As the evening descended into a shroud of twilight, Dane trudged through the park, each step hinting at his unresolved emotions. Aiden, seated on a squeaky swing, observed his approach with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension.

“Hey,” Aiden greeted, his voice laced with uncertainty.

Dane settled onto the swing adjacent to Aiden’s, wasting no time in addressing the issue that had strained their friendship. “You know why I called you, don’t you?”

Aiden’s gaze remained fixed on the ground as he replied, “Is this about Silus’ sister?”

“You probably know now that Silvia’s the childhood friend I mentioned before.”

Aiden’s ears perked up at the mention of her name. “Silvia. So, that’s her name. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Dane hesitated. “Think about your reputation.”

“That I’m a player?”

Dane refrained from answering, understanding that his silence conveyed more than words ever could.

Aiden’s frustration simmered beneath the surface. “I didn’t expect my best friend to think of me like that.”

Dane’s gaze hardened, locked onto Aiden’s with intense seriousness. “I’m aware of all your relationships, dude.”

Aiden defended himself, Dane’s unexpressed judgement bearing down on him. “You know better than anyone else that I never went beyond a peck on the cheek.”

“That still doesn’t justify your impulsive actions.”

“Let’s get to the point. You clearly like Silvia.”

Dane didn’t shy away from the truth. “Yeah, and what of it?”

Aiden sighed, sensing the fracture of their friendship. “I guess you don’t trust me enough to share your secrets with me. If you had just told me sooner, I wouldn’t have…” He trailed off, his gaze falling to the ground.

“Wouldn’t have what?”

Aiden winced, his next words heavy with regret. “…I wouldn’t have fallen for her.”

Dane stared deep into Aiden’s eyes. “I’ve been in love with her ever since we were kids; I just never realised what these feelings were until now.”

“I just hate the fact that you never trusted me.”

Dane found himself unable to respond, the silence between them deepening the chasm of their friendship. He stood up, and without a backward glance, walked away, leaving Aiden to watch him go with a sense of sorrow deep in his hazel eyes.

 

Dane’s car came to a halt in the driveway, the engine sputtering as he turned it off. As the storm of emotions within him still roared, his hands gripped the steering wheel, and he released his pent-up frustration with a resounding slam of his palms. The echoes of his anger had barely subsided when a shattering crash from inside the house jolted him into action.

Without a second thought, Dane rushed inside, his heart pounding with a mix of dread and urgency. The scene that unfolded before him was a recurring nightmare—one he had witnessed far too many times before. His father, Keaton, consumed by alcohol and anger, was a volatile force, and his mother, Maeve, appeared like a river of tears and anxiety.

Dane’s immediate instinct was to protect his mother. He sprinted to her side, his voice filled with anxiety. “Mum, what’s going on?!”

Her words came out in a shaky breath. “Your father just got demoted at work, so they cut his pay.”

Dane, ever the protector, extended his arm to shield his mother. “Stay behind me. I’ll try to calm Dad down.”

Maeve clutched his arm desperately, her watery eyes pleading with him. “No, don’t go, Dane. He might hurt you again.”

He attempted to ease her worries. “It’s okay, mum. I’m grown up now; I can handle this.”

After a moment of agonising hesitation, she reluctantly let go of his arm.

Approaching his father cautiously, Dane attempted to reason with him. “Dad, we can figure this out together. We’ll find a way through.”

Keaton bawled at him, the alcohol-infused anger in his voice unmistakeable. “Get the hell away from me.”

Suddenly, an empty glass bottle became a deadly weapon in Keaton’s hand. He swung the bottle at Dane, but years of living on edge had honed his reflexes, allowing him to dodge the deadly projectile just in time. Keaton stumbled forward, the alcohol impairing his coordination, but he landed perilously close to Maeve.

With a venomous glare, he turned his wrath to her. “This is all your fault, you bitch!”

Without warning, Keaton redirected his fury and swung the bottle at Maeve. Dane, quick to grasp the imminent danger, threw himself in harm’s way, taking the brutal hit intended for his mother. The glass bottle shattered against his head, scattering shards in all direction.

Dane crumpled to the ground, the pain and dizziness overwhelming him. Maeve rushed to protect her fallen son, her fury and fear battling for dominance.

She cried out in horror, her fury directed at her husband. “Are you out of your mind?!”

