| Chapter Nine |
Getting home late the next night and taking a long shower had me exhausted even if I did just sit around all day. My parents had called me and told me they needed to stay two more days since the house showing was delayed due to a family emergency with one of the guests.
After waking up that morning, the four of us watched movies and sat around doing nothing while Ward and Rose went out for a business trip.
Now, after taking a shower, I decided to walk to the beach, which wasn't that far from my home. Though, it was dark outside with the sun just above the horizon, I didn't think much of it and began walking with my sketchbook and some pencils in my grasp.
One thing I loved doing in Arizona was staying up late at night and drawing the stars that aligned the night sky that particular night.
Now that I was back in Charleston, I wanted to draw the beach and collect some shells if I felt up to it.
Walking up to the beach and feeling the sand beneath my feet after I took my sandals off, I smiled as a breeze swept over me and inhaled the salty air.
I spotted a figure running along the shoreline but ignored him and found a rock to lean against while I opened my sketchbook and took out my desired pencils.
Glancing up every few seconds at the waves, I began sketching and humming a low rhythm of a song that was stuck in my head from earlier.
"It's funny running into you here." The voice interrupted me from my thoughts and I had to hold back a sigh at how many times I would see him in the span of a few days.
I glanced up from my drawing and saw the same shirtless man who was just running a few minutes ago. "Hello again, Cas. I would say it's a surprise but considering I've seen you two times already in between a few days would have me lying." I sent him a tight-lipped smile and looked back down to my sketchbook.
"I see you're in no mood to talk, so I'll, uh, leave then. Goodbye, Miss Miller." He began backing away but I cleared my throat.
"I told you to call me Lane, Cas, and you don't have to leave." I chuckled and tilted my head to the place next to me.
He smiled kindly and sat down a few inches away from me, leaning over and noticing the sketch I had started. "I didn't take you as a person to sketch in your free time. It makes you more interesting to me, though."
A laugh bubbled from my chest at his statement, but I waved him off anyway. "I used to do it in Arizona but I've been so caught up in being with my friends that I haven't had time to do it." I shrugged and used my finger to blend the black charcoal into the paper.
"In high school, my mother made me take art as an extra class and I would never admit it to her but I loved it and sometimes I would stay awake at night and paint on my balcony. It helped me a lot with my stress and it was the only thing that was consistent in my life at the time." He stated as he stared out at the waves, hugging his knees to his chest and laying his chin on his left knee.
I nodded along with his words and a small smile adorned my lips, "I have, uhm, trouble sleeping sometimes with nightmares and things like that, and I'd use this to keep me busy if I didn't want to bother my parents in the night." I spilled, not knowing why I was telling him this information but I found a small amount of trust in him in the moment.
For what felt like hours, we stayed there and talked and laughed about either memories from middle school or just stories we shared with each other. I slowly started to realize I liked his presence and how calm he talked to me and how patient he was when I would ramble.
Even if he thought of me differently, I liked just sitting with him and talking about things like we were friends.
When it was pitch black and there was only a streetlight for any type of light, we both agreed it was time to leave.
"Would you mind if I walked you home? I wouldn't know what to do with myself if something happened to you at this time of night." He offered and I smiled.
"If it's not a bother then of course." I said as I collected my pencils and sketchbook in my hands, having finished two sketches with the time we spent at the beach.
He walked me home in a comfortable silence and once we were at my doorstep, I sent him a kind smile. "Thank you, for keeping me company and for walking me home. I had a nice time just in your presence." I thanked him.
He connected his hands behind his back and grinned, "It was no problem at all, I had a great time as well. Thank you for your politeness and for allowing me to keep you company while you sketched. As always, I hope to see you again soon. Goodnight, Lane."
I waved at him as I slipped through my door and locked it behind me, trailing up the stairs and smiling at the time we spent together.
—
A few weeks went by and to say the summer was flying by was an understatement. It was late-June when most of the time it was breezy and warm out.
