More than a Friend

William's mind suddenly jolted, the soft and warm hand that held his own made his heart throb. He felt like electricity ran through his entire body. However, he did not look at the person who owned the hand. It might be due to embarrassment or he did not want to ruin the moment.

He did not know.

However, what he did know is this was the first time Mia held his hand on her own accord as adults.

They held hands as children and Mia would be the one who instigated it. She would drag him all over the place without thought. He remembered how Mia was not shy about it, but she has become more conscious of other people now.

Maybe it was due to them being children. Mia acted like a pioneer heading to whichever land she could find. She liked adventures, maybe all children do, but her curiosity was what made her sparkle in Williams' eyes. He was the type to keep on his own and pretend the world was uninteresting.

Growing up, William would only open up to his sister. He considered other people as passersby's. They would come and go without care for other people's feelings. That was what he thought, it may have something to do with him thinking his mother abandoned them as he decided to close his heart to everyone else.

However, Mia's role was more than a friend to William. She was the second person he opened up to wholeheartedly aside from his sister. His father's presence was so thin that he started to avoid talking with him.

It might have started with her giving him food unconditionally, but there was something deeper within his heart which influenced his love for Mia. In a sense, Mia started to crush the wall he made towards other people. She carefully and slowly made a path of her own to his heart as she chiseled away the stones and walls of insecurities in his heart. She was the first person he could trust and share his true feelings. It may also be the reason why he had never forgotten her since their childhood.

A long time has passed as they have been separated but his feelings have never changed.

His feelings became even stronger as he blamed himself with their separation. In his mind, the people around him abandoned him one by one, his mother, father, and grandparents. They all disappeared and stopped caring about him as he had seen them less and less. But this time he felt it was his fault as he abandoned Mia, he left her and he betrayed her trust.

It might look different for other people if they hear the circumstances but it was different for William.

He knew how it felt to be abandoned, to be left and be alone, to grow up feeling you are not loved, feeling unwanted.

He knew and yet Mia had to suffer the same thing as him.

His thinking might be crooked, even unreasonable. But his feelings, these thoughts were ingrained throughout his life, his experiences. He remembered how the other kids would be picked up by their parents, he on the other hand only had his sister. Although he wanted to ask his sister where their mother was, he did not have the courage to do so.

Why?

Because when they were younger, William would wake up from his sleep he would be awakened from the murmurs of his sister, his sister would call out their mother's name.

She would pretend to smile and act strong in front of him although he knew she was suffering the same as he was. Once he started to grow up, he began to realize how hard her sister must have worked to keep him company, to make him feel safe, and to make him feel loved. Not once did her sister complain about her having no friends just to take care of him.

Therefore, he pretended not to care, to act only for himself and ignore the people around him, because he did not want to get hurt. He was young, he should be playing and having fun and yet he preferred to be alone. He would smile for his sister, but only towards her.

If bonds are not made then there is no reason to worry about separation.

This was what he thought.

He had acquaintances but no real friends. He learned to smile from the outside when deep inside he felt empty.

Mia changed all of that

He learned to smile genuinely to another person who is not his sister.

And that same person was holding his hand.

Warmth spread from his hands and ran straight through to his heart. He too started focusing on the fireworks exploding from afar and started to cherish the moment right in front of him with the person he loves dearly.

Original novel by Chuchuwachuwa.

Authors note:

Hello readers!

I finally finished my exam, I will release chapters 3-4x a week depending on my schedule because I am currently editing chapters for book 1 for Don't fall in love with me Mr. CEO, and book 1 of my fantasy novel Another Chance in life: I am Alive Again.

If there is a kind soul out there who is willing to help me edit past chapters for Don't fall in love with me Mr. CEO, I am welcoming you with open arms. Sadly, I have no money to pay you, but you'll get a chance to read advance drafts of chapters if I have finished writing it.