Keaton’s response was a drunken, venomous scream. “Shut up, you bitch!”

Determined not to let her husband’s abuse go unanswered, Maeve had made a decision that would change their lives. The sound of approaching police sirens filled the air, much to Keaton’s dismay.

He stammered in disbelief, “Y-you called the police on me? On your own husband?!”

A small, triumphant smile played on Maeve’s lips. “It’ll be ex-husband soon.”

Police officers stormed through the front door, and in the chaos that ensued, arrested Keaton on the spot. Blood trickled down Dane’s forehead as he struggled to rise, his head pounding, and his vision blurred. Maeve clung to him, and paramedics rushed to their aid, guiding Dane out to a waiting van, leaving behind a shattered home and a lifetime of painful memories.

 

Dane, unconscious and adrift in the abyss of his own mind, found himself drawn into a dream—a sanctuary of his past where he could momentarily escape the pain and turmoil of his present.

In this dream, he transported back to the idyllic days of his childhood—a time when life was simple, and happiness was abundant. He stood in a sunlit park—a place filled with memories of laughter and innocence.

Dane, at the tender age of seven, had been deeply engrossed in a game of hide and seek. The role of the seeker had fallen upon his childhood friend, a young Silvia, whose face radiated pure joy. She stood by a tree, her small hands covering her eyes, as she began to count aloud.

“Ready or not, here I come!” Silvia’s voice rang out with youthful enthusiasm, announcing the start of the game.

Dane hastily sought a hiding spot under the playground slide. There, in the shadowy sanctuary beneath the metal structure, he waited in gleeful anticipation.

Then, at last, Silvia’s playful voice reached his hiding place. “Found you, Dane!” She peeked under the slide, her eyes alight with the joy of victory.

Dane, his eyes twinkling with innocence, chuckled at her infectious enthusiasm. Silvia’s small hand extended towards him, and without hesitation, Dane reached out, their fingers interlocking in a bond of friendship.

Silvia’s grin had widened as she held his hand firmly. “Now you have to help me find my brother!”

Hand in hand, they had embarked on an adventure, running through the park, in search of the unknown whereabouts of Silus.

Dane stood before the mirror in the hushed confines of his dimly lit bedroom. Soft, golden rays of the afternoon sun filtered through the curtains, casting intricate patterns of light and shadow across the room. His reflection stared back at him, and his attention was drawn to the fresh white bandage that covered the side of his forehead—a stark symbol of the recent disturbance that had invaded his life.

Reaching into his pocket, Dane retrieved his phone. His thumb glided smoothly over the screen as he dialled Aiden’s number, the device emitting a few sonorous rings that resonated with an increasing sense of urgency within the room. After a moment of anticipation, the call connected.

“Aiden,” Dane’s voice, tinged with uncertainty, flowed through the speaker. “Do you have time to come over?”

Aiden’s response crackled through the phone. “Yeah, of course. I can be there in about fifteen minutes.”

With a quiet nod, Dane ended the call and placed his phone on his cluttered desk. He then collapsed onto his rumpled bed, his gaze fixed on the cracked ceiling above, lost in contemplation.

 

Aiden’s arrival at Dane’s home was swift, as if propelled by an invisible urgency. The moment Dane opened the door, Aiden’s eyes widened in profound shock at the sight of the injury on Dane’s forehead.

Genuine concern mingled in Aiden’s voice as he exclaimed, “What happened?!”

Dane, his gaze cast downwards in a mixture of shame and vulnerability, confessed, “It was my dad again.”

Aiden, all too familiar with the shadowy history of Dane’s tumultuous relationship with his father, summoned his composure. They settled into the comfort of Dane’s bedroom, the air heavy with unspoken words.

Aiden directed his gaze towards Dane. “Where’s your dad now?”

Dane’s response held an undercurrent of relief, tinged with lingering sorrow. “He got arrested. My mum’s gonna divorce him too.”

“How are you feeling now?”

Dane offered a chuckle infused with newfound tranquillity. “Honestly, I’m glad. I always hated him anyway.”

Aiden smiled with a sense of obscurity. “Dads, right?”

As their eyes met, Dane’s mouth began to itch. “Sorry, Aiden.”

“For what?”

“Even though you’re my best friend, I didn’t trust you.”

Aiden’s smile remained, a bridge towards forgiveness and reconciliation. “Hey, bro, it’s fine. I’m sorry too. I must’ve pressured you a lot.”

