The drive to his house was silent, but that was nothing out of the ordinary since it isn't like I can make small talk. His hand never left mine, and I was grateful for the support and comfort. Why couldn't she let us help her? Why did she take such drastic measures?
When we pulled into his driveway, I was a little anxious that his mother would come home, and I froze in my seat. That woman truly hated me, but maybe she hated everyone. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't hear my door open and almost didn't realize Kaden was picking me up and cradling me against his chest.
He remained silent as we entered his house, and I was going to tap on his shoulder or something when I heard a small voice.
"Kadey!" The little ball of sunshine barreled down the hallway, and my mouth began to turn up at the corners slightly. She froze when she saw me, and if it was even possible, her smile got wider.
"Avi!" I wriggled out of Kaden's holding so that I could hug her and I kneeled on the floor, taking the toddler into my arms. Kaden crouched beside me, resting his chin on my head.
"Hey little monkey, I hope you didn't get into too much trouble today, I won't get a complaint about you from Mrs. Brooks will I?" He had a stern facade on, but I knew that he was secretly not being serious in the slightest. Lanie's face got a little bit bashful and she blushed, "Well, I may have been a wittle naughty, but it wasn't on purpose!" Her little hands were flailing around, and Kaden's chuckles sent warm tingles down my spine.
"Okay Monkey, but I expect some explaining later. Right now I have to talk to Avianna, so I will get you a snack, but you need to stay in the kitchen okay?" She nodded her head and he rose from the floor picking her up with him. "Let's get you some food!"
After he had gotten her a snack of goldfish and pretzels plus various fruits, he made his way back to me leaving a kiss on my head before guiding me to the couch. Why did his touch feel so good and warm? I never wanted him to leave my side.
"Hey Finch, I think that we should talk about what happened today, I don't want you to feel alone in handling this, so I hope that you will let me be there for you," he was unconsciously playing with strands of my hair, and I leaned into his side, craving the warmth he provided. I reached for my bag and pulled out the whiteboard and a plain black marker. I needed to tell him.
'Do you want to hear a story?'
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I took a deep breath. He had to know, I couldn't keep hiding these things from him after everything he has done for me.
'Once there was a broken girl. She was like a paper that had been torn up, so she couldn't ever be perfectly pieced together again,' I looked to make sure he was paying attention before erasing.
'She was lost and hopeless, but then she found a boy, or in retrospect, the boy found her' I was realizing how this sounded a little bit like him.
'She started trusting him, and he started to take away her pain' his grip on me tightened and his hand ran up and down my arms.
'She was completely unaware of the pain he would cause her', I could see his jaw clenching.
'The girl was waiting for him at school one day, but he didn't meet her where he normally did'
'She went looking for him, and her school was so small that she found him with ease'
'She wished that she hadn't found him'
'He was a little preoccupied with one of her friends' He hugged me even closer to his side, and my vision was getting cloudy as my cheeks got damper.
'She screamed and yelled at them, wishing that she had never met them'
'She was heartbroken and ran home, but her pain didn't end there'
'This girl had another reason for being broken'
'I can go back to that later, but for a short explanation, she had family issues'
'Her father was at home, and he was waiting with some friends'
'She always hated when he had friends over, they liked her too much' Kaden looked pained as I continued.
'Do you know those parties where you pass around a blunt?'
'She was like a human blunt, and they could do anything they pleased'
'Every pervert's dream don't you think?' Kaden was placing kisses on my head, his eyes fixated on the board.
'That was the day that her dad was exposed'
'A neighbor found out, and he was tried in court and found guilty'
'You would think that would be a happy ending, but she was not out of the woods yet'
'She had only seen the beginning'
'The girl was put into foster care, and she was taken in by a family with boys her own age, twins'
'The twins never liked the girl, they thought she was nothing more than a pretty face, they thought that she was weak'
Flashbacks ripped through my head
They were being aggressive, I thought that they would be nice, I was wrong. They had a wicked look in their eyes as they slid down their pants. I screamed but nobody heard. Nobody cared.
'The girl was scared, but she still fought back'
'She tried to tell the parents, but the parents sided with their angels, and joined in on the fun' Kaden seemed to be growing teary eyed.
'While the sons seemed somewhat professional, the parents were amateurs'
'They made a mistake that would cost the girl her voice' Kaden tensed up even more, and I was grateful for his presence. This was the hardest story to tell.
They pushed my face towards the flames, and I accidentally inhaled the gas. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. They were laughing until I began to stop breathing. The flames licked my skin, taunting me as they singed my hair, but never truly reached my face. I was raced to the hospital, and they let me live. They couldn't let their toy die.
