Lovely Arm Candy

27-Skin Deep

He reached over rubbing her back "what was it about?"

"M-my mother" she murmured in her cupped hands he looked at the email he was half way through composing and clicked off his screen

"What about your mother?"

Alexis looked up worry in her green watery eyes "s-she beat m-my father... again" she licked her lips "it was more so just a memory than a dream"

Harry frowned deeply and scooted closer "your mum hit your dad?"

Alexis looked away and nodded "uh he-he was 6'3 he weighed 145 pounds j-just the sweetest guy a-and my mom 5'4 198 pounds she-she...." Alexis looked back at Harry a single tear rolling down her cheek "she beat him to death when I was 8 years old"

Harry went wide eyed "oh oh my god Alexis that's... that's terrible I couldn't imagine... w-was she cruel to you too?"

She nodded and wiped her face crossing her arms tightly over her chest "s-she told me she didn't love me she tried to hurt herself while she was pregnant to get rid of me she drank and shit my dad tried to stop her she-she broke his arm a month before I was born because he tried to grab a bottle of vodka from her" she tucked hair behind her ear "I was always the ugly fat pig no matter what"

That was a lot to take in, all lot to hear at once, by her tone she was very very uncomfortable with sharing this information "I'm so sorry w-where's your mother now?" Harry asked rubbing her shoulder

"Jail" she kinda choked on the lump in her throat "w-what kills me is... s-she only got 25 to life she has a chance of parole after she killed my father SHE BEAT HIS HEAD INTO THE GROUND ALL HE DID WAS SAY HE LOVED HER AND ASKED HER TO STOP AND THE MONSTER GOT 25 TO LIFE I WANTED HER DEAD FOR WHAT SHE DID, I STILL WANT HER DEAD!" Alexis covered her mouth and looked at Harry in his eyes fluttering her lashes to clear her eyes of tears "I-I'm sorry" she whispered in her hand she uncovered her mouth slowly "I-I've never told anyone about this... a-about how my father died"

He swallowed hard and nodded "don't be sorry really don't" he didn't really know what the next step was from here then remembered the day in the beach he opened his arms to her she stared so unsure he frowned "hug me princess"

She practically lunged at him holding him just as tight as when they were on the beach "you don't get hugged often do you?" He whispered in her ear

"The only person I ever hugged was my father and not nearly enough" she answered back "I'm so sorry"

He pulled away even though her grip on him made it difficult "you don't need to be sorry you've held that in for a long time it had to come out sometime"

"I-I just feel like I'm telling some sob story no one wants to hear" she shrugged

"Sob story or not it's your story and it weighs on you really Baby girl I care for you if you need to get this stuff out you can vent to me" he'd never made the offer to anyone before

"I won't I don't wanna burden you with my life" she closed herself off again

He put his hand on her cheek rubbing his thumb on the apple of it "you don't have to hold it in either though"

"W-well what about you? Have a sob story of your own I'd love to hear it" she smiled weakly

He did he had something that could fit that category but only one person knew it he shook his head "no sorry don't qualify" that secret sat on his tongue though he felt like she was a good person she wouldn't tell part of him knew that but the larger part said 'she a sugar baby just like the rest of them'

"Well that makes me feel better" she kinda laughed

He kissed her softly and sighed "uh I could go for a nap would you mind if I lay on you... I'm still kinda cold" why stay cold she really was like a space heater it wasn't mushy stuff or anything she just was warm he reassured himself of that

She shook her head "no at all sleep away"

He leaned on her and took one of her hands looking at it he felt like he singled her out in a moment of genuine need for emotion reassurance "I-I get nightmares too sometimes" he furrowed his eyebrows "about people I care about"

"I'm sorry" she put her hand in his hair "like who?"

"My mother" Harry shrugged and frowned as he slipped out of his comfy position he fixed it before adding "she was an amazing woman"

"I'm sure she was to have a nice boy like you Harry"

He frowned much much deeper "thank you"