Rose Petals

Chapter 19

"Open yours now." I tell him. He sits on his bed and I go back to my original spot at his desk. He picks up the box and starts to tear the blue paper. When all the paper is gone he opens the box to reveal the globe.

As soon as he saw it his smile from before fell.

"What's wrong?" I ask, concerned.

He was silent for a few moments but then he answered. "Nothing... It's beautiful." He said quietly. He took the globe into his hands and shook it. He then twisted the knob on the bottom and it started to play a beautiful melody. His head was down so I couldn't see his face. But I did see the tears drip down from his cheeks.

"What's wrong? Do you not like it?" He looked up at me and tried to smile faintly but it faltered in a quiver.

"I love it. It just brings back a lot of memories form my childhood." He sniffles and wipes away his tears. "Some good and some bad. I used to have a snow globe just like this one. It was a gift from my mom." He said quietly. Tears began to fall from his eyes again. He looked down. "Sorry." He muttered as he wiped away the fresh tears once more.

"You don't have to be sorry." I moved away from the chair to sit next to him on his bed. I rubbed his back in a soothing motion as he kept his head down. A few moments of content silence passed.

"My dad moved out when I was 10." He said, voice quivering slightly. "He never liked me. I always disobeyed him. My mother loved him but she also loved me. He hated the fact she cared about me and would defend me for my mistakes."

~^~*~^~
Ashton PoV

"Jared he's just a child!" My mother pulled me behind her protectively and faced my raging father.

"He's not a child! He's a useless mutt! Just like you! You fucking bitch, defending the twerp!" He screamed at my mom. She pushed me to the side.

"Go upstairs, honey!" She told me. I ran upstairs and half way up I felt someone grab my foot. I tripped and hit my nose on a stair. I made a small sound of pain then I felt warm liquid slowly coming out of my nose.

"I don't think so you little shit! You didn't do what I told you! How dare you disobey your own father! Useless trash!" He dragged me closer to him and I started screaming and kicking.

"No! Leave me alone! I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" I screamed. Fear took over me. My father had a sadistic rage fuming in his eyes. My mother dragged my father off of me.

"Don't you dare touch my son!" She screamed. "I'll call the police!"

I crawled up the stairs as fast as I could and ran into the bathroom. Right before I got in I heard a slap. I slammed the door shut and locked it then stumbled into the bath tub holding my knees.

I heard my fathers yelling from downstairs, screaming, things breaking, and numerous thuds on the floor and walls. I wiped my nose with my sleeve only to see it had been bleeding. I then looked at my hands. They were shaking uncontrollably.

Ever since I could remember my father had always been heartless. He would yell at my mother all the time and soon his rage came towards me. Mom said that he wasn't always like this, he was really kind and caring. But that was before he got a good job and started making a lot of money.

I saw her crying in her room once after she got into a fight with dad. Her eye was bruised. It was late that night but I couldn't sleep. I saw her holding a napkin with a lipstick print on it with a lot of different numbers on it and the words 'call me' written at the bottom. She told me to go back to sleep. I didn't want to, but I listened to her anyways.

My father left without a goodbye. He said that he had a better bitch that would do as he said. I felt abandoned when he was gone. My birthday was horrible. I regretted being alive. I loved my father. All I ever wanted was his love in return. He never gave it to me, though. I was never good enough. I wasn't what he wanted as a son. Therefore, he didn't waste his time on me.

~^~*~^~

"I broke the snow globe my mother had gotten for me." I said in a quiet voice. I had just told Nate a big, painful part about my life. "He stepped on the glass when I was getting the broom to clean it up."

Nate had been silent for the whole time. Listening carefully and looking at me with a worried but stern expression.

"He yelled at me, and as a punishment for not cleaning it up sooner," I trailed off and rubbed the palms of my hands together, remembering what he'd done. Nate noticed this and took my hands gently into his. He turned my hands over so he could see my palms. His expression suddenly darkened as he saw the faint scars from where the glass had cut me years ago.

"You..." He spoke up quietly. "You didn't deserve this." He gazed into my eyes with his beautiful green ones. They held rage in them.

"It took a lot for me to share this with you." I said quietly. "Thank you so much for the snow globe." My eyes started to burn again as I felt the fresh hot tears coming.

"Ash..." He leaned closer to me and I knew what was coming. I closed my eyes and felt his lips press against my own. He kissed me so delicately its almost like if he was rough he would be afraid I would break.

When he pulled away my cheeks were dusted in a light pink. His hand traveled to the back of my neck and along my cheek. Right when he was leaning in to kiss me once more, my phone beeped.

I looked at it to see I got a message.

Unknown: You don't deserve him. I'll make sure you're put in a cage like a good dog should.

I didn't know the number but I instantly knew who it was. I felt another wave of tears come and Nate pulled me against his chest. He picked up my phone and turned it completely off.

He whispered sweet nothings into my ear as a way to comfort me. What a great fucking Christmas eve.