I held him close and rocked him from side to side, my heartrate through the roof. What could be that bad that he thought I wouldn't love him anymore, that turned him into a completely different person?
"Please Lachlan..." I whispered, right into his ear. "You're scaring me, I need to know what's so bad so I can help you."
He hiccupped, his tears still falling thick and fast and his shoulders shaking.
"You- you can't!" He cried, breaking down even further. "You can't help me!"
"Lachlan." I said, probably a little too fiercely. "I can help you. I want to help you. I will help you, but you have to tell me what's wrong."
Slowly he pulled away and wiped his eyes, his eyes rimmed red and his face flushed and splattered with red spots.
"Please Lachy?" He nodded and shuffled away a little. At first I reached out for him, trying to pull him back, but he shook his head. He wiped his eyes again and all I wanted to do was to swaddle him into a huge hug, to comfort him, but again he pushed me away.
He had just grabbed at the corner of his shirt when he froze, his eyes closing and his head bowing. He was completely frozen, his body stiff and motionless. I waited but he didn't move, his breathing heavy and his entire body trembling.
"Lachy?" My voice shook. "You're scaring me."
He still didn't move, tears falling onto the bed.
"Lachlan?" I asked, lightly. "Something happened to you, didn't it?" He nodded, bringing his knees up so he could rest his head on them. He turned his head to me but he couldn't see me, his eyes still blurred with tears. "And you don't want to tell me what happened?"
He shook his head again but over the space of a few minutes his body relaxed, no longer sobbing. I wrapped my arm around him and hugged him close to me, pulling his head right into my shoulder, desperately wanting to comfort him.
"Can you tell me now?" I whispered after several minutes of silence and slowly, reluctantly, he nodded.
He pulled away and took a deep breath, and finally open his mouth.
But before he said anything, he leaned down and pulled his t-shirt off, showing me what he had been hiding for all this time.
The first thing I saw was two scars running across his chest and I immediately knew why he had hidden his body from me. The scars were that of a double mastectomy and I leaned across and hugged him tightly.
"Lachlan, it's okay. I don't care, you're still my beautiful boyfriend, this doesn't change anything!" He started to cry again.
"It does." He mumbled. "It really does." He wiped his eyes again and I looked him over, making sure he was okay.
"Why? Why does it change anything Lachy?" I whispered, pushing his messy hair out of his eyes.
"Because-" He stumbled over his words. "Because something happened when I was Australia." His lip started to tremble and I could tell he was forcing himself not to cry again.
I didn't push him, knowing he would speak in his own time.
"I- I don't remember much of well, anything but all I know it I went out with some friends-" He hiccupped, "and I remember waking up at home the next morning."
"But- you don't drink much-" He nodded.
"No one knows what happened, by the time we worked it out it was too late. My friends reckon I was drugged." He whispered the last part, his hands folded across his stomach and his head bowed.
Minilan- Bump Parts 1 & 2
Start from the beginning
