April was a month I sometimes wished I could take out of the calendar. That, and May.

My hands were behind my head, staring at the ceiling, music playing in the background. I liked all types of music, but for each mood, I had a preference. Today was apparently a day where I wanted to listen to something heavy and fast.

Miserable.

My ears perked at the sound of the door knocking. I somehow already knew who it was just by the sound. It was light and gentle.

"Come in," I called out and sat my body upright.

Aria slipped through the door with her hands behind her back. She had a mischievous look on her face and her perfect teeth were biting her bottom lip.

I raised an eyebrow, curious. I hadn't seen her much lately, and I missed her presence. I felt a spinning sensation in my stomach.

Aria brought her hands in front of her and revealed a white cupcake with pink frosting on top. "Happy birthday!" She grinned and held her hands out.

"My birthday isn't for another two days," I said and took the cupcake out of her small hands.

"I know. But I won't be here for it."

"You won't?" I asked, suddenly disappointed. I hadn't expected her to be there in the first place but the confirmation wasn't pleasant to hear.

"I unfortunately need to visit my family," She shrugged and took a seat on my bed; She always liked to make herself comfortable. "So I figured I'd make sure to see you and wish you one before I go," she smiled, then her face was cold as mine usually was.

"Hm," my throat spoke. For someone who didn't get along well with her parents, she sure visited often. "You don't seem pleased with that."

A smile broke from her cold expression. "My dad has a vision for me and I don't want to follow it. So we just clash heads a lot. He can be so mean sometimes. I want to be an artist, I want to make people feel something. My dad wants me to be a doctor."

"Aren't you technically a social worker?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yep. But I don't want to be one, technically. I haven't worked as one since shortly after I graduated. And he won't accept it."

"Then why go over there so often? Weren't you trying to get away from them in the first place?"

She laughed suddenly. It didn't meet her eyes. I hated to see her feel this way. "If it were my choice, I wouldn't. He pays for all of my flights as an excuse to make me go there. Then guilts me if I try to get out of it. So I try to make the best of it. At least I get to see my brother." Her eyes glossed, but she blinked them clear again. "But I'm not here to talk about me," she placed a smile on her saddened face.

"Why do you like to paint so much? To the point where it's putting a wedge in your family?" I asked, dismissing her comment. She tried so hard to fight with her father to get what she so desperately wanted, she was going to deteriorate.

She bit her lip. Her eyes filled with passion. "Because. It changes perspectives and makes you feel something that you might not have felt before." She subconsciously put her hand above her heart. "I've always liked to help people-" That explained a lot. "-But I like to inspire people through art."

I tilted my head. "How do you do that?"

She laughed, awkwardly. When was she ever awkward with me? "It's expressive. For example, I was apprenticing a social worker while I was still in school. And there was this young teenager - he was around fifteen years old. He told me that he felt stuck, and everything he saw around him was grey, dimmed. I told him that he needs to change the way he looks at things and the things around him will start to change too. But he didn't understand how or what I meant."

I remained silent, waiting.

"So I went to the store at the end of the day and I bought all sorts of new art materials. Paint brushes, paints, canvases, mediums, everything. When it was time for his next session with me, I laid everything out in front of him and told him to pick up whatever brush he wanted and paint the first thing that comes to mind," She started to use her hands to describe her story out of excitement.

"He painted a painting of a dark grey brick wall. The wall was gloomy, rainy, dark and depressing. So I added on to his painting, and painted a passageway. On the other side of the wall, through the passageway, you can see the bright skies, sunshine, birds chirping and flowers blooming. This side, it was so colorful and vibrant."

I bored my eyes into her, captivated.

"I pointed to the dark side and said 'you are here' and then I pointed to the passageway and told him it was easy to crawl to the other side, but it's himself that's stopping him, no one else. So he's the only one that can fix it. The passageway is wide open but he's too focused on the brick wall that he can't even see the other side."

I was at a loss for words.

