The Roommate Down The Hall

Chapter 8: Dreams of Being A Star

Kyle's POV*****

I got so mad when I heard what this kid had done to her. When Veronica had shown me the marks, it was as if someone had injected ice water into my veins. A man should never lay his hands on a woman. I hated him for hurting her. I was so mad at myself for not being there. I couldn't help but give Veronica a hug. When she whispered in my ear, I felt the warmth of blush creep onto my cheeks. She didn't see the blush though; I don't think she did, anyways. It was getting late and Ronni said that she was cold. When I suggested going in, she shook her little head, causing her hair to fall over her face. I lightly lifted my hand up to brush it behind her ear. I could tell that at first, she had to fight the urge to flinch. I never noticed that before. She smiled slightly at me. I returned the smile. I decided to give her my hoodie. She almost refused it; however, when a small gust of wind blew, she shivered and agreed. I slipped my hoodie off my body and over my head. She put it over her head and when it popped out of the top, she shook her hair out. Everything about her was cute. It was a shame that she had been treated so badly. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I could tell that she was starting to get cold again. Without a word, I picked her up, threw her over my shoulder, and ran back up the dock and into the cabin. She kicked and complained; However, I did not let her down until we were in the living room of the cabin. I set her down lightly on the couch then planted my butt down next to her. She didn't say anything at first: she just looked at me. Then she spoke.

"I could have walked. And how do you know that I wanted to come back up here?"

"I know that you could have walked. But that was more fun. And I could tell that you were cold again." She tried to say something but I cut her off," Don't even, you know you were."

She sunk back into the couch.

We both sat there. I turned on the TV.

"This is a nice place you have here," I commented.

Veronica's eyes lit up when she heard that. She had a smile on her face that stretched ear to ear. She looked around at the room that we were sitting in. 

"Isn't it? We've been coming here ever since I was little. I think i was maybe a toddler when we first discovered it. This was the best part of every summer and what I looked forward to when we would escape here in the winter. I would love to get in the car and snuggle up with a good book or my camera. I loved coming up and seeing the trees connect as the car cruised down the open road. I would settle into my room and just look out to the water. I was always really calm here. This was where I came to get away from everything. I used to think that this place was magical. Everything seemed to sparkle up here. I remember I would come up here to get away from all of the fighting with Ethan. I mean, it wasn't always the best idea, but I thought it would help me cope. I used to go out to the dock and stick my feet into the water. I would sit there until i would be shivering from the cold. I felt like it centered me in a way. It was pain I could control." 

She paused, a smile pulled at the corner of her mouth, yet it did not reach her eyes.

"I used to think that the water was reflected in the sky. I would love to look up at the stars and count the shooting stars that flew by. It was as if there was a million diamonds in the sky.I used to dream about what it would be like to be a star." 

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. The smile grew bigger on her face.

" This is my home."

            I grinned back. This place actually is really nice. The cabin was large, but still had a certain closeness about it. The floors were draped in rugs, hiding hard wood that was water worn and dull from years of sand being tracked over it. The living room, where we were, had a large couch in the center, guarded closely by two cushioned rocking chairs. The furniture seemed to be mismatched, yet seemed to fit together in a quirky way. The wall had a fireplace with a TV on the wall. There was a rack of VHS movies next to it on the floor. A bookshelf lined the wall on the left wall, next to the door. There was a screened in porch, housing a few tables and a fridge. Veronica explained that is where her family would play cards and store the snack food that everyone shared.

There were rooms all along the upstairs, with two community bathrooms. Half of the rooms faced the water. I picked a room on that side of the house. A handful of the rooms were equipped with full beds, others with twins or a bunk bed. I settled on a full bed, facing the water.

            By 2:30AM, things had calmed down. The couch that was in the living room was a sectional. I had taken the end of the couch where it stretched out. It was for someone to lie on. Veronica had made her way to sitting right next to me with her head on my shoulder. She squirmed, trying to get comfortable without getting to close to me. I just wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to the bed-ish section with me. She gasped and looked at me.

"Go on now, get comfortable. I don't mind." I told her.

 After she was settled, I got a blanket so I could cover us up. She blushed at me, then snuggled into me and turned to watch TV. I put my arms around her and my head down next to hers.

"Alli and Austin will be here tomorrow," She said.

"Mhm."

"I hope they will be able to find this place,"

"They will," I mumbled.

 I closed my eyes a little bit, not being able to help myself. I was tired and comfortable. I was trying to stay awake because of Veronica. I didn't want her to be stuck if I fell asleep. My eyes where getting heavier.

"Hey Veronica? Do you want to go upstairs to your room?" I asked, the sleepiness lacing through every word.

There was no answer, but my eyes were already closed again. I smiled to myself, Pulled Veronica closer, and the blanket tighter around us.