Childish

26

I looked over my shoulder at him, not sure what it would be he would want to talk to me about.

He walked over and sat down on the coffee table closest to where I sat on the floor. "Can you mute the TV?"

I raised my eyebrows as I muted the TV show I was watching. Alex and I didn't have many serious conversations unless something was wrong. I wasn't sure what this could be about so it made me a little nervous.

"So... Naomi told me what you said to her earlier."

"What did I say?" Was it my fault that something was wrong?

"She told me that you want her to stick around for a while."

I nodded. "I do. I really like her."

He rubbed his hands together over his knees. "I like her too. I just... don't want to rush things with her when we've only been seeing each other for two months."

"If you like each other, why does it matter how long you've been together?"

"My parents barely knew each other when they got together. They were attracted to each other but they didn't know each other's personalities. Maybe they wouldn't have gotten together had they known more. I don't want to make that mistake with Naomi when you're involved."

"Who cares about me? If you guys are happy, that's all that matters."

He raised his brows at me. "I plan on keeping you around for a while, you know. So any decision I make must be for your benefit as much as mine."

I sighed. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course I am."

"So... what are you gonna say to Naomi when you see her next time?"

"I'm going to tell her that we talked about it but that I'm not pressuring her into anything. That's not fair to her."

"I don't want her to leave because of something I said. I already lost my mom. I don't want to lose her too."

"You miss your parents, don't you?" It was such a dumb question to ask. He already knew the answer. But what he thought of his family was different than I thought of my family. He wasn't close to his parents growing up like I was with mine. He resented his while I enjoyed the time we were together. It wasn't something he was going to understand easily.

I nodded.

"Let's go get ready for bed. We don't have to talk about this anymore." He turned off the TV and picked me up. As we turned off the lights and headed up the steps, I realized I was missing something.

"Wait."

Alex looked down at me. His big head blocked the light from shining in my eyes. "What?"

"My bunny's still downstairs."

I could tell he was tired and wanted to make a big deal about me forgetting my bunny but he kept it to himself and walked back down the steps. He grabbed my bunny off the couch and handed it to me.

"Do you want your bear too?"

"I left it upstairs after my nap."

He started back up the steps and carried me into his room. He set me on the bed beside my bear. "Are you going to sleep in here tonight?"

"Do you not want me to?" I knew that at some point I would have to sleep in my own bed and get used to being by myself. But I wasn't sure I was ready for that just yet. I didn't like being left alone for too long.

He leaned against the door frame of the bathroom. "I'd like to have my bed to myself again but you don't take up that much room. I don't mind it."

"But what if Naomi wants to stay one night?"

"You were here before her so she can either deal with it or sleep on the couch downstairs."

"You'd make her do that?"

"For you, I would."

I wasn't sure if Alex was saying that to make himself look better or if he genuinely meant that. I was going to let myself think he meant it.

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I am SO sorry I made you guys wait so long for an update. I really didn't mean to do that to you all. This was a longer wait than I was anticipating. I am hoping to continue updating more frequently as I continue writing this story and begin others. Any ideas are welcome!