She smiled, then looked down. "It's kinda lame, I guess. It felt special though."

"No." I said, finally. "It's beautiful, really." I felt warm, watching her smile towards the ground shyly. "What did the boy do afterwards? Did he find the passage way?"

"He got closer, everyday." She looked up and blushed. "I'd like to think he's doing just fine now,"'she smiled.

"You have a very rewarding passion," I tilted my lips upwards. "So caring."

"I've always loved art, ever since I could pick up a pencil. I love helping people just as much. It feels so special to know that I have helped change people's lives, even if it's in a small way. But what helps me, is painting. So it really sucks that my father doesn't see it the same way," she admit. "He's not very visual, he's more black and white. Which is fine, but to dictate my life..."

I observed her. She was focused on the thread rips in her jeans, avoiding eye contact with me. It wasn't often that I saw her upset, she was really good at keeping high spirits. Her eyebrows were pulled together, giving away the stress she's feeling. Her faint freckles were starting to come back with the sun getting stronger.

"Hey," I murmured, reaching my hand over and touching hers.

She stopped playing with the rips and looked up at me, her curious blue eyes glowing. Always so hopeful. She wrapped her small fingers around my hand.

"There's a fair tonight, the first one since the snow has melted. I'd like to take you tonight, before you leave."

She gasped. "We should definitely go! But I should treat you, since it's your birthday." She grinned.

I shook my head and pursed my lips. "Technically my birthday is on the twenty-second. I want to take you. If you insist on a gift, come out with me tonight."

"I actually have a gift for you," That shy expression returned.

I frowned. "You do?"

"I wouldn't just give you a cupcake, Eli. It's in the living room," she stood up, still clasped onto my hand. She tugged my arm gently to get me to stand up with her. "Come," she smiled.

I followed her out of the room, suddenly curious. I didn't realize my thumb was brushing her skin in little circles until I started walking with her.

She let go of my hand and scurried to the front door where an object was resting under a purple thin blanket. She lifted it up by the sides and walked back over to me, her bottom lip trapped under her teeth.

I took the blanket off to reveal a handmade painting. An eye took up ninety percent of the canvas and the skin was shaded, black and white to contrast the fine lines and shadows. There was a brush stroke for each and every detail of the eyebrow that was visible on the canvas. The eyelashes were thick and black and the whites of the eye were pure. The iris though, wasn't an ordinary iris. It was colored in a blue shade, but it wasn't a normal eye. Inside was a silhouette of a couple dancing, the man and woman had their arm up as he twisted her around. There was a moon off to the side, casting a lighter blue towards the couple. It was beautiful and realistic, you'd almost think that it was a photograph.

"Holy fuck," I breathed out, stunned. My eyebrows were pushed upwards and my mouth was slightly open while I examined the painting. The eye reminded me of hers, so curious and pure. A beautiful shade.

"Do you like it?" She asked, timid.

I sarcastically laughed. "You kidding? You actually painted this?" I didn't think she was this good.

"It took me almost a week," She admit.

I shook my head. "And you're giving it to me?" She nodded. "I understand now. You need to follow your passion, holy fuck."

Aria clasped her hands together and brought them close to her mouth. She grinned from ear to ear. I loved that smile.

"Thank you," She stuck her tongue out.

"Thank you," I repeated, and bent down to her level, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "This is probably the best gift I've ever gotten," I glanced her way.

Her cheeks turned a different color, satisfying me.

She nodded swiftly. "Okay, shush... Shall we?"

"Hang on," I said and sprinted to my room.

Aria followed behind me and waited in the frame of my room while I took out a hammer and nail from one of my messy bedside drawers. Never know when you're going to need a hammer in the middle of the night.

I scanned the walls of my room with narrowed eyes. Finally settling on the wall at the end of my bed, I placed the nail in the wall and bashed on it with the hammer three times. I placed the canvas on the nail and straightened it out. This was something I'd be happy to wake up to every morning as one of the first things I saw.