With a mutual understanding and a shared recognition of their faults, they sealed their reconciliation by tapping their fists together. Amidst their light-hearted moment, Aiden’s exuberance led him to playfully ruffle Dane’s hair, momentarily forgetting about his friend’s injury. Dane yelped in pain—a sharp reminder of the physical wound he carried.

Aiden’s expression shifted to one of immediate concern. “Oh, shit. Sorry, I almost forgot.”

 

Aiden’s departure from Dane’s place was marked by a sense of urgency that gripped Dane, propelling him towards Silvia’s home without prior notice. Standing at her doorstep, his heart pounded with both anxiety and determination. When he pressed the doorbell, Silvia opened the door, and her eyes widened in alarm as they fell upon his bandaged forehead.

“Dane, what happened?!” Her voice quivered with genuine concern.

Dane, still wrestling with the aftermath of recent events, found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Silvia, without waiting for an explanation, gently pulled him inside, her fingers wrapped around his wrist.

“Come in, and we can talk.” Her voice served as a soothing balm to him, and he followed her into the welcoming embrace of the living room.

They settled into the cosy space, where the air seemed to thicken with the weight of unspoken words. Silvia’s gaze was fixed on his injury, her mind briefly racing through potential culprits until the figure of Dane’s father emerged.

Her voice, soft and caring, broke the silence. “Was it your dad again?”

Dane eventually found his voice. “Yeah, he was drunk again because of work, but my mum is finally getting rid of him officially.”

“Is your mum doing okay?”

“Yeah, she knows what she’s doing this time.”

“I hope it goes as planned.”

But Dane had a different agenda—one that he had been wrestling with for far too long. As he observed the concern etched on her face, Dane decided to put his acting skills to use and feigned the pain from his head injury. Silvia, almost immediately, rushed closer to him, her fingers gently exploring the side of his head to check on his injury.

Dane, seizing the perfect moment, made his move and gently took hold of her wrist, his gaze locked onto her kind eyes. “My situation isn’t the reason I came here, though.”

“What brought you here, then?” she questioned, her confusion momentarily distracting her from Dane’s grip on her wrist.

Their close proximity spoke volumes about the courage it took for Dane to do this. In a sudden, impulsive gesture, he embraced her tenderly, their bodies drawing together like two halves of a magnetic attraction. Silvia, taken aback, froze in his arms, her heart quickening.

Resting his chin on her shoulder, his voice was barely above a whisper. “I came here to tell you…I like you.”

Silvia’s eyes expanded in astoundment at the unexpected confession.

Dane, feeling exposed and vulnerable, released her from his embrace. His own cheeks flushed with shyness that he couldn’t meet her gaze directly. “I felt like this since we were kids, but I never fully realised it until I was old enough to understand these feelings. I know you may not feel the same way, but I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer. It felt like it was either now or never.”

Silvia, still reeling from the confession, stuttered, her cheeks turning rosy. “I…um…I don’t know what to say.”

Dane chuckled, attempting to lighten the moment. “It’s fine. You don’t have to answer me now.”

Their intimate conversation was interrupted by the sound of keys rattling in the front door. Rod had returned home from work, and upon noticing Dane, he greeted him warmly, his enthusiasm contagious.

“Dane, is that you? You’ve grown up so much!” he exclaimed with delight.

“Hey, Mr. Arias. Long time no see.”

Rod’s smile faded as he registered Dane’s injury, worry etching across his face. “I heard what happened from your mother. I’m glad to see that you’re alright.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Silvia interjected, eager to share Dane’s pivotal role in her life. “Dad, Dane knows about my secret, and he’s been a tremendous help to me at school.”

Rod extended his appreciation to Dane, his palm patting the young man’s back, conveying a fatherly gratitude. “Thank you, Dane. You’re a good man, so I hope you continue to look after Silvia at school for me.”

With that, Rod excused himself, heading towards the bathroom, leaving Silvia and Dane alone in a contemplative silence. Dane stood across from Silvia, his gaze still averted.

“I should be heading out now,” Dane finally said, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

“Alright, I’ll see you next time then.”

“I’ll wait for you for as long as you want, but don’t leave me hanging forever.” Dane’s words held a promise, a hope for the future that lingered in the air.

Flustered once more, Silvia reassured him, “I-I won’t!”