The Web I Spin for You ~ Richpez & Rosenwalker

Chapter 24

Wow I really dropped off the grid there... and right on huge cliffhanger my bad y'all😬 TW for mentions of sexual assault and violence. Not to spoil the chapter but Joe is going to confide in Brian about everything that Zoey did to him in the previous book. If you're not comfortable reading message me and I'll send you a summary of the chapter!

Joe scrambled away from Brian desperately as he fell off of the bed, jumping to his feet. He brought both hands to his mouth, sobbing into them. He had to fight, he had to get away. If he didn't, she'd hurt him all over again. He brought his hands up to his ears, covering them as he sobbed, but no matter how hard he pressed, he couldn't get her cold, cruel laughter out of his head.

He felt hands touch his shoulder, and he collapsed down to the floor, scooting backwards away from her until he felt his body come into contact with the wall. He could hear yelling, but it was no match for the sound of his own screams inside of his head. He had to get out of here, he had to get away, he had to escape her.

"Joe, Joe please, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, oh god, what did I do?"

Joe gasped, his eyes popping open as he rocked his head back into his wall. His hands had fallen from his ears and were hugging his knees. He was still crying, but he could see enough to take in his surroundings; he was in his bedroom, not hers, and she wasn't there.

Joe brought a hand to his mouth as his eyes rested on Brian, who was kneeling several feet back, by the looks of it desperately trying to get through to him. He was with Brian—he'd been doing all of that with Brian, and yet she had felt so real. How had reality escaped from him so badly?

He shakily reached a hand out, trying to gesture to Brian that it wasn't his fault, that he hadn't done anything wrong. To his relief, Brian hesitantly crawled over, reaching out until he had Joe's hand in his. Joe gripped his hand desperately, clinging to him as if he would disappear when he let go. He was so scared, he needed Brian—his one source of safety—there to protect him. "Thank, thank you." He whispered, still gasping for air.

Brian shook his head in disbelief, not sure why on earth Joe was thanking him when evidently, he had just done something very, very wrong. "Listen, j-just try to breathe, in for four, hold for seven, out for eight, come on, you can do it, I'll do it with you." A few minutes passed of Joe going through the breathing exercise, not breaking his eye contact with Brian or letting go of his hand. Slowly, he managed to find his way back down the mountain he'd been escalating inside of his head, the reality of his bedroom coming into focus.

"Fuck, I'm, I'm so sorry Bri."

"What, why are you sorry?" Brian asked, and Joe's heart broke at the fact that his voice was quivering. "I, I'm the one who should be apologizing, I, I don't know what I did, I thought you wanted me to—but I'm so fucking sorry, I—"

"It's, it's not you." Joe stated, pulling Brian in closer. "You didn't do anything." He could see the confusion on Brian's face, and he knew that he was going to have to give him more information. "I-I-It's not you, I promise. It's, it's her."

The confused look on Brian's face didn't fade away, but he still nodded. "Oh—Okay, okay." He nervously reached his other hand out and rested it on his shoulder. "I think, I think you need some water maybe? And to lay down?" Joe nodded, and Brian couldn't help but notice that his eyes looked slightly glazed over. "Okay, can I help you stand up?" When Joe nodded, Brian reached down and wrapped his arms around Joe, helping him up to his feet. Once he was up, Joe tightened his grip on Brian desperately. "Do you, do you want a hug? Can I hug you?" He asked, and to his relief Joe nodded. Brian pulled him all the way against him, allowing Joe to bury his face into his shoulder. Joe sobbed, mainly from his sadness but also out of relief. He gripped him even tighter, and thankfully Brian matched his intensity, allowing Joe to feel safe in his arms.