"Okay," I said. "We can go now."

"You really didn't need to do that," She laughed, burying her cheeks in her hands.

Oh but I did.

I winked at her before I led her out to my truck. This was going to be a better day than I expected.

The weather was nicer than I expected; it was calm. The sky had no markings, and it was luckily not raining like usual. Aria and I walked to the gate of the fair and I paid for our entrance and unlimited bracelets for rides and express waiting times.

Her face lit up like a child on Christmas. She walked beside me, at a slow pace, taking in her surroundings. I decided to let her choose on our direction and waited patiently.

"What's over there?" She asked, pointing to a fenced off section of the fair.

"That's for people eighteen plus. It has a bar and a haunted house."

"Oh," She tilted her head in thought.

"Oh!" She exclaimed louder than I expected her to speak. "Can you win me a prize?"

I couldn't help but laugh, it was as if she's never been to a carnival before. "Of course," I said.

We walked to the game section of the fair and looked around at the various options. I saw a game that was meant for aim and smirked. I led her over to the station where multiple plastic guns were set up with fresh targets.

I motioned for Aria to take a seat on the booth chair. I paid the worker for five shots. There were target x's on the eyes, the forehead, and the heart.

"Four targets, five tries and you win," The carni said with his arms crossed, showing off his tattoos on his forearms.

I looked at the attempts from other customers who've played and saw that no one has perfectly hit their target. I lifted the gun, feeling sudden adrenaline and memories flush through my body. I hit all four targets within less than three seconds, directly in the center of each x.

"Very impressive. Can I try the last one?" Aria smiled and held her hands out towards the gun.

"Sure," I smiled and handed it to her. "Try to hit in between the eyebrows," I pointed to the clean space on the board.

Aria stood up beside me and aimed the gun towards the target. To my surprise, she hit a bulls eye target. She looked up at me and smirked. "I want the stuffed elephant."

My eyes tightened. "You have good aim."

A devilish smile appeared as the shocked carni handed her, her toy. "I have surprises up my sleeves too, Eli."

Hm.

Aria carried her elephant happily around the park. I saw a few men looking her way, checking her out and I wanted to desperately hold her hand. I took her on multiple rides, and found myself rather amused when she screamed in fear and pleasure. I could do that to her in the bedroom too, if given a chance.

I took her on the swings that brought you high in the sky and swung you around in circles, which I mischievously misbehaved on by swinging in the air towards her chair to scare her.

"Eli stop," she hushed as I swung around. "You're going to get us in trouble or worse, break the ride," she muttered

"Oh please," I mumbled and knocked her chair with my boot. "Sour."

She shot me a look and I couldn't help but smirk with innocence.

She raised her eyebrows and started swinging on the chair with me. "Sour," she repeated.

I chuckled at her gasp when she swing right into me and smacked into my chair. I grabbed her hand and softened the blow just a bit.

"Wanna see who can swing higher?" She grinned and kicked her legs out.

"You're on," I said.

We were not invited back on that ride, nor did we get the chance to even make it in the air.

Her and I snuck off to a secluded part of the fair where only a few stragglers were hanging around, doing the same thing we were doing; Smoking a joint. Her smile stuck throughout the whole time we left the house. I was happy to get her mind off her upcoming trip. I wanted to make her feel like this everyday.

I sat down beside her on the seats of the drop zone.

"I'm freaking out," She bit her lip and squirmed in her seat.

"It's just a ride," I chuckled.

"Eli, they drop you. They drop you like a billion feet in the air."

I laughed. "You're just stoned. Do you want off?"

"No." She glared.

The person operating the ride locked us all down in the chair. Aria breathed out a large, shaky breath and relaxed into a smile.

As we slowly made our way up the drop zone, I found myself amused by her legs swinging back and forth in anticipation. I leaned forward and looked down at the people becoming smaller and smaller. I reached over and grabbed her hand which was death gripping her handles. I settled with my hand resting over top of hers.

