𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐨y /𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨/

𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞.

"Cookies too? We can bake yeah?" I said, and he nodded with a huge smile on his face. I smiled, I haven't seen that in a while just because of how angry he's been at me lately. I guess part of that is my fault for being so rude to him, but he just never listens. "How about board games...we could play tonight—" I stopped when I saw a familiar face.

"Hey, c'mere. Go and look at the cereal, see what you like, and stay in the cart." I said, lifting him with some struggle and sitting him down in the cart, pushing him in front of me to be where the breakfast foods were. "Shout if you need something," I said, he nodded, looking around at the sugar treats.

"Kairi?" I asked, stepping closer to the short boy. He was looking at the boxes of cookies and stuff but froze when he heard me. He slowly turned around, looking up at me and scrunching his nose up, he turned back around.

"Hi," He said, sounding raspy. "Hi...look, I know I'm probably the last person you wanna see...but...I just really need help and I think you're the only person who I can talk to about this all." I said, pulling at my fingers that we're making cracking noises.

"No, I-I gotta get back home. My husband has been waiting for me for a while. I gotta go," He said, putting all his things in his basket and trying to walk off, "Wait, please, wait." I begged him, turning to make sure Nano was okay before looking back at him.

"You're the only one who can help me......it's about Mattia," I told him, he stopped and turned his whole body to me. "What?" He asked me, sighing as he looked down at his feet. "I know that...that you and him were together...he told me what happened," I said.

"He did?" He asked me, fiddling with the cans in his hands, "Yeah...that...that you had an abortion after finding out you were pregnant." I whispered, "Yeah...that's not all." He shrugged slightly. "Still...I know that you guys had no choice...I know some of what he did...and that you left him...he took something from me to...and I can't do it anymore." I said.

"He...him and his dad shot my best friend, and my mom." I told him, I could see his eyes widen a bit, "He-he did...?" He asked me, and I nodded, feeling my whole body get hit as I thought about it again. Their faces, the look in their eyes, the blood, everything.

"I was pregnant. I-I told you about it...and-and something happened...the day they were killed...I lost my baby that same night." I said, putting a hand on my flat stomach and looking up at him.

"That's...that's awful...I'm so, so sorry..." He said, I bit my bottom lip, "Yeah......I don't know what to do now...I-I don't know if I should leave...or stay...or...I just-I don't know." I shrugged slightly.

"And now, my little brother has nowhere to go...he's living with me, and I can't sleep, I barely eat...I'm scared that if I close my eyes and take a nap Mattia is gonna come in and hurt me or Nano." I said, looking back at my little brother who decided on two boxes of cereal and was now looking at the small games on the back. Cap'n Crunch and Trix.

"I don't know what to do anymore," I told Kairi, he dropped his cans back in his basket, giving me a sorry look. "I'll try to think of something for you okay? I promise you'll get out..." He said, putting a hand on mine.

"I'm gonna find a way, alright?" Kairi said, and I nodded. "Thank you...thank you so much," I said, he nodded, putting his basket aside and wrapping his arms tightly around me, more of a firm hug than a soft and comforting one. But I understood the gesture, "Here, keep my number. And call me if anything, okay?" He asked me, I nodded, taking my phone out of my pocket and going onto my contacts, holding the phone up to him.

Kairi quickly typed his number in, sending a message to himself and then giving me the phone back. "Thank you again, Kairi." I said, "Yeah, of course. Nobody deserves to go through that." He said, picking up his basket and saying bye before walking off.

"Nano, you ready to go papi?" I asked, leaning on the cart, "Yeah, look it, I got Trix and the captain cereal." He said, showing me the two boxes. "I love it Nano, you wanna get strawberries so we can make smoothies?" I asked, walking to the front of the cart to push it to the healthy foods section, he nodded with a huge smile. He loves any smoothies that have fruit in them.

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Nano had fallen asleep a few hours ago after we finished watching a few movies and eating candy. He said he had a lot of fun and went to sleep smiling, he's such a cutie pie. I had made sure to lock the room door before leaving Nano to sleep.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I threw my clothes on the floor, turning the water handle to be on the red dot. I just wanted to shower and then go to bed after and not wake up for a long, long time.

I stepped inside the shower, closing the curtain behind me and letting the hot water go down my body, everything hurt. Nothing felt normal, I don't feel like myself. I thought a shower would help, but nothing feels different. All the same.

I stood there for a while, in normal life, right about now I would be putting soap on my hair. But I didn't feel like moving, staying here was the only escape I got from all the crazy. I got away from Mattia being a weirdo and trying to make this all better, and away from Nano acting like a teenage boy, when he's just a kid.

I heard the bathroom door open, I glanced over to see Mattia walk in, just a towel on his waist. Jesus. I heard the plastic from the shower curtain move and looked over my shoulder to see him standing behind me.

"I'm so, so, so sorry." He said, I nibbled on my bottom lip, looking at the corner of the bathtub, before feeling a warm hand pressed on my hip. "You don't even know how sorry I am Ale...really...I am..." He told me, wrapping both his arms around my waist and pulling me close, resting his chin on my shoulder.

I pulled away, trying my best to get out of his grip. My eyes watered and my heart hurt. I started scratching at Mattia's hand, wanting him to get off, "Please, please don't leave." He begged, leaning his cheek on my back, "Don't go, please don't." He whimpered. I gripped his hands, starting to cry.

Him hugging me from behind just made me so upset, I couldn't explain the feeling, I just felt loved by someone. I hated to admit it...but I almost felt good having this comfort. Nobody has made me feel this good in a while, just being here, being loved by someone made me cry.

I'm so whipped......I hate it.

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sorry if that was a shit chapter and it took a while but whatevs 🧎🏽‍♀️