track #02 in aiden rhys langston

rosé // gone

I HEAD to the bank in the morning with all but a heavy heart, ready to meet my girlfriend Anson after yesterday's fight and relieve myself of my troubles. Anson is the person who would understand me no matter what – unlike other people, she'd actually listen to me rant first before telling me what she thought.

Anson is the light of my life – I knew that for sure even more than a decade ago. Every day, I'd go to school just to see her bright, elegant smile and her bouncy wavy hair as she bounced down the hallway. That infectious giggle was something I'd give anything to see, even as a eight-year-old. She was why I wanted to go to school in the first place – not for my friends, not for the teachers, and definitely not for the subjects we were studying. I'd sit through hour-long lectures to stare at her from afar at lunch.

I knew I was a goner when I saw her for the first time – but that didn't stop me from falling into infatuation, then love, with her. I knew she would say no the first time I confessed to her at twelve, but her friends had come and pulled us apart before she could give an answer. I told her I loved her at thirteen in the Hunger Games, but she had been killed even before she could utter one word.

I kept courting and pursuing her – I tried again at fourteen, then fifteen. I waited for her – and finally, at age sixteen, she gave me the answer I was looking forward to.

***

"Yes," she yelled. "Yes, yes, a million times yes!"

Both our faces radiated light in glory and pride – I, happy that my long-term crush had now become my girlfriend – and she, smiling.

I pulled her in for a short kiss – my lips tingled and the feeling of her soft lips on mine lingered for the whole day. I beamed in happiness – I guess you could say that was the best day of my life. It was like honey.

We spent the rest of the day after dismissal taking a walk by the lake, watching the iridescent water reflect the peachy orange in the sunset. I saw my face radiating happiness in the sun that day. It was simply surreal. Hand in hand, we were walking towards our shared future.

From then on, I was never alone in a fight; she was always here for me, no matter emotionally or logically. I never doubted my decision to confess, even though I still wasn't sure if she'd say yes until she said the word herself.

I asked her to prom. I told her that I loved her. I meant every single word – and so did she. If you were able to see us that day, you'd say we were really, truly, in love. She was – and is – my partner in battle, and the only person I'll ever look at that way for my entire life.

***

I don't think Kun or I was wrong – even though Gwyn's rage could be justified by us inadvertently pissing her off right after she got the news. The rest were just overreacting – but if we really don't do anything soon, something is going to happen. One hundred percent.

As I wind up on the concrete path leading to the Bank of the Adelaide Woods, I spot Anson waiting for me at the front of the building and waving. I jog up, my face already splitting into a smile, my mood already happier, and pull my girlfriend into a hug, planting a kiss on her temple, and the two of us make our way inside the building for today's part-time job – helping manage the customers in the bank.

This holiday job will add credits to both Anson and I's finance degrees, so we can get a job here easily when we graduate from college. This will also allow me to check up on the people coming in and out, but still keep my distance from the border.

The hours pass by as Anson and I point customers towards the banking counters, lead them towards the lounge, or bring them refreshments.

We thank the bank manager, signing off at five in the afternoon, and walk hand in hand out the door and into the cold streets after our shift has ended. Anson lets go of my hand to go get us drinks at the café while I wait outside, but she's still not here even after ten minutes.

Weird. Anson is usually decisive and she's got my order memorized by heart. Still, I keep believing that there's just a long queue and keep waiting outside the door of the café, listening to the bell tingle in the evening cool wind.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream comes out of nowhere and almost breaks my heart in half just listening to it. I know who it belongs to.

Anson.

I sprint inside the café immediately, ready to save my girlfriend, but don't see her anywhere, whipping my head back and forth in fear. A man walks up behind me and grabs my wrist, and I turn back to see him holding back a scared Anson whose tears are cascading down her face silently.

I reach out to her, stroking the back of her hand. "It's okay," I say. "I'm here now."

The man holding both of us cackles, and I look up at his face; his towering height – and shudder at the sight, holding back a yell.

He has Anson at gunpoint.

The black metal of the gun is pointed straight to my girlfriend's temple, and even I gasp in terror at what I'm seeing.

I immediately attempt to wriggle free and kick him in the crotch, but he grips even tighter onto my arm, and I can see the white hand marks forming, too.