"The view is actually kind of nice," Aria announced.

The view didn't last long before we were plummeted with an intense amount of force. She screamed the whole time while I laughed. Her distorted face was adorable

When our restrictions released, I helped her off the ride and kept my hand in hers for a little while. I didn't want to let go. Fuck me, this was the opposite of what I should be doing with her. I need a cigarette.

"Where should we go now?" She asked, glancing up at me while swinging our hands back and forth.

"Wherever you want," I smiled. The smokers pit.

Aria dragged me to the Ferris wheel with an extensive amount of speed. I hopped on after her and sat down beside her. She took the opportunity to fix her fly aways from result of the drop zone.

The ride slowly took us up and she took the opportunity to look around the scene. It was nice, I'll admit. The fair was surrounded by a large forest filled with thick trees that made it close to impossible to see what could lie inside.

"I can't believe we live here," Aria said, he face still in the direction of the view.

There was nothing but trees and water surrounding us.

I most definitely did not expect to end up here when I was on the run. "It's comfortable."

Aria twisted her body back and faced me. Our positions were a lot closer than necessary. I felt my eyes dip down to her lips. They were plump and the perfect shade of pink.

"What's going on in there?" Aria quietly asked, her large blue eyes gazing into mine.

My stomach turned, yearning.

"I'm just happy to spend my birthday with you," I murmured.

Her curious face broke into a smile. "It's not your birthday."

"Feels like it." I whispered.

Aria took my hands and brought them to her lap, I clasped mine over hers, burying them in mine. My body didn't demand to smoke any longer, I didn't have the constant urge to snort cocaine in my nostrils, I didn't even want to touch a single drink to my lips. I didn't need any of it.

Her body leaned closer to me while I stayed still. She was dangerously close, but coincidentally interrupted by the ride jolting forward to descend back to the ground. I exhaled a large gust of air through my nose while she gave a soft laugh and looked around the fairgrounds again.

Bummer.

Aria placed her stuffed elephant in her bag and zipped it up securely. I narrowed my eyes. "How did you learn to aim so well?" I asked, suspicious.

Aria laughed and walked towards the gated off section of the park. "Beginners luck."

"I don't believe that."

A smirk played on her lips as she turned around to face me, walking backwards in the process. "Are you impressed?"

"It's pretty hot, I won't lie."

"Hm," She smiled. "Then we should keep it at that, no?" She slipped through the door.

I huffed, but didn't reply. I'd get the answers eventually.

The closed off area was filled with adults only. Some were clearly on their fifth or sixth drink, and others were screaming from inside the haunted house, running out in terror.

"That looks scary," Aria commented, observing the haunted house and all of its victims.

"Want to go in?" I asked.

"Umm," She bit her lip.

"C'mon, it won't be that bad. It's all fake."

"You mean the boogie man won't get me?" She playfully rolled her eyes.

"Well maybe," I taunted.

I placed my hands on her shoulders and led her to the doors.

The house itself was what looked like a creepy cabin, wood falling off the property and decaying. The windows were shattered but the inside was blacked out and you couldn't see inside.

The second we walked inside, the door behind us slammed shut and the sound of a lock clicked. It was pitch black and Aria immediately grabbed my hand.

"Oh fuck," She announced.

I squeezed her hand and walked with her. Things like this never scared me.

When we turned a corner, there were random bouts of people covered in blood and screaming in agony. One of the 'victims' ran up to us and screamed for help and to run away.

"It's not a joke, it's real, this is real! Run!" The female cried out, blood dripping from her face.

Aria frowned in concern, while I remained stone faced.

The lights flickered, showing the blood spattered walls and random sinks of dirty water. Aria death gripped my arm with both her hands as I led us through the section of screaming people.

"What kind of sick fucks thought of this for a haunted house?" She mumbled to me.

I smirked. "If you're asking then it's working."