I spent a lot of my time with the Cameron siblings and Topper but occasionally I would see Kie and run into Cassian a few times. A few events were coming up like the Bonfire, and Midsummers was in four weeks.
Today I was at my house with my parents just having some time alone since I've been stressed lately with nightmares. It's been getting worse when I'm alone and I've told my parents but I know there was nothing else I could do except take pills but I knew those barely did anything.
So lately I haven't been getting any sleep to avoid them but what confused me was when I was with Topper and the siblings, I would sleep relatively well with minimal nightmares.
I had received a message from Sarah asking if I was joining her and Rafe at the party tonight but I declined and told her I was just staying in tonight, not feeling up to going to a party with how much anxiety I've been feeling.
I wondered why Topper wasn't going so I called him and he informed me that some of his family was coming over. I talked with him for a few more minutes before he had to go.
It was in the late evening as I helped set the table for dinner with my parents. The doors were open in the dining room and kitchen since it felt nice outside and the house smelled like the homemade pasta my mom had made.
"Lane, honey, do you know the Snow family?" My Mother asked with a small smile on her face as she set the pasta dish down on the table.
I looked up with furrowed eyebrows and glanced over at my Father for a second. "I know their son, Cassian. I've run into him a couple of times and I know him as a friend from middle school. Why do you ask?"
"At one of those Charity Events we've been to recently, we've talked with Charles and Margery and invited their family over for dinner tomorrow. I just wasn't sure if you knew them or not, but I'm glad you know at least one of their children." She chuckled and sat in the chair my Father slid out for her.
I nodded and thought about the idea of having their family over, not knowing how big their family was. "I know Cassian's brother lives next to us with his wife and his kids." I shrugged and sat down on the other side of her.
She nodded along and left the topic alone as we said Grace and began eating the food she made. After making small talk with them between dinner, my Mother excused herself and went to take a shower.
"I personally don't enjoy their presence." My Father cheekily grinned and I held back a laugh at his tone.
"Cassian is nice, and polite." I shrugged and helped him clean up the kitchen.
"Try not to leave me with them, will you?" He bumped his shoulder with mine and I chuckled but nodded.
"How's your nightmares, kiddo? Still hurting you?" He asked after washing the dishes. He glanced over at me as I cleaned the table off and I nodded.
"They're getting worse and to be honest, since I know you won't tell mom, I haven't been sleeping well. When I'm with Rafe, Topper, and Sarah, I'm fine. I just, I don't know dad, it's hurting my head and stressing me out." I sighed and looked down at my hands after I threw the rag into the laundry room I used to wipe the table off.
He walked up to me and pulled me into his chest, "I know, babygirl, I'm sorry I can't do anything about them. You know you can come and get me when you have one, right? I don't mind sitting up with you until the sun rises." He whispered into my ear and nodded against his shoulder, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.
"I'm just so exhausted, mentally and physically." I mumbled and he nodded, kissing the side of my head.
"Why don't we go and get some ice cream? Just the two of us without your Mother." He smirked and I nodded, a smile on my lips as he grabbed his keys.
—
After getting back with my Father and watching a movie with both my parents, I sat outside by the lake for a few minutes before going back in and telling them goodnight. I walked up to my room and decided to watch a movie series on my laptop.
Around midnight, my eyes started feeling heavy but I pushed to not give in so I wouldn't welcome the nightmares I knew that followed.
A few minutes went by of me watching my show when I heard something hit against my window. My eyebrows furrowed as I sat in silence until I heard it again a minute later.
I stood from my bed and glanced out of my window, seeing a silhouette standing by my jeep. I rushed quietly down the stairs so as to not disturb my parents and carefully unlocked the door before opening it.
What I found shocked me to the core. My eyebrows shot up as my jaw dropped in horror. Rafe stood there with a bloody and beat-up face in what I assumed was the clothes he went to the party in.
"Rafe! What happened to you? Oh my gosh, what...?" I trailed off and pulled him into my house and sat him down on the bench in the dining room.
