Stronger Together | George Russell

06 - mother

"He didn't give any details but roughly what happened between you and the teacher back then and the whole thing with the move and your parents."

She paused again and I felt tears coming. She probably saw me as a broken girl with no family or meaning in life, who was just a burden to her son. Even if she didn't give that impression, I just assumed it was because what could I give her son?

"Annabelle, you are always welcome here and you can always call me and get in touch. You're family now and we're here for you no matter what happens or how you're feeling."

"But why, why are you so nice. I have no family and bring only problems, I have nothing to give George, why are you all taking care of me so dearly?" I said and pulled my hand out of hers.

Sighing, I buried my face in my hands and began to cry. Meanwhile, Alison slowly got up and sat down next to me to give me a hug.

"You give George more than you think. Your love and support mean the world to him, and he keeps emphasizing that he wouldn't be able to achieve these results without you. He loves you with all his heart and you have to get through it together, fight together for your future, your family together."

Her words touched me and I knew she was right, so I quickly wiped away my tears and looked at her with thanks.

"I'll do my best to make your son happy. But all this stuff doesn't make it easy, and according to police, that's just the beginning."

She looked at me in surprise and asked what the police had said. She also cautiously wanted to know what had happened that Sunday, as she only knew George's guess, which he had while I was still in the hospital.

"He was there and... well... touched me. But I passed out before too much could happen, but I still feel his presence when someone touches the spots."

She looked at me sympathetically and I immediately felt a little more relaxed. Her open and understanding nature made me feel comfortable and I was very grateful to her for that. Since she didn't say anything, I thought for a moment and then continued.

"I...I know that...George well...has needs and wants his girlfriend back that he can touch and kiss and it always hurts me so bad that I can't give that to him right now. I don't know how to deal with this."

Tears came again and I leaned against Alison, who put her arms around me reassuringly. I had never had a conversation like this with my parents because they were simply never there for me emotionally. 

Sitting here with George's mother was completely new to me, but it was definitely something positive. Even though I had only seen her once before, I felt welcomed and understood by her.

"Hey sweetheart don't worry George understands you and your situation. It's just new for him and sometimes he doesn't think about it. He loves you even without touching and eventually that will work again."

"But I also don't want him to get into trouble because of me or anything to happen to him. He has a family that loves him and needs him, nothing must happen to him."

"You also have us, this family, Annabelle, nothing has to happen to you either and we will make sure of that."

Her words touched me so much and I gave her a grateful smile before I looked down again and told her what the police had said. Alison was shocked and said that they could be wrong and he might disappear. 

By the way, she was also enthusiastic about our idea with the public statement and said that it might make him realize that it wouldn't work and would disappear forever. She was just, like her son, very positive and confident about the future. 

After we chatted for a while and touched on other topics, I yawned tiredly. After all, the journey had been very long and tiring and it was already evening. Alison asked me if I wanted to eat something else, to which I politely said no and then said I could go to sleep.

"And tomorrow you don't need to stress yourself, sleep in. We don't have appointments and nobody needs anything from you, so rest well," she called after me before I disappeared up the stairs.

In George's room I found my suitcase, which was next to the wardrobe, and I took my toothbrush out of it. Then I disappeared into the bathroom, where I took a long shower with George's shower gel. 

Although I had my own with me, I was too lazy to unpack it and so I felt like I had him even closer to me. Then I brushed my teeth and walked back to George's room in just a towel. Outside I heard the car pull up and I assumed George and Steve were back from shopping. 

I quickly put on a pair of underwear and then took the shirt from the bed, which had probably been George's sleeping shirt for the last few days. For this reason, it still smelled very clearly of him and I snuggled up under the blanket, satisfied. 

Even though I tried to sleep, I kept thinking about George, waiting for him to finally come upstairs. An hour later the time had come and the bedroom door opened quietly.

"Are you already sleeping?" George whispered and I just made a confirming noise as my back was to him.

He carefully approached the bed and wanted to take his sleeping shirt when he noticed that I was wearing it. I heard a harsh laugh before he disappeared again and I assumed he was going to take a shower. 

My suspicions were confirmed when I heard the gentle splashing of water a little later and I immediately thought back to Spielberg, where we were both standing in the shower. How I would love to repeat that, but my body always blocked when it came to an approach. 

However, I wanted to try to fight it and not just accept it and I was sure George would support my plan. The man in question came back less than a minute later, but remained in front of the bed.

"And where should I sleep?"

His question brought a grin to my face, knowing that I was lying right in the middle of the large bed, on both pillows and with the only blanket. Sighing, George walked around the bed and then sat down on the floor. He picked up his cell phone from the bedside table as he sat with his back against the bed. 

I turned around carefully and then paused. Even from behind he looked beautiful and I immediately felt comfortable. I slowly reached out my hand and hesitantly touched his hair. Surprised, George jumped briefly before relaxing again and sighing contentedly as I began to scratch the back of his head.

"I love you," I murmured quietly, but he heard it and slowly turned around.

"I love you," George repeated my sentence and took my hand, which he then kissed.

I awkwardly crawled to the side and made room for him in the bed, on which he gratefully sat down. Without a blanket and without touching me, he lay there silently and stared at the ceiling. The sight hurt me a little and I took another deep breath before lifting the blanket and lying over on his chest.

"But I don't"

"It's fine, I'm okay."

I quickly glanced at my wrist, where the number was still acceptable. Although my heart was beating a little faster, this was definitely due to the man next to me. I tensed, especially when George carefully placed his hand on my back. 

However, the material of the shirt was still between us and there were no other points of contact, which is why I slowly relaxed. Below me I could only hear George's heart beating and feel him place a kiss on my hairline before I felt my eyelids grow heavy and I slowly fell asleep.