I glare at him. I point to my phone so I can type and talk to Bear.
“No discussion. You will be staying in my room. I have plenty of space in there,” he says.
I walk over to my notepad and pen, but before I can grab them, an arm snakes around my waist, bringing me against a hard chest.
“Don’t give me attitude. You are staying in my room. It’s not up for discussion,” Bear whispers into my ear.
I shrink against him and nod. His voice is so stern, brokering no argument, that I simply agree. I plan to bring this up again later, but I don’t want him to use that tone on me again.
“Now, I’m going to go back to work. Stay safe and drink water.” Bear kisses me on the head and leaves the room.
Gears looks at me with surprise and shock. When he sees me glaring at him, he wiggles his eyebrows at me. Blood rushes to my cheeks, and I shake my head, getting back to work.
It’s beena month since I got kicked out of the motel. Bear has let me stay in his room every night. I have tried to bring up the idea of finding another place to stay, but Bear always shoots it down. Says that I don’t need to since his room is perfectly fine.
We have gotten pretty close and are around each other all the time. I feel safer and more comfortable with him. It’s hard to fall asleep when I am not in his arms. There have been a couple of times that he left for a couple of days, and it was agonizing. I had a hard time sleeping, and I think Gears knew that, too.
“What are you thinking about?” Bear asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.
About an apartment.
“I told you that you don’t need an apartment. I care for you and want what is best. I don’t want you to have to worry about looking for a place! My room should be enough!” He raises his voice.
I regret bringing it up. He has never gotten this angry about it. Never shouted at me when I brought it up.
“Why can’t you just be thankful I’m letting you stay in my room?” he asks.
I stare at him, taking a step back. Flashbacks start playing in my mind as he continues to yell at me.
“Why can you just be grateful for everything I’ve given you?” Jared yells, slapping me.
Tears fill my eyes. The sting from the slap resurfaces, and I cradle my cheek and stare at Bear’s feet.
“I’m giving you a rent-free place to stay! Stop asking to find an apartment! I don’t want you to ask again!” Bear takes a step closer to me.
I take a shaky breath in. Panic rises in my chest as my airway closes.
“You’re a whore! The only reason you want an apartment is so you can sleep around behind my back?” Jared kicks me in the stomach.
I double over, cradling my head, letting my tears fall from my eyes. My whole body shakes. I sink to the floor, putting my head on the ground, and grab my neck. I open my mouth, trying to get air into my lungs.
“Brooke?” Bear hesitantly asks.
I rock a little, trying to calm myself down. I feel hands being placed on my shoulders, and I jerk away. My head flings up, staring right into Bear’s eyes. He studies my face, which must be changing color because his face morphs into panic.
“Breathe, Brooke. Just breathe!” His hands cup my face.
I try to take a breath in, but I can’t. I start panicking more, tears falling freely. I grab my neck and start scratching it.
Bear takes my hand and places my head against his chest. At this point, Bear is on the ground, and I am in his lap. He is slightly rocking back and forth.
“Shh. It’s okay. You are safe. Listen to my heartbeat and look around. List five things that you can see in your head,” Bear whispers reassuringly.
I look around the room. There is a bed, chair, dresser, desk, and Bear. My airway opens a little, and I try to take a deep breath in, but end up feeling it close again.
“Little breaths. Now, list three things you can touch.” He rubs my back.
I place one of my hands on his arms and one on the ground.
