Fall

Chapter 13

We spent the rest of the night curled up on the lounge with a blanket draped over our laps while the muted movie played on while we talked. The room smelt like the pizza that had been left in the boxes on the coffee table, slowly going cold.

I pulled the blanket up further but kept my full attention on Harry while he told me about some funny story about the first time he ever got drunk. It was at a Halloween party and judging by some of the things he did while intoxicated, I could tell he meant it when he said he's never drunk since and doesn't plan to.

I smiled and laughed in all the right places. I can't remember how we got onto this topic. I'd never drunk before so I didn't have any stories to tell. Most of my stories would involve Jye, and none of them would be very funny.

Luckily he didn't ask for a story in return when he'd finished telling his.

He bent down and took a sip of his Diet Coke before placing it back on the coffee table by the pizza boxes and I watched him the whole time.

"So what was she like?" I hadn't realised I'd asked it until his smile faded and his gaze became lost and refused to meet mine.

"Um... What's there to say, really?" He half-heartedly laughed, but I could tell it was pained and forced.

"Sorry-"

"No it's okay. She was nice, really nice. Um- funny..." He shrugged, searching for the right words. "Smart?"

"What was her name?"

"Anna."

"She looks really pretty... I don't know, judging from the photos," I smiled, hoping I wasn't bringing back too many bad memories for him.

Maybe I should stop. I knew I would receive questions about Jye in return.

"Yeah."

I bent down and picked up my glass of water from the table, bringing it to my lips.

"You two were cute." I took a sip of my glass and his eyes met mine. I couldn't quite read the emotion on his face.

"I guess you want to know what happened?" He sighed.

"No, not now. I don't want to ruin tonight," I refused, knowing the story would only make the tension between us thicker.

"Okay."

"I suppose you want to know about my 'psychotic' boyfriend," I assumed, emphasizing the word he'd used to describe him.

I earned a laugh."Jye right?"

I nodded.

"Only if you want to."

"Well, there's nothing much to say really," I lied. There was too much to say. "We weren't really dating... He thinks we were, I guess. He was just, really... Protective, over me." My sentences were broken and felt awkward coming out of my mouth.

I'd never talked about Jye to anyone before.

I didn't know how to put it into words without making it sound completely crazy.

He was really just some guy that controlled me and used me for sex and is now completely and utterly obsessed with me and I can't escape him...

That wouldn't go down well.

"Does he know that you two aren't dating?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I can't seem to find the time to talk to him about it."

"He doesn't listen to you? You two don't talk?"

No, he has his way with me and then tells me to go home. Or he'll brake into my house with the key he got made and then have his way with me at my own house.

"Not exactly. He's not really an understanding kind of person."

"He doesn't hurt you does he?" He asked cautiously, his eyes just barely glancing down to my neck.

A part from multiple hickeys and a few slaps during his forced control over me, he's never actually abused me in any other physical way. Can't say the same for verbally and emotionally though...

"No, he wouldn't hurt me. But he'll hurt anyone that gets to close to me..." I brought the drink back to my lips and peered over the rim, hoping he'd catch on and realize he'd made a mistake in bringing himself into all of this.

"I am a big boy Briana," he smiled. "I can take care of myself. It's you I'm worried about."

"You don't need to worry about me. He wouldn't hurt me."

"So why are you running from him?"

"I... I just need to get away from him, for a while..." Forever more like it. "He'll understand that soon enough and he'll back off, hopefully."

"You can't just tell him that?"

I raised my eyebrow at him and he smiled.

"Sorry, he's not the understanding kind of person," he mocked and we both laughed.

I set my drink on the table and grabbed a slice of slightly cold meat pizza.

"I really can't thank you enough for having me," I said before I bit into it.

"It's really not a big deal. I enjoy the company."

"I still feel like I'm intruding, you do know that right?" I asked, covering my mouth.

"Well you shouldn't. It was my decision to invite you to stay here and I don't regret offering it. You deserve to be safe and you deserve to be happy..."

I don't know why he added the last part, but I'm glad he did. He tried to cover it up by grabbing his drink again and taking a sip, averting his eyes from mine.

I did deserve to be happy. I've laughed more in the last 24 hours that I have since I've been with Jye. I am starting to feel better inside, like I can actually be who I am and having someone actually listen to me for once is so liberating.

He actually cares. He isn't faking, he actually genuinely cares.

And for the first time in years, I feel slightly happier.