            “Because we can’t help ourselves. Humans are selfish beings. We want to be happy so we go after what makes us happy even if it ends up hurting us in the end. When you fall in love the future doesn’t really matter, it’s the now.” Never once did his eyes leave the surgery, but I did happen to catch something. His blue eyes were soft and were slightly cloudy by what was a mystery to me. He sighed and turned to look at me, catching me staring at him. I immediately blushed and looked away. I heard him chuckle from next to me and then I felt his hand interlock with mine. Theo stood up and began to walk out of the room and I followed suit. We walked down the hall with our hands still interlocked. I know this isn’t the first time Theo has held my hand but every time he did it felt like the first time, his thumbs skimming across my skin as he occasionally squeezed my hand as if for reassurance.

            “I know this wasn’t the most entertaining adventure” He said as we made it to his car. He looked down at our hand but didn’t take away his hand and neither did I.

            “It was very educating and a little bloody.” I said laughing as I leaned against his car. Theo smiled, his dimples showing. Theo continued talk about what I don’t know because my attention was somewhere else. There are three aspects to liking someone according to psychology: proximity, physical attractiveness and similarity. Considering proximity Theo and I lived pretty close to one another, causing for us to meet quite often, almost every day, which contributes to that. As for physical attractiveness, Theo sure scored high marks in that department. And the saying ‘opposites attract’, doesn’t describe Theo and I. We had so much in common and someone I could share everything with. As much I deny it, it was true. I was truly, madly, deeply in love with Theo Simmons.

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Hey guys,

SO I LIKE FINALLY UPDATED AFTER LIKE SEVEN BILLION YEARS BUT NEW YEARS RESOLUTION TO WRITE MORE FOR YOU GUYS. I just had this massive writers block but i got over it! sorry for such a short chapter and late update but I hope you guys like it!

love,

Alex :)

PS: dedicated to @acidbands whom i pinky promised.