"Don't try anything, Langston," he orders scruffly. "You're important. That's why I'm not holding you at gunpoint unlike this beauty here."

"WHAT BEAUTY? YOU PERVERT," I exclaim. "THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. STOP! NOW LET HER GO!"

Anson struggles in the man's tight grasp. "A-aiden," she gets out through puffs of air.

"YOU'RE SUFFOCATING HER!" I yell once more, and he finally lets go of me, just to tighten his grip on Anson.

"Boss' orders. I would have loved to let you two die together," he intones emotionlessly. "But Aiden Langston? You're important. Maybe this will let you see how you should really act in front of us. Time's running out. Correction: time ran out. And Anson Ambers is the price you'll have to pay."

Without even a warning, the man raises his arm and with a bang, fires the gun... straight into Anson's forehead. I don't even have time to react or even yell out for help.

"Too late, Aiden Rhys Langston." the man says, smiling evilly, before releasing his arms and letting my girlfriend's weak body crumple to the ground.

He stalks out of the now empty café, wiping the gun against his black T-shirt, and I yell in rage, collapsing down onto my knees onto the cold stone floor to cup Anson's face in my hands. The café owner stares at the blood pooling around us wide-eyed, and I yell at her. "MY GIRLFRIEND'S HURT! DO SOMETHING! CALL THE COPS, AN AMBULANCE, WHATEVER."

She quickly springs into action, running outside the café to dial a few numbers, and I sigh. I know it's already too late. I feel something lightly squeeze my hand, and I look down to see Anson smiling through the pain.

I feel nothing but numbness in my body as I stare at Anson still lying on the ground, helpless, and stroke the tears running down her cheeks. "Stay with me," I chant. "PLEASE, STAY WITH ME!"

She starts nodding off like it's taken its effect on her, and I just let the tears come all while shaking her along with my racking body. "Don't sleep, don't. Please don't. I love you. Please."

The police and ambulance rush in at the wrong time, and I swear I feel Anson's heartbeat stop just for a split second. They wrench me away from my dying girlfriend and lift her up onto a stretcher, and I yell as she is pushed into the ambulance.

With teary eyes I stare at the police officer, the emotions failing to reach me. "Please let me go with her," I say. "She's my girlfriend. Please."

The suit-clad police officer looks me in the eye. "I'm sorry Mr Langston, but we're gonna have to take you back for questioning, and you're gonna have to tell us everything that has happened to Anson Ambers."

The irony I feel as I struggle in his grip – just yesterday I was arguing with Gwyn for being too emotional – and now here I am yelling at this police officer for just doing his job. "SHE'S DYING! CAN THE QUESTIONING WAIT UNTIL LATER?" I yell in exasperation.

"I'm sorry, but no. If you refuse, we'll have to arrest you formally."

I stand watching as my girlfriend's ambulance speeds off into the distance and let the officer take me to the police station, silent tears running down my cheeks all while doing so.

If anything happens to her, all my love would be gone. Even that of another lifetime.

I sit inside the Adelaide Woods Police Station Questioning Centre after telling them everything that happened to Anson – yet I doubt they'll even try to find the man in the black T-shirt since Byrok's already at our borders. It would be of no use.

"Can I go now?" I ask in exasperation, staring straight at the policewoman who is typing on her laptop as slow as a snail and waiting for her to look up.

"Uh... yes, Aiden Langston? Yeah, you can go now."

I exhale; why hadn't she let me go sooner if she only had to type? What if something happened to Anson?

My phone buzzes in my pocket. Tris is calling.

"Aiden? We got a call that Anson's hurt. Apparently they couldn't reach you, so they called me instead. I don't even know why I'm her other emergency contact- oh please wait they're talking to me."

Muffled voices come from Tris' end of the call before he unmutes himself again.

"Aiden...? You might want to come to the state hospital right now."

– a/n: noooo whyy just after the last chapter's happy lovey moments w/ zoboss, now we have to watch aiden watch his girlfriend get shot :( i'm sincerely sorry if somebody cried reading this because i cried writing this. byrok how dare you. 

(but maybe i'm nice and anson lives ;0