my palms.
Definitely not a scrawny little boy any more.
“Are you finished exploring?” His deep, sleepy voice asked.
I looked into his eyes, dancing with humour. He shouldn’t be laughing at me in my dream.
“Hello Squirt.”
Oh my God.
Oh my God!
I stiffened and looked around the room. Not a dream, not even slightly a dream.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked.
He frowned, probably wondering why I was short with him.
“Rescuing your ass.” He answered, before sitting up from the bed and getting to his feet.
I was frozen in place, not that I could move because of the pain, but my brain and body did not seem to be in sync with each other. He stood above me and stroked my face, making me flinch away from his touch. His hand drew into a fist and he moved it back to his side.
“How are your ribs?”
I knew they were sore, but I prodded them with my fingers to see how bad and I cried out in pain.
“Hey! Are you insane? Don’t do that!” He yelled, sounding panicked.
I spoke through my tears, “Not broken, but really fucking bruised.”
His eyes narrowed, “How do you know they’re not broken?”
“Because life isn’t all sunshine and flowers, Ruben. I’ve long learnt the difference between a break and a bruise. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Thanks for saving me, however you did that, but you can go now.”
I didn’t want his help. He’d left me and that had been the catalyst for everything that had happened. I didn’t need him coming into my life when I was at my lowest and playing the hero.
“And how do you think you’re going to be fine with no money, nowhere to live and no one to lean on?”
“I can...I have...I don’t know! Ok? I don’t know, but I’ll manage, I always do.”
He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“No.”
“What do you mean no? You can’t tell me what I am or aren’t doing, Ruben. I don’t even know you anymore.”
*~*~*
Ruben
Ouch. That kind of hurt.
She was right, but she was also wrong. I might not be the same person as I was back then, but with her, I’d never change.
I was still fighting an internal battle between guilt and anger. I didn’t forget her, I never could, but I did switch off my brain to those memories. They were too entwined with the life I tried to forget and it was just painful to think of them.
I opened and closed my fists over and over again. I wasn’t thinking it was going to be easy, but I didn’t think she’d outright refuse my help.
“Right, so how about this...you let me help you get set up on your own, then I’ll go my way and leave you to it.”
All lies.
I had no intention of leaving her at all, but it would give me the opportunity to win her over.
She looked up at me and bit her lip. Shit, but that was actually hot .
You’re supposed to be helping a friend’s sister, not perving on her. Asshole!
“Help me how?”
I shrugged, I actually had no plan. “Well you’ll need somewhere to live, a job, a plan...”
“I have a job.”
“Where? How?” I frowned.
“I’ve been working at Wildlands since last year, Ruben. I might have been stuck in the middle of Hell, but I’m not stupid, I needed a job to be able to get out of there. Lucas was smart, but not smart enough. He really thought he could just deal drugs for Freddy for a few years and save enough money to get both of us set up somewhere else. Even I knew he was wrong, Freddy was never going to let him go just like that and even though I can’t prove it, I know he set Lucas up to get caught dealing.”
“Is that why you did what you did?” I asked, referring to her calling the police on Freddy.
She shrugged, “He was getting worse with me. I can’t believe I actually liked the guy for years. He’s a creep and he’s dangerous and I dread to think what he would have done with me. Then when Lucas got caught and Freddy shrugged it off like it was no big deal, I hated him. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t lie
Definitely not a scrawny little boy any more.
“Are you finished exploring?” His deep, sleepy voice asked.
I looked into his eyes, dancing with humour. He shouldn’t be laughing at me in my dream.
“Hello Squirt.”
Oh my God.
Oh my God!
I stiffened and looked around the room. Not a dream, not even slightly a dream.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked.
He frowned, probably wondering why I was short with him.
“Rescuing your ass.” He answered, before sitting up from the bed and getting to his feet.
I was frozen in place, not that I could move because of the pain, but my brain and body did not seem to be in sync with each other. He stood above me and stroked my face, making me flinch away from his touch. His hand drew into a fist and he moved it back to his side.
“How are your ribs?”
I knew they were sore, but I prodded them with my fingers to see how bad and I cried out in pain.
“Hey! Are you insane? Don’t do that!” He yelled, sounding panicked.
I spoke through my tears, “Not broken, but really fucking bruised.”
His eyes narrowed, “How do you know they’re not broken?”
“Because life isn’t all sunshine and flowers, Ruben. I’ve long learnt the difference between a break and a bruise. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Thanks for saving me, however you did that, but you can go now.”
I didn’t want his help. He’d left me and that had been the catalyst for everything that had happened. I didn’t need him coming into my life when I was at my lowest and playing the hero.
“And how do you think you’re going to be fine with no money, nowhere to live and no one to lean on?”
“I can...I have...I don’t know! Ok? I don’t know, but I’ll manage, I always do.”
He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“No.”
“What do you mean no? You can’t tell me what I am or aren’t doing, Ruben. I don’t even know you anymore.”
*~*~*
Ruben
Ouch. That kind of hurt.
She was right, but she was also wrong. I might not be the same person as I was back then, but with her, I’d never change.
I was still fighting an internal battle between guilt and anger. I didn’t forget her, I never could, but I did switch off my brain to those memories. They were too entwined with the life I tried to forget and it was just painful to think of them.
I opened and closed my fists over and over again. I wasn’t thinking it was going to be easy, but I didn’t think she’d outright refuse my help.
“Right, so how about this...you let me help you get set up on your own, then I’ll go my way and leave you to it.”
All lies.
I had no intention of leaving her at all, but it would give me the opportunity to win her over.
She looked up at me and bit her lip. Shit, but that was actually hot .
You’re supposed to be helping a friend’s sister, not perving on her. Asshole!
“Help me how?”
I shrugged, I actually had no plan. “Well you’ll need somewhere to live, a job, a plan...”
“I have a job.”
“Where? How?” I frowned.
“I’ve been working at Wildlands since last year, Ruben. I might have been stuck in the middle of Hell, but I’m not stupid, I needed a job to be able to get out of there. Lucas was smart, but not smart enough. He really thought he could just deal drugs for Freddy for a few years and save enough money to get both of us set up somewhere else. Even I knew he was wrong, Freddy was never going to let him go just like that and even though I can’t prove it, I know he set Lucas up to get caught dealing.”
“Is that why you did what you did?” I asked, referring to her calling the police on Freddy.
She shrugged, “He was getting worse with me. I can’t believe I actually liked the guy for years. He’s a creep and he’s dangerous and I dread to think what he would have done with me. Then when Lucas got caught and Freddy shrugged it off like it was no big deal, I hated him. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t lie
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