Damaged goods

30

"That's so kind," I whisper.

•••

Ezra and I spent the day at Liv's house. "I'm exhausted." I whisper.

Daisy had me running around the house playing dolls with her. It was tiring, to say the least. "You can sleep when we get home."

I bite my lip. I may have had a nightmare last night but when Ezra slept with me...I liked it. Usually, I wouldn't fall back asleep but with Ezra around me, I felt like nothing was going to hurt me.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks.

I clear my throat. "Nothing," I murmured.

He gave me an unimpressed look. "Really?"

I playfully roll my eyes. "Well, I was just thinking if you could...you know...last night..." I scratch the back of my head. Fuck.

He smirks, knowing exactly what I was going to say. "Finish your sentence," he says.

"You know what don't worry."

He laughs. It was the deep, masculine and throaty laugh that sent butterflies to my stomach.

"Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?" he asks.

"You don't have to, the last thing I want is for you to be uncomfortable."

"I'm more than comfortable sleeping beside you buttercup."

"Okay then."

"Okay," he says, I look over at him. His eyes concentrate on the road ahead but a smirk played on his lips.

•••

"Do you want the pillows up?"

I look up at him, he wore grey sweatpants and a black tight shirt. Fucking hell. "Well, they weren't a good border last night."

He laughs. "True."

He lat down and I turn to my side to face him but he just looked at the ceiling. "You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"About?"

"You."

"Are you going to be more specific?" I joke.

He smiles. "I'm just happy you're here."

Silence fills the room. "Do I make you happy?" I ask. Daisy told me earlier that Ezra had been so upset when I was gone. Did my presence have an impact? Did people care that I wasn't here?

"Alyssa you make it impossible for me to be sad." he says, taking his eyes off the ceiling to look at me.

I flush.  "I haven't been in your room in a while." I say, changing the subject.

"You'll be in here more often." he replies.

I look around his room but my eyes latch onto something at his bedside table "What is that?" I ask.

He raises a brow, I lean over and grabbed the picture frame. It was of me and him. "I swear this was in my room."

"It was. When you were gone I took a few of your things. I would have given them all back when you came back but they were just little things that kept me going." I turn to see him, he was now leaning against the bed frame watching me.

My heart burst right there. "Like what?"

He raises his wrist to show the pearl bracelet around his wrist. I hadn't even noticed that. "Oh my God." I murmur, as I brush my finger against his wrist.

He starts to take it off, to give it back to me I assume but I stop him. "Keep it." I say. "Looks better on you than it did on me."

"Doubt it." he chuckles.

"What else?"

"You'll think it's strange but whenever my mom forced me to go to school I would spray your perfume on my sweatshirts. Granted I got a few odd looks when I walked around school with a feminine scent but I didn't care. I just wanted your scent around me."

"That's strangely nice."

"You could say I missed you a lot."

I look over at him. "I missed you too. Whenever I was in that place, every time I thought of giving up and completely giving myself over to him. I thought of you. I had your voice in my head telling me to stay strong. You may think you didn't save me but you did."

I notice a tear steam down his cheek, I caught it with my thumb. "Don't cry," I whisper. "Not over me."

"I blame myself. Maybe if I had come to the mall with you that day. He wouldn't have taken you."

"Ezra he hit our car. There's a huge chance you could have died if you were with us and if you had died, I wouldn't be here right now because I don't think I can live without you." I admit.

"Come here." he whispers.

I move towards him and he pulls me onto his lap, his arms creeping around my waist. He tucks his face into the crook between my neck and my shoulder. "Fuck I missed this." he mutters against my skin, causing goosebumps all over my body.

I wrap my arms around his neck. We stayed embraced in each other's arms for a while.

Through all the pain and suffering this world has thrown at me, Ezra is the only reason I still want to live in this fucked up world. I can't imagine a world without him.