After some time, he finishes his sandwich. I take his plate and sit it on the night table. I’ll move it downstairs once he falls asleep. I hand him the water bottle, and he drains nearly all of it in one swift gulp. Once finished, I sit that aside too.
Squeezing my arms again, he cuddles into me, nuzzling his head under my neck.
“Thank you for coming back to me,” he says.
I inhale deeply. “I never should’ve left. I’m so sorry about the party. ” I shake my head.
“It’s okay. I deserved it. I never should’ve—”
I shake my head. “No, we don’t have to talk about it.”
“I want to. Please, can I?” He looks up at me.
My eyes dart over his face. I didn’t want to talk about it tonight…but maybe it’s for the best that we do. It seems like he’s sobered up now so maybe it’s time.
I nod my head. “Okay.”
Tobias licks his lips as he sits up in my arms, shifting until he’s angled toward me, still nestled between my legs.
I rub my hands up and down his chest so he knows I’m not angry.
“Remember when Derrick called me at the end of summer?”
I take a second to think about it. “When we were at the lake house? Yeah, of course.”
Tobias sucks in a deep breath and I prepare myself for what I already can assume. “I went. I saw him that Tuesday and gave him money…” Tobias looks down at his hands, fidgeting in his lap. “He threatened me which is fine but once he threatened you…I couldn’t take the risk. I thought once he got what he wanted, he’d go away.”
My heart starts beating fast. My breath is growing heavy. How dare he fucking show up again?
I feel like punching a wall, but I bite my tongue because I want Tobias to keep going.
Tobias continues. “Which…he didn’t. He started calling me. Pestering me to see him again. Give him more money. More threats, more calls.” His voice shakes. “So…I went. Again. Gave him some clothes.”
Pain shoots through my heart at this news.
“That time he threatened me with a gun. Told me he was going to take me away from you. He hit me over the head pretty hard when I refused.”
I gasp, reaching up to his forehead and running my hand over the line through his eyebrow left behind by the gash.
“You didn’t fall...” I whisper, running my finger along the faint scar.
Tobias pinches his eyes shut and shakes his head slowly. “I didn’t fall…”
“That fuckingbastard.” I grit out. My hands turning into fists. “I’ll fucking kill him.”
“He’s got a gun, Elijah.”
“I don’t give a fuck!”
“Well, I do.” Tobias shifts, awkwardly.
I try to steady my breathing. Okay, this isn’t helping. My reaction is exactly why he didn’t want to tell me.
I lick my lips and try to focus on keeping quiet. “Okay…Okay, I’m sorry.” I squeeze his hand. “Please. Go on.”
Tobias looks at me for a minute, and when I don’t make any more sudden movements, he relaxes again. “Well…I keep…feeling like he’s around. Feeling like he’s watching me. Listening to my conversations. Just waiting to come for me. Take me away from you.”
I shake my head. I want to say he won’t but I don’t.
