Secrets, Deals and Lies

Chapter 2 - Sober Awkwardness

I don’t know how long I stayed in the basement with Jack but I sat there quietly watching him sleep, not wanting anyone to take him away again. I never planned on falling asleep but it happened every now and then as I lay against his chest listening to his heart beat and smelling his familiar warmth scent.

‘Remiah? Remiah where are you?’ I hear someone calling me, but I felt weak and tired and it sounded like they were ages away.

‘Remiah!?’ It’s Daniel, his soft voice ringing through my ears. I hear him walking down the basement stairs his shoes stomping loudly in the silent room. The light goes on making my eyes hurt so I shield them from the shine weakly.

‘Geez! Remiah, how long have you been down here? You look horrible!’ he jokes, squatting next to me, I mumble a light thanks forcing a smile as he chuckles friendly. I put my hand down and close my eyes instead.

‘Daniel?’ I ask, eyes still closed, ‘hmm?’ he responds putting his hand on my forehead as if checking if I were sick.

‘Can you please bring Jack out of here? Bedroom, kitchen, lounge. I don’t care. Don’t worry about me I’ll get there sooner or later,’ I open my eyes again and find Daniel staring at me with kind sympathetic eyes. He smiles, ‘Remy, I’m bringing you out too, whether you like it or not. I'm not leaving you here.’ He says, making me smile.

The whole night in my bedroom I couldn’t stop thinking about yesterday; the scene with Billy, Jack, Daniel and The Warden – just everything.

‘Remiah, you have to eat now,’ Daniel says for the fifth time walking in with a piece of toast and jam and a mug of juice. I moan and roll over not wanting to eat at all the smell of it making me feel sick.

Staying in the basement for a while really does put you off quite a lot.

‘C’mon Remy, you’re gonna have to eat sooner or later.’ He says putting the plate on my desk nearby. I groan again and dig my head deeper between my pillow and Jack’s warm arm.

‘I’m not leaving until you eat whether or not I’m gonna have to feed you myself.’ I give him a long annoyed scowl starting to feel like a baby again. I turn around and face him with my hands covering my eyes from the light coming through the window.

‘Here,’ he says getting the plate again and attempting to give it to me. I sit up slowly feeling my arms wobble under my weight then rub my eyes whilst staring at the toast on the plate as if it were something gross I found under a rock. ‘Here,’ he says again putting it in front of me.

I push it away slowly still not wanting to eat just yet, ‘no, not yet,’ I mumble, my voice quiet from my dry sore throat. He contemplates me for a long moment before putting the plate back on the desk. ‘At least have a drink,’ he says keenly now, putting the mug in my hands giving me no choice but to hold it. I look at it for a while and look back at Daniel half glaring at him for making me feel like a 3 year old. He holds my glare as if it were nothing just like Nick would if I wouldn’t do as he says. Annoyed but thankful I hold the mug to my lips and drink little by little before giving it back to him.

‘Thanks,’ I mumble, savouring the taste in my mouth. He smiles at me half satisfied, before walking off just as Jack rolls over making me notice him once again.

‘Jack,’ I say and I couldn’t help but run my hand through his soft tangled hair still matted by something sticky, he smiles at me forcing himself to sit up, eyes wide open. ‘Hey,’ he says as if nothings ever happened to him and for some reason his swollen eye was gone but the cuts were still there.

‘Hey,’ I smile holding his soft familiar gaze. ‘Thanks,’ he says softly holding my hand under the warm blanket. We stare at each other for a while before his gaze turns to the toast behind me, I look at it too. ‘Hungry?’ I ask. He nods; we get off the bed and eat the toast then share the juice before sitting back on the bed with our legs dangled off the side.