"MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE"
WRITTEN BY DAYNE DINNING
-This fanfic follows on immediately from One Year
...
Aaron was stood in front of her, wearing his usual trackies, and hoody with his hands in his pockets. "Hi mum" he said with a smile.
Chas quickly shot to her feet; she couldn't believe her eyes "Aaron? What? How? When?"
Aaron smiled and before he knew it his mum flung her arms around him squeezing him as tight as she could. As they hugged a silent tear fell down Chas' cheek. She pulled away with her hands on her sons shoulder "Hi son".
They both walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. Aaron looked at his mum; he'd missed her so much not that he'd never admit it. "It's good to see you son" she put her hand on his knee.
"It's only been two months but I had to come back mum. I had to see him today. I have to speak to him. Bet you thought I'd forget?"
Chas smiled "Never entered my mind at all"
Aaron looked over at the grave; he couldn't believe it had been a full year. "Anyway" he spoke, letting out a breath as he did. "What you doing here mum? Today of all days?"
Chas sighed "Well truth be told I couldn't not Aaron. You were in France, Hazel is...well... somewhere and I just wanted to keep him company and to tell him you were thinking about him. He didn't deserve to be alone today" she shook her head. "But I know he'll have the biggest smile on his face now you've come back son" her eyes were welling up, as were Aaron's.
"I don't know about that...I've let him down I know I have, the things I've done to myself, the trouble I've caused I-" he stopped to wipe a tear from his cheek.
"Oh Aaron, don't worry about that it's over now right?" she asked
"Yeah... I promise" he reassured her. "Have you been to see Adam or Paddy? They'll be so pleased to see you" she enthused
"No no I haven't, I headed straight here, I don't want them to know, I don't know if I'm staying or not, please mum?" he was getting slightly worked up.
"Ok son, mum's the word" she smiled then looked at her son who was lost in a world of his own, just sat looking at Jacksons grave. "I'll leave you two to it son, please don't just go, pop to the pub when you're done so we can talk yeah?" Aaron nodded. "Through the back door though, I'm on the run remember" he smirked then smiled.
"I don't need to be reminded of that" she told him as she leaned down and kissed her sons forehead and walked toward the exit of the cemetery.
Aaron slowly approached Jackson's grave and sat down in front of it, re-reading the words engraved on the headstone, flashbacks of the fatal day flashing before him. He touched the headstone and brushed his fingertips down it. "Hi mate, missed me?" he laughed shaking his head "I'm missing you more than you'll ever know" he looked up, it started raining. "Bet your not missing this stuff are ya? Bet you're sunning yourself laughing at me getting drenched?" he pulled his hood up over his head. "So how you been mate? Alright?... I'm glad. Listen...I'm sorry Jackson I know I've let you down but it was hard, the self harm just made things easier, no one could ever understand how I felt. I'm sorry for treating Hazel like crap as well, I hope you can forgive me Jackson, I broke my promise to you and I can't forgive myself for that" Aaron began to cry silently. "I've turned things around now, I've had a steady job, a boyfriend" he laughed "Well had a boyfriend. He just wasn't you Jackson; I thought I was ready to move on but I'm just not, not there, not with him, it just wasn't right. I need to be near you, I know it's silly and I'll never move on with that attitude" he smiled and in his mind he heard Jackson's voice saying Well change the attitude then, Aaron sniggered and looked at the flowers lying at his headstone. There were two bunches, one from his mum and one from Jerry, which shocked Aaron. "Wow the two people you probably didn't expect to come have been" he laughed "Your mum would be here if she could Jackson, She's thinking of you, but you'll know that"
"But yeah Ed...He - It got too much to take, don't know how I got out if I'm being honest, could have done with being rescued..." he sighed. "There was no chance of that though eh? A foreign country...no mates" he sighed again. "Never mind I'm home now...there was something in France that I saw and it stuck ever since... 'Somebody told me that this is the place where everything's better and everything's safe' "he quoted. "And that's here...but I just don't think I can stay...if the police find out I'm here, I go to prison, simple as that...might have to make a phone call to your mum" Aaron chuckled. "I'll come by again, I promise" Aaron stood up and placed his hand on top of the gravestone and then walked off.
...
Aaron walked into the pub through the back door and closed it quietly not to rouse any suspicion. He stepped quickly over to the door of the living room and pushed it open and popped his head round. "Oh my god! Jesus mum!"
Chas' eyes widened as she lifted up off Cameron and adjusted her clothes. Cameron swallowed hard and turned, he saw no one but the voice, he knew who's it was. "Aaron?" he asked her.
Chas nodded. "Yeah but we have a bigger problem right now don't ya think?" she told him as she looked to the door again. "Aaron, Aaron love..." she walked over quickly and she saw him stood him the passageway. "You didn't need to see that"
"Cameron of all people? Does Debbie know?" he asked.
"Shhh" she told him. "No, get in here before someone sees ya"
Aaron sighed and followed her in. "I'm not even meant to be here..." he looked at Cameron. "So uh...I won't say anything, but doesn't mean I don't like what you're both doing"
"I appreciate that" Cameron said with a nod.
"We both do" Chas replied.
"Appreciate it?" he scoffed. "Yeah right okay, can you go please? I wanna talk to my mum"
Cameron nodded and grabbed his jacket and left the living room.
"I'm sor-"
"Don't mum" he sighed. "I just came to tell you that I can't stay...people will see me and you know what they're like...and I'll be in prison before I know it"
Chas nodded. "Something tells me you didn't just come back to visit...there's another reason why" she told him as she sat back down on the sofa.
Aaron walked over and sat beside her. "Yeah" he sighed. "You're right"
Chas turned and frowned at him.
"France is no more" he told her.
"And Ed?"
Aaron shook his head. "Nah...and stupid me...I was starting to like him more than what I did when I left here"
"What happened?" Chas asked softly.
Aaron shrugged. "You don't wanna know...is it alright if I kip here tonight?"
"Yeah, course it is...but Aaron you can tell me you know"
"I know but you won't like what it is" he sighed and stood up. "My old room still free?"
Chas nodded.
"Alright...I'll see you in a bit, just need some time"
"Alright see ya later love"
As Aaron walked off, she was curious and concerned as to what had happened between Ed and Aaron, she'd find out eventually, she knew that much.
TBC...