Saved Me

✨ c h a p t e r e l e v e n ✨

My aunt and I weren't very close; neither were me and my uncle. So when my aunt announced that we were going to have a family dinner, I was wary. We usually stuck to eating during separate times. My uncle was usually out during work most of the time so he had an excuse. We all sat down at the table, an awkward aura surrounding us.

Uncle Ben cleared his throat, digging into the food. Aunt Leah had made chicken alfredo – my favorite dish. "So Abigail," he said. "I heard you made some new friends." I swallowed my food, nodding my head in response. I felt awkward talking to them about my social life.

My aunt cut in once he brought up the subject. "She's friends with the Carter's son. He seems like a nice boy." Uncle Ben furrowed his eyebrows.

"As in Moira and Marcus' son?" he asked. She nodded, taking a bite of her pasta. I played with my pasta, not entirely full or even hungry. "You're friends with that delinquent?" At the word, I accidentally dropped my fork, making it clatter against my plate.

"What are you talking about?" I inquired. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Ben," Aunt Leah chided, giving him a look. He ignored it.

"He had some issue with the police back in his hometown. That's why his parents dropped him here to live with his grandmother. But she passed a while back." He shrugged nonchalantly, taking a bite of his pasta. "I think he's bad news. Don't get too comfortable around him." Too late.

"Can I be dismissed?" I asked. Before she could answer, I was grabbing my (empty) glass of water and plate.

"Wait sweetheart," Aunt Leah said before I could stand. "There's something we need to tell you." She paused to look over at Uncle Ben who sat there with a poker face. "Your grandmother is coming to visit over the weekend."

Just what I needed. Another person to constantly remind me of my parents' death. "Great," I said without any emotion. I grabbed my things and got up before she could stop me. Only three days till I see the woman who has blamed me for my parents' death for the past two years.

After putting my dishes into the dishwasher, I quickly made my way out. I walked for a while until I came to the familiar blue and white Nantucket home. My feet had managed to carry me all the way to the front door. Before I could register what was even happening, I rang the doorbell. It was as if my body had a mind of it's own. I waited and waited but I got no response. A part of me – the sane part – was glad. Besides, how the hell was I supposed to approach him. "Oh hey, so I heard you've had some issues with the police. Wanna fill me in?" It's not like it was any of my business. If he wanted me to know, he would have told me...right?

I pushed my thoughts to the side. I mean, what the hell am I thinking? Why the hell would he even tell me anything? It's not like he owes me. Hell, I'm the one that owes him. I let out a disgruntled groan. Maybe I didn't push all my thoughts to the side.

The moment I turned around and took a step forward to leave, the door opened. Roman had a dangerous glint in his eyes. His usually warm eyes were now dark and filled with anger. When he saw me, his exterior almost crumbled – almost. "What are you doing here?" he asked. There was a bit of hardness to his voice that I wasn't unfamiliar with. It was the same tone he used when he yelled at me that first night we met.

"Roman, get back – oh, hello," a new person appeared. I could only assume she was his mother. They had strikingly similar features. Roman got his beautiful eyes from his mother. His facial structure was much similar to her's as well. The one thing he didn't inherit from her was his hair. She had wavy, light blonde hair that flowed to her shoulders.

"Um, hi," I managed to squeak out. "Uh, if this is a bad time, I can just come back later." I glanced at Roman who was looking past me with a hard expression.

"No," she interrupted. "It's alright. Why don't you come inside, right Roman?" He didn't respond. Instead, he just walked back into the house without saying anything.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse his manners," she apologized, placing a hand on my back as she beckoned me inside.

"Er, no worries." I played with my fingers. "I could just come back at a later time, I don't want to, uh, disturb you guys."

She waved her hand without looking at me. "Nonsense. We could use more people around the house." She led me into the living room where Roman wasn't in. "My name's Moira. So tell me about yourself."

"Um, my name's Abigail. I'm a friend of Roman's," I said. I fidgeted with my fingers.

She perked up at the sound of her son's name. "Oh really? How long have you two been dating?"

I nearly spit out my invisible drink. Since when does being friend's with someone mean we're dating? Put two and two together and you get cantaloupes. That's exactly how this felt. "We're not dating," I corrected her.

"Well, not yet I assume," she said. Luckily for me, Roman came back into the room.

"Can you come with me for a sec, Abby?" he asked, ignoring his mother. I glanced at her – she had a slight frown on her face.

"Sure," I told him. I turned to Mrs. Carter. "It was nice meeting you." She smiled, standing up as I did.

"Likewise," she said. "Come back more often. I'd like to know more about you." I smiled at her politely before following Roman.

He led me upstairs to his room and shut the door – a little too hard. I bit my lower lip, watching him un-clench and clench his fists. "Do you want me to go?" I asked softly. He looked up and shook his head.

"If anything," he whispered, taking a few steps closer until he was right in front of me, "I need you here." My breath caught in my throat. His face was dangerously close to mine.

"Do you...want to talk about it?" He shook his head way before I could finish my sentence. He hugged me to his chest, letting out a deep breath.

"I just need you," he whispered. "Just you."

A/N: please leave me feedback xo

stay strong babies x