After a very long dinner consisting of mostly quiet eating, the clacking of the metal silverware, and the pushing around of food on plates, Daniel's father once again asks if my answer had changed.
"So, Lilison, have you thought about my question?" He daps the corner of his mouth with one of the fabric napkins that was brought out with the feast.
"No, my answer remains the same." I push the green bean around until it lands in the pile of mash potatoes on my plate.
"That's a pity." He says before snapping his fingers.
The fork clatters out of my hand as I am ripped out of my seat. Doug starts to push me towards the large door. Before we get there he redirects me to the corner of the room.
"Lily out of all the people that my son could date, I thought that you would be the most reasonable. Be able to see the logic in admitting to your own mistakes." I hear the scrapping of chairs behind me. I try to look over my shoulder but the grim message is clear on my guard's face, I am supposed to keep looking into the corner.
After a couple silent moments, I hear Daniel grunt, almost as if he was punched. Based on the state of his face, he likely was. My hand goes over my mouth to keep the noise in as the realization hits me with horror. They want me to stand here and listen as they beat the shit out of him.
The minutes inch by. Each smack, I flinch. Daniel, however, stopped making noise a while ago. Now, all I hear is the impact of punches or kicks against flesh. I have tried to break away from my spot in the corner, tried to get around the thug blocking my way, but unfortunately for a man of such great size, Doug can move fast.
I went to try to speak, but quickly closed it when Doug whispered to not say anything.
Finally after forever, I am turned around to see the damage. There laying limpy at the feet of his mother and father is Daniel. This time when I try to get to him, I am able to slip past Doug.
I rush to the broken boy. His labored breaths tell me everything that I need to know. He is alive, but barely.
"How could you?" I say looking up at the two disgraces in front of me. Their expressions are cocky. They know their actions are wrong and are thrilled by the effect that they are having on me.
"You have the nerve to stand there and smile. You two are monsters. You two-" The smack sends me face sideways. I put my hand up to calm my burning skin and turn back to the pair in front of me. When I pull it away from my check, my fingers are dotted with red. Her nails had cut me.
"Don't you dare talk to me that way, Missy. Especially in my own home." Mr. Lostino has to hold his wife back from coming after me.
"I guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship." Instead of sicking his wife on me like I'm sure Mr. Lostino wants to, he nods his head over to I'm assuming Doug. One second I am standing and the next I am being carried out the room by my waist like a petulant child.
The door closes loudly behind us. Halfway back to my room, I am finally set back on my legs.
"A little piece of advice, don't talk back to them." He gruffs out, before returning back to silence.
"Gee thanks, even I could figure that out." I mumble, putting my hand back up to my cheek. I have hung out with the Lowmens/Lostinos plenty of times over the last couple years. I mean you have to when they are the parents of your boyfriend. How could they go from such amazing people, who were always one step away from pinching their son's cheeks because of how cute they thought he was, to horrible ones that kick him in the ribs to make sure that he stays down?
Could they really be that good of actors? I doubt it.
While I am contemplating what just happened, we arrive in front of my room. Doug unlocks it and looks like he is going to shove me in, when I put my hands up.
"I know, I know." I say calmly as I walk back into my plush prison.
______
"Lily"
My pillow disappears. I roll over in my bed, trying to get comfortable after losing my primary head support.
"Lily"
This time something jabs into my ribs. I roll over again, trying to find the original position that I had fallen asleep in.
My eyes shoot open. I don't remember getting into bed. I could have sworn that I fell asleep on the floor. Just as quickly as my eyes were opened, they are shut again when a pillow smacks into my head.
"Lily!" This time, I know that the hushed yell is not in my head. Someone is in my room and likely they are trying to smother me with a pillow. I go to scream when a hand is put over my mouth.
"Don't scream, it's me. It's Daniel." Pillow in hand, there he sits. Bruised face and all. He stares back at me with a flashlight illuminating the space around us.
"What are you doing here?" I sit up and look around, surely they will notice him being gone. Not to mention the light that he is currently using that cuts through the pitch black like an eye sore.
"I had to make sure that you were okay." He looks over my face, wincing slightly as he does so taking in the cut that his mom had left. However, based on the multiple injuries on him compared to my one, I am not the one in need of a check up here.
"If I'm okay? Look at you." I go to touch his face, but he stops me. I drop my hand, "How did you even get in here?"
He chuckles, "Secret tunnels."
"Of course." They would obviously have some of those in a place like this. Something he would know since he has likely been here before this whole mishap.
"Some rescue, huh?"
"What?"
"That's what happened, they caught you trying to get in here." Oh, yeah, I was supposed to be meeting Daniel in the meatpacking district before getting caught by Jason.
"Not exactly."
"Then how did you get here?" He makes a confused face. A face that I am so used to seeing, that I could almost cry at the familiarity of it.
"Jason." I state.
"What'd he do?" His face darkens, the confusion long forgotten.
"Nothing," I assure, "I stole his truck, something that he wasn't too happy about."
"That's it? Just because you took his car?"
"Well not exactly."
"Then what else?" I look him over. Take him in. See the boy that I have had countless lunches with. The boy that sat with me while I was studying. The boy that would braid my hair when he was bored.
"Okay so..." I tell him everything, excluding the sugar trade incident and anything to do with Kane. It feels wrong to talk about him with Daniel for some reason.
I finish my tale with a yawn.
"Wow. Just wow." He looks at me with new eyes, "You've been a busy bee haven't you?"
"I did what anyone would have in this position." I answer honestly.
"Not everyone." I think I hear him mumble.
I yawn again, my eyes have since become a lot heavier after my bout of storytelling.
"Here." He lays down, indicating for me to follow. When I do, he wraps his arm around me, an action that he has done a million times before.
"Shouldn't you get back?" He can't be caught here. I don't know if he can handle a round of two with his dad.
"I'll be gone before you know it." He gives me a reassuring smile.
Cuddling into his arm, I turn back over waiting for sleep to come.
It never does.
______
After the fourth attempt at trying to fall back asleep, I sit up again. Daniel doesn't know this because he can sleep anywhere at any time, but I never actually sleep during our naps. I never can get comfortable.
He still has yet to leave, so I take this time to look at him. People can hide anything when they are awake, when they are alert. However, when they are asleep, they are defenseless. Their guard is let down.
Since it is closer to morning, a small hue of light is coming through the window. It is just enough light to allow you to be able to see in the room, but not enough to wake you up from a slumber.
With his face relaxed I can see the true colors of the bruises. One on his eye, a couple decorating his cheek, a cut through his lip. This time I can't stop myself and lightly touch one of them.
He doesn't flinch, doesn't even wince the slightest at the contact.
That's weird. He didn't want me to touch him when he was awake, more than likely because of the pain, but when he is in his weakest state he doesn't feel anything. Also, he sleeps surprisingly well for someone that has just had the shit beat out of them.
I pull back and look at my finger. It's dirty.
Looking back over at the sleeping boy, I decide to try something. Licking my finger, I run it gently down one of the many bruises on his face.
The bruise is now smudged.
Interesting. Now, I don't know about you but my bruises can't be scrubbed away.