Page 23 of Whispers of Fire

Truth be told, I don’t want her to go back.

“Are you sure you wanna go back there?” I ask, almost hoping for her to stay here even though I’m well aware how fucked up this would be. But knowing she’s in a house with these people capable of hurting her makes it fucking hard to let her go.

“It’s my house, it’s safe,” she writes, her eyes telling me that, no, she doesn’t want to go there. In fact, I catch how she said house and not home. But I know I can’t keep her. So I reluctantly let go.

“If they try anythin’, if you’re scared for any reason, day or night, you come here, okay?” I state, cause I want her to know there’s other people out there to help her. Her lower lips tremble a bit before she bites it and makes the smallest nod.

Fuck her parents, I’ll find a way to keep a protective eye on her.

“Come back anytime you want. I’ll leave the bay window unlocked,” I say, surprising myself, my voice low and gruff. She lifts one of her brows, waiting for me to continue.

“I’ll read to you,” I add, gesturing to the book on the table. “Just come here and I’ll take care of you,” I say, my voice trying so damn hard to conceal the protectiveness she awoke in me.

“You don’t have to,” she writes.

“I want to, sweetheart. Somebody has to,” I say firmly, determined to be the one to offer her sanctuary in this fucked up world. Everyone else may disappoint her, but not me. I won’t let a woman getting abused by some fuckers, especially not her.

I'll be her protector if she wants me to be.

She turns her face toward the window, angling it strangely toward her shoulder.

Is it tears that I see peeking at the sides of her eyes?

Looking back at me, her pouty lips begging to be kissed, she says silently, "Thank you."

I nod, reading on her lips, clearing my throat.

"Anytime, Angel," I say, my voice rough, trying so goddamn hard to conceal how her presence affects me. She stands to leave and a flash of a car accident bursts in my mind for a second. I clench my jaw, ignoring it. As she approaches the door, she steals a glance back at me, her eyes piercing through my dark soul.

The door shuts behind her and I suddenly feel fuckin’ alone, the house cold and empty without her.

I shouldn't want this.

But I hope, damn, I fuckin’ hope she’ll come back.

Rose

The sun is shining hard on our garden as I quickly inhale the fresh air before stepping back into my house. It’s not a home, it’s never really been a home, just a house where people have to live together.

How can it feel like a home when I’ve been hurt here so many times?

I walk to the kitchen to make oatmeal and reflect on what just happened.

Vox. Him and I. Alone in his living room. As if it was the most natural thing we could ever do.

Being with him felt… right. I can’t really explain, but he awoke something in me, something that I didn’t know existed until him. He has this particular way of making me feel cared for and protected. Something I never felt with anyone before.

I see it in the way he makes sure I’m not cold, or in the way he reads to me with patience, without making fun of me for not knowing what his book was about. Or in the way he took the armchair across from me to give me space while staying near, how he managed to get my tea to my liking, how he patiently waited for each of my responses while I was writing.

Not a single time have I felt an issue communicating with him. In fact, it’s quite the opposite—the way he looked at me with an intensity that shook my bones. When he read to me, with his rough and manly voice, giving me goosebumps all over my body, I wished I could have stayed there, listening to him all night long.

Sitting at the kitchen table, stirring my oatmeal absentmindedly, I close my eyes for a second, imagining what a day with him could be like.

I could be gardening while he’s working on his bike, and then we would watch a movie or he could read to me. It'll never happen but, I don’t know, it’s just nice to imagine it.

It’s funny how cold he looks from the outside, but then I can’t help but notice the kindness inside him peeking out.

Daydreaming about him all day would be a nice escape…

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