Suffocate

Chapter 20

All she's asking of me is to answer her one question, maybe several; but I know there's no proper way of answering. The least I could do, as she says, is answer her Goddamn question, then, she'll allow me to sleep over for one more night. She can't manage to keep me for more than a few days, before her dad finds out, which will only serve for another assbeating. I guess one or two, or three haven't been enough in the past month. I'm surprised I'm still walking, because I haven't seen a doctor once. This is probably a new, set record for me.

Snapping fingers grabs my attention. I stare into a familiar pair of pretty, sapphire-blue eyes. Eyes that have shown me love me for so long, now.

I don't think they'll be like that for long.

My heart is racing; it's been ready to jump out of my ribcage, run down the carpeted stairs and escape out the door.

"Bryson," Sapphire nudges my shoulder.

I'm not spacing out. How can I, when all of my attention is focused on this not-so-good situation I'm stuck in?

Sapphire and I are sitting across each other on the floor beside her bed. My knees are up to my chest; I have my arms hanging limply off of them. I'm trying not to show how tense I am. Just sitting like this is straining my bruised leg and back. Sapphire holds a similar position, but she's been leaning forward every few seconds, trying to get a read on me. Her burgundy-colored eyebrows are arched in clear suspicion, though there's a hint of minor concern appearing in her expression.

I lick my lips. Not as dry as I thought, but then again, Sapphire insisted on kissing me awake with her very chapped lips when we woke up nearly an hour ago, entangled in bed together. She hasn't seen me with my pants off, nor my shirt, which she definitely questioned me about. That's Sapphire and her brute honesty and keen observational skills.

I take to looking at her slim neck, her silver chain glimmering in the sunlight that's been peeking through her curtains. Her dad gave her that chain. The letter "P" is designed in a fancy insignia; stands for "princess". Daddy's little girl. More reason why her dad hates me.

I flick my gaze upwards, instantly getting trapped in her gaze. I clear my throat.

"Thanks . . . for letting me stay here," I murmur. It's early in the morning; eight o'clock, to be exact. Is it Thursday? Friday? It's Friday. Yeah.

Sapphire cocks her head to the side, combing her slender fingers through her hair. "Bryson," she sighs.

Jesus, where the hell are you? I need help.

Saph only ever calls me by my actual name when she's not happy about something, or if she wants something out of me. Usually, that would be something good. Like I said before, nothing is good about my current predicament.

"Babe," she says vexedly, "Can you just answer the question? Please?"

It's my turn to sigh now.

"Saph . . ." the look in her eyes shuts me up. There's no way to excuse myself out of this. I run my hand through my hair, roughly scratching at the back of my head.

"Is it true?" she asks.

I swallow what little saliva I have in store.

"I'm not cheating on you," I finally say. Sapphire narrows her eyes at me. She's searching for the truth.

"Then why did someone say you were with another woman? With a kid," Sapphire states concretely.

That's one atomic bomb dropped. Another thing that shouldn't have happened. I scrub my hand over my face. Sapphire takes that as an answer.