Page 105 of Bound By Secrets

“Uh, we, uh,” I stumble over my words, glancing past him to see if Callie’s also coming out of the bathroom. When I don’t spot her small frame, I continue blubbering like an idiot. “We wanted to check on her, and then, well, we decided to wait.”

Nate narrows his eyes at me and then looks over to Brad who’s still pretending to sleep.

“So, you decided that instead of leaving and coming back later, you’d listen in on an intimate moment between me and Callie?”

Brad bursts out laughing, scaring me so much that I jump off of the bed.

“Intimate moment,” he chortles. “Nate, I love you, but we really need to teach you some things.”

Nate scowls at him and quickly grabs the bathroom door, pulling it closed behind him before he stomps over to us.

“Please, shut the fuck up!” He snaps, angry gaze darting between the both of us. “Callie doesn’t need you two acting like a pair of buffoons at the moment, she’s fragile, and she’s struggling.”

“What do you mean?” Brad asks, no longer laughing and now staring at Nate with a serious expression on his face.

Nate glances at the closed door before he sits on the bed next to Brad.

“She’s not coping as well as we thought she was. She’s horrified when she looks at herself because of the scars and the brand. She’s admitted to me that she’s struggling to forget about the video as well. So yes, we had an intimate moment.” He pointedly glares at Brad before continuing. “I hated seeing her upset and she asked for my help. I said we had an intimate moment because it wasn’t sex. It was more than that for both of us. She cried quite a lot, but I think it’s because she was battling with her emotions and trying to keep certain thoughts out of her head. Yes, we did technically have sex, but it wasn’t like any sex I’ve ever had before,” he admits.

Brad and I share a glance, sadly smiling at each other.

“Is she okay now?” I ask, worry causing my stomach to turn.

He nods his head, glancing over at the bathroom door again.

“Yeah. She’s still feeling a little vulnerable at the moment, but she said that it’s helped her a little bit, and she’s going to try and think about her scars the way that I think of them. It’s going to take time, but I genuinely think she’s going to be okay. Just try not to pay attention to her scars. If you do, make sure she knowsthat she’s still beautiful. She needs to know that we don’t see her differently.”

He stands from the bed, walks over to a set of drawers and pulls out two t-shirts from the top one.

“I came out to get her some clothes whilst she dried off, weirdly enough, I was also told to come and get you because she wanted us all in the same room for the night. You’re both a pair of perverts for listening to us, but she wanted you here, so maybe you both know her well enough to know she needed you.”

With that, he grabs some shorts from the floor and then walks back into the bathroom, leaving me and Brad to sit in silence, staring after him.

After a few minutes, the door opens again, and Nate walks into the bedroom, holding Callie’s hand and tugging her behind him.

When my eyes settle on her, my chest warms and a smile creeps onto my face.

“Hey, Pretty Girl.” Her red-rimmed eyes meet mine as her hand tugs at the hem of Nate’s shirt that she’s wearing.

“So, cutie. Which two of us do you want to sleep beside and who’s sleeping at the bottom of the bed?” Brad asks, standing from the bed and striding over to her.

“I, uh, I don’t mind,” she mutters, her soft blue eyes pinging between each of us as she gnaws on her lower lip.

Nate tugs on her hand, moving her towards the bed and pulling the covers back.

“You get into bed. You need the rest. I’ll go get you a drink.” He presses a kiss to her forehead and then turns to Brad and me once she clambers onto the bed, tucking herself underneath the covers. “I’m on the left side. I’m not sleeping at the end of my own bed, so you two fuckers can decide who is whilst I get us all a drink.”

“I’m not sleeping near anyone's feet,” I state.

“Neither am I. This is practically my house, so I should get the privilege of sleeping on the other side of Callie.”

“That’s not a valid reason,” I tell him, rolling my eyes. “Callie, who would you rather-” My words halt when I look over at the bed and see Callie sound asleep smack bang in the middle. The covers are pulled up to her chin and her hands are clenched tightly around them, but her face is peaceful and relaxed, giving me hope that she’s happy and content.

“Fuck it, we’ll just alternate throughout the night,” Brad sighs as he, too watches Callie.

I whip off my joggers and lift my top over my head before quickly climbing into Nate’s bed beside Callie.

“Wake me up in a few hours and we’ll switch,” I tell him, throwing him a wink before settling down on top of the covers and wrapping my arm around Callie’s waist.

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