Broken

Chapter 24

“I am okay,” she said. “It was only a dream.”

I took her hand in mine and squeezed it gently.

“Okay, Rory,” I said. “But I am here if you change your mind. You know that, right?”

She gave me another small smile and nodded.

“I know, Sebastian,” she said quietly. “Thank you for that.”

I didn’t like the fact that she had the need to thank me for being there for her. That was my job.

But I understood why. I left her alone for four months. She was still trying to create distance between us.

“Are you okay with Mom and Dad leaving tomorrow?” I asked, rubbing small circles on the top of her hand.

She furrowed her eyebrows and bit the inside of her cheek.

“I guess I am,” she said, shrugging a little. “I wasn’t expecting them to be here long anyway.”

Well, I did. I thought that they would stick around a little bit longer after their daughter was attacked. But obviously, that wasn’t what it would take to keep them here.

But I didn’t care. I could take care of her all by myself. Just like I did for most of our teenage years.

“And what about the statement?” I asked, making her sigh quietly.

“I am not okay with that,” she said, shaking her head a little. “I still don’t want to press charges.”

I tightened my jaw and forced myself to take a deep breath.

“I know, Rory, but it’s something that you have to do,” I said softly. “They have to pay for what they did to you and we have to make sure that they don’t do it to anyone else.”

Rory looked down at her hand in mine and nodded.

“I know,” she said quietly.

I pulled her back to me and held her tightly.

“Rhys and I will be there,” I said. “We won’t leave you, not even for a second.”

She hugged me back and took a deep breath.

“Thank you,” she mumbled quietly and I felt guilt stab my insides.

“You don’t have to thank me for that, Rory,” I said, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “I am your twin. It’s my job to be there. It’s my job to make sure that you are safe.”

Rory stayed silent, but she tightened her hold on me. I smiled a little and kissed her temple.

“I love you,” I told her quietly.

She was silent. She took a deep breath and released it slowly.

“I love you too, Sebastian,” she said after a few moments of silence. “I never stopped loving you, not even when I was angry. I hope you know that.”

My heart skipped a beat. I let her go so I could look at her.

“I know, Rory,” I said softly. “And I never stopped loving you either.”

She smiled a little and looked down at her lap. I reached out and caressed her cheek.

“You should go back to sleep,” I said. “We have a long day tomorrow.”

She looked up at me and nodded.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” I asked, hoping that she would say yes.

I would always stay when she had nightmares. Sometimes she would come to my room and I wouldn’t even notice. I would just wake up with her on the other side of the bed. I always liked it. I liked knowing that I was her safe place.

She bit her lower lip and furrowed her eyebrows slightly.

“I am okay,” she said after a few moments. “You can go back to your room.”

A wave of disappointment washed over me, but I wasn’t going to push it. She needed more time.

“Okay,” I said as I gave her a small smile and kissed her cheek. “I will see you in the morning.”

“Good night,” she said as I stood up and walked to the door.

“Rory?” I called her, turning back to look at her.

“Yes?” she asked, giving me a small smile.

“You can come to me if you are afraid and if you can’t sleep,” I said. “You know that, right?”

She smiled and nodded.

“I know,” she said softly. “I will come to your room if I need you.”

I smiled back at her and I walked out of her room.

I took a deep breath, trying to relax myself a little.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.