Falling ♡ Timothée Chalamet

22 - sundae

It's all coming back to me in full throttle as I examine Drew in this painful state. Is this how I looked every time my father had his way with me? Did I look broken down, bruised and helpless? Did I look like someone who needed to be held, to be hugged, to be loved?

I don't know for sure. But what I do know is that Drew matters to me. Maybe not in the romantic way that he wants me to think of him, but in a more important way. In a way that makes me want to be there for him, and protect him from any harm.

Drew finally finds the courage to face me again. His wet teary eyes find mind and I don't waste a moment before I pull him close to me. To my surprise he hugs back, he hugs me back tightly and meaningfully and he shudders in my arms. He even lets out a soft whimper that makes my heart break into two pieces.

He doesn't deserve this. No one deserves this.

'Come on.' I say pulling away from him. 'We're driving you to school.' I turn around to face Aaron who looks at me with understanding in his eyes. I don't have to ask for his permission or explain anything to him for him understand that Drew needs us right now. That Drew is a part of our family whether we like it or not.

Aaron nods. 'I'll go grab the car.'

***

We don't end up making it to school.

Not Drew's school, and not mine either. Instead Aaron was generous enough to drop us off at an ice cream parlor that we used to go to with our mother when we were kids. School didn't seem like a priority to me at the moment.

Drew is still extremely quiet. His eyes are trained on the large ice cream sundae I just bought him but he hasn't taken a bite out of it yet and if I didn't know how he was feeling right now I'd be concerned. But I'm not concerned, because I know this is normal. At least I think this normal.

When my dad broke down my walls and hurt me and made me sob in his stupid house with my hands above my head shielding my face begging him to stop, I wouldn't want to eat either. I'd lose my appetite for days and it was hard for me to find the courage to even speak at all.

I got better at it though. Eventually, as time went on I got good at pretending I was alright, and I was able to make it seem like my life was under control. But it never was. And I thought Drew had that ability too. I thought he could turn it off and turn it on whenever he wanted, and just act like he was okay.

But it seems I have him figured out all wrong.

Again.

'You don't have to talk about it. We can talk about something else if you want.' I say taking a bite out of my own ice cream sundae and peering at him for a second through my long eyelashes.

Drew looks up at me with his big brown eyes. He lets out a shaky sigh. 'I want to.' He says, and his response surprises me but I pretend to be unfazed by it.

'Okay. Start from the beginning then. When did you see your stepfather?' I ask pushing my sundae to the side so I can focus on him, and him only.

Drew takes a deep breath before speaking. I find that he avoids my eyes as he speaks. 'My mom wasn't home yesterday. She had an errand she had to run and I saw your brother Aaron leave for work in the morning.' I watch Drew scratch his neck and crane it to the side. The simple act tells me he's nervous to talk about this.

'I was sitting in the garden when I saw you and your friend leaving your apartment so I hid behind the bushes because I didn't want to face you.' Drew brings himself to look at me for a moment, to see my reaction but all I do is give him a simple nod.