My brain didn't register anything as I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest and my eyes scanning every part of his bloodied face.
"Are you going to tell me what happened or are we just gonna stay in silence?" I questioned sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
He cleared his throat and looked down at his bloodied knuckles. "Do you remember Reese?" He whispered.
"Yes." I sighed and remembered the boy from Sarah always talking about him and rambling about how she really liked him. They had gone on a date a few weeks ago and she said how perfect it went so I didn't understand why he was bringing him up.
"I found him forcing himself on Sarah tonight while she was drunk and out of her mind. I think you can tell what happened next." He chuckled and gestured to his face.
I closed my eyes in shock and turned to grab a rag and run it under warm water before walking back over to him. "Where is she now?" I questioned before hesitantly looking at him with the rag in my hand.
He nodded in approval and I began carefully wiping the blood away. "I drove her to Topper's since I knew he'd take care of her before I came here. I didn't want my dad to see me or anybody else so I thought you'd be my best chance at getting cleaned up." He huffed and turned his head up with the feeling of my hand against his chin.
I let out a deep sigh as I continued to clean up his face, successfully cleaning all of the blood off and leaving his face with raw gashes and deep blue and purple bruises that had already started forming.
I walked away in silence to collect some medicine for his face and bandages to cover up the slits and gashes.
I dabbed some cream on my finger and softly smoothed it out onto his cuts, ignoring his hissing as I focused on cleaning it all up before my parents woke up.
"I saw her." He spoke up again, making my eyebrows furrow in confusion as to who 'her' was. "My ex-girlfriend. She was there, at the party."
I stayed silent as I continued to clean his wounds but wondered what happened between them. "Before this," He gestured to his face, "I ran into her and she seemed happy. She told me that she moved to her sister's house to help out with something regarding her sister. Not that you care, I just wanted to tell you." He shrugged, almost like he wanted to tell me more.
"Topper told me." I nodded and ignored his lingering eyes and focused on his forehead for the time being.
He let out a breath and I could tell he was either embarrassed or trying not to be awkward. I wanted to say something but kept silent, afraid I'd say the wrong thing or cause him to freak out and panic.
"I'm sorry if I woke you up but I saw your light on and figured you were awake." He softly apologized, playing with his fingers that sat on his lap.
"It's not a big deal, I was already awake. I'm glad you came to me instead of anybody else, though." I whispered and glanced at his eyes before trailing back to the cut I was working on.
"Why were you awake, love?" He questioned and tilted his head.
I stayed silent for a few seconds before clearing my throat, "I couldn't sleep and decided to watch my show." I shrugged.
"You're lying." He sighed and grabbed my wrist that was held up from cleaning his face. I glanced at his eyes and raised my eyebrows, "Keep still." Was all I said as I worked on the last cut that was on his lip.
He hummed and let go of my wrist, closing his eyes as I finished up. "I'm not letting you drive with a busted face at this time of night so just stay here and you can go back in the morning, alright?"
He nodded and followed me up the stairs with light footsteps. I climbed into my bed and threw him a pillow and blanket, not taking the risk of him sleeping in the same bed with me as this was my house and I didn't need my parents asking questions.
But he understood and didn't ask questions as he made a makeshift pallet on the floor. "Lane?" He whispered as I laid in my bed with my eyes open. It was dark, besides the moonlight shining in, but I only hummed in response.
"Can I hold your hand?" He whispered and I smiled, reaching my arm down and taking his hand in mine.
"Get some sleep, Rafe." I sighed and squeezed his hand in mine.
"I'm sorry." Was all he said before I heard his breathing become shallow.
I stayed awake as best as I could but ended up failing and welcoming the darkness that enveloped my senses.
—I really like this chapter and how I portrayed her issues with nightmares and sleeping. I'm trying my best to include a good relationship with her dad because I know a lot of us have issues with our own fathers.
—I love you guys <33