With a deep breath, I shut the shower off, wrap a towel around myself, and step into the room. The smell of melted cheese lures me closer and I find Ocean grinning at me. She snaps her fingers and the damp hair that cascades down my back ruffles in a light breeze. It takes me a second to realize what’s happening as dry tendrils frame my face a moment later. I offer her a tight smile in response.
“Thank you,” I mumble, shaking my head slightly to appreciate the fact that she dried my hair.
“No problem. I can’t dress you, though. You’re going to have to do that yourself,” she states, and I nod, my smile lingering for a second longer before I turn to the closet. The second I step over the threshold, I hear Ocean clear her throat. “I bought them before everything. You don’t have to.”
My gaze latches onto the pajama set folded neatly in front of me. The white material scattered with red love hearts matches the same pattern on the pajamas she’s wearing. Running my fingers over the fabric, my chest tightens.
“I love them. Thank you,” I whisper, certain shecan’t hear me, but the soft giggle of glee confirms that she did.
After quickly dressing, I reenter the room to find Ocean has rearranged the entire space. The nightstands have been shoved aside and the beds have been pushed together, while a projector is balanced on the windowsill, displayingThe Originals,ready to watch. Perched on the bed sheets is the huge pizza box, open and ready with some paper plates next to it while the ice cream tub has two spoons placed on top of the lid.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen something more inviting.
“What’s this?” I ask nervously. She’s doing so much for me—the shower, the pajamas, the food, the setup—I don’t know what to make of it all.
“I’m guessing you don’t have any sisters,” she says with a raised brow, and I shake my head. “It’s a slumber party. Now, get your ass over here and eat,” she insists, and I mumble my thanks once again before I scurry over to the bed.
Getting settled against my headboard, I dive into the pizza, enjoying the pepperoni goodness as we demolish it, wordlessly moving on to the ice cream like we’re not already full. Watching the television show, I find myself relaxing more and more into my pillows, the weight of the world no longerbalanced on my shoulders, until Ocean clears her throat.
“So, I would like to start by apologizing for poisoning you. It wasn’t my most significant moment,” she mutters, gnawing at the inside of her cheek as I frown at her.
“I put you on the spot and you helped me when I needed it most; I don’t regret it. Really, I didn’t get a chance to thank you before,” I admit, offering her a tight smile that she returns as I place my spoon down. “So, actually, I refuse your apology and thank you instead.”
Her smile grows as she quickly tidies away the ice cream and empty pizza box. When she settles back on the bed, she turns to me again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about requesting leave.”
I scoff, waving her off. “Really, what were the chances of it being authorized anyway?” I admit, and she winces before humming in agreement.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, tilting her head at me, and I furrow my eyebrows.
“Talk about what?”
“I don’t know, the reason why you needed it so urgently to begin with, what happened when you woke up, how you got back here, who that guy was…”
“That’s a lot of drama,” I mutter, and she smirks.
“And it’s not even midnight,” she adds, making me cringe.
It’s been the longest day of my life. It started with Rion waking me up to go and watch a movie with him. Now, that feels like a lifetime ago. Especially when it ended with Walker being… whoever the hell he is.
My heart aches at the thought of him, but more so, it hurts as I acknowledge the fact that everything he stood for is gone now. He’s not my pillar of hope anymore, my unrelenting strength. He’s just another obstacle between me and my freedom, another person telling me what I can or cannot do, who I can or cannot be, and everything in between. His demands know no bounds.
Another layer of pain beneath the volcano that simmers inside of me.
“The guy was Walker,” I blurt, my thoughts taking control and sprouting from my lips.
Ocean nods in acknowledgment with a grin on her lips. “We’re starting at the end and working our way backward. Nice,” she muses, referring to the order of the day, and I roll my eyes at her, but unavoidably match her smile.
Sighing, I lie on my back and stare up at the ceiling. “He’s been my friend for the longest time. My lifeline back home,” I explain, feeling her confused stare on me immediately.
“How was he here then?” she asks, and I spy her pinched brows from the corner of my eye.
“Because, apparently, it was all a lie,” I state with a sigh. I try to take a deep breath, but it does nothing to alleviate the distress I feel inside. “My life was sad, Ocean. Really fucking sad, right to the core. Truthfully, it wasn’t worth living… except for the moments I was with him.”
“Withhim,with him or…”
“No,” I interject with a quick shake of my head. “Not that I hadn’t thought about it, but he’s seventeen years older than me and that was a problem for him. I guess I know why now.” I wipe a hand down my face and Ocean doesn’t say a word. My chest tightens as more truth spills from my lips. “I truly believed if I could get out of here and back to him, everything would be okay, but he didn’t even say a word as he betrayed me, disowned me, and brought me back here.”
There’s so much more I could tell her about him, but he doesn’t deserve the airtime. Not when he’s taking up so much space in my mind already.
