100

Aaron reaches out to me, and I see the desperation and fear of rejection in his eyes. I accept his hand, more because I do not want to disappoint his expectations than because I feel safe doing so.

“Let's get you cleaned up” he says as he looks at the bloodstains on my palms. I nod; The last thing I want is to have Damon's blood on me.

He bends over to pick up the clothes from the floor, then we head to the bathroom together. I am still not sure how I feel about our approach, but I know I need more information than I have.

In the bathroom, I head for the sink without preamble. I turn on the tap and let the warm water rinse my hands as I rub the soap over and over again. Meanwhile, Aaron takes off his shirt, which ended up being stained by the blood that was on my hands.

I look at him through the large mirror behind the sink; his posture slumped, his face tired.

I stop the cascade of water falling over my hands when I feel clean enough to do so.

Aaron approaches slowly, as if he's stil