'They shoved her towards flames, and after inhaling a minuscule amount of the chemicals, the girl's larynx was severely damaged'
'They took her to the hospital, but they removed her before she could undergo speech therapy'
'They liked her silent, and after a while, she figured that she was better off not speaking'
'Nobody ever listened to her anyway,' he looked like he was ready to cut it, but I stopped him with my hand. I needed to do this.
'She stopped trying after that. She was like a puppet that followed her masters' bidding'
'She let them dress her, rape her, abuse her, scar her, she let them entertain themselves'
'Her eyes were lifeless, but nobody cared'
'One day, her social worker visited'
'She told the girl that someone wanted to adopt her'
'The girl was frightened,' I bolded the words, emphasizing my fear.
'She was scared of being abused again, and paranoia overtook her'
'Imagine her surpise when she was met with smiling faces and pleasant company'
'She was still cautious, still scared, and one day people started caring'
'She was going to pick up her new siblings, but she ticked someone off'
'She didn't mean to' He had a ghost of a smile as he recognized the sound of their first encounter.
'Her sister defended her, speaking on her behalf'
'The girl gained an audience of boys her age, and they all seemed entertained'
'All but one'
'He seemed upset and was studying the girl as the girl studied him'
'She thought the worst of the group of boys'
'Their only redeemable quality was the car they were working on,' he chuckled at that.
'When she started school she was stunned by the hospitality'
'She had a friend, a buffer from society'
'Then she made one of the boys upset'
'Then another'
'Then another'
'Soon they were all curious about her, and she sought refuge in a room that was full of art'
'All of it seemed so sad'
'So secluded'
'She drew in there, only to be found later on by a guy that seemed to be warming up to the idea of toying with her'
'But the guy found something'
'He found her scars'
'He seemed like he was going to be kind, but she was wrong'
'He started picking on her, trying to get his friends away from her'
'He always hit her in her weak spots,' I watched as a tear rolled down Kaden's cheek.
'One day though, it was raining'
'She didn't have a ride, and she was so cold'
'A group found her, they wanted to have some fun'
'She was terrified and ready to succumb to her fate, but then something happened'
'The boy saved her'
'He took her to his home and showed her his secrets'
'After that, she started to get closer to him, then she started getting friends'
'She was becoming happy and proud of herself'
'If she could talk she would be a motivational speaker' Kaden rolled his eyes a little, and I had the ghost of a smile.
'She was so content with her life, but then they went to the beach'
'Then her friend was betrayed'
'Then she was shut out'
'Then she lost her friend and she began having flashbacks to her past'
'Then the boy began to comfort her'
'The girl felt safe, she felt secure and almost happy'
'The boy made her happy'
'She wanted to tell the boy everything, but she was scared'
'She was scared of her feelings'
'She finally gathered her courage and shared the past two years of her life'
'She wants to one day share her earlier years as well, but it is scary to be so vulnerable'
'She feels vulnerable because she likes the boy'
'She is scared to have feelings for someone'
'She doesn't want to be betrayed'
'The girl wants to feel like she can like the boy'
'She wants to know if he likes her'
'Does the boy like her?'
I look up at him as I finished the story, uncertainty and fear were evident on my face. His eyes shone with tears, and a small smile appeared on his face as he reached for my whiteboard and gently took the marker out of my hand. He wrote a few words that would change my life.
'Yes, the boy definitely likes the girl'
I read the words with such awe and happiness, and I grinned as he pulled me into an embrace and whispered in my ear.
"Can I kiss you, Finch?"
I look at him shyly, trying to think about it before hesitantly nodding. We leaned in and I slowly let my eyes flutter closed as our lips met.
They were as soft as they seemed, and I felt emotions that I never realized were possible. It was slow and tender and grabbed the back of my head before holding me closer. I was the one to deepen the kiss as I brought him down to my level, my fingers were woven into his soft hair. I doubt that the kiss lasted longer than 20 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity to me. As we broke apart for air, a grin that I felt would last forever appeared on my face.
"I hope that this means I will be able to call you mine Finch?"
I nodded with my grin still in place.
"Well then, I am honored to be the boyfriend of Miss Avianna," and with those words, we kissed again.
******************
AAGHHH! Cue the sound from that google commercial that used to be a meme! It is now 2 in the frickin morning because I couldn't stop writing this chapter. That is 1900 words in under two hours. I love this chapter so much, and after I had the inspiration I couldn't stop. Not to mention that I had just written over a thousand words for the last chapter.
What is wrong with me?
Two chapters out in one day, and both are over 1500 words, I am so proud. So, what did y'all think of this chapter? Did I do their unconventional relationship justice? I have never been very good at kiss scenes, so I hope that it was adequate.
To whoever is reading this, I love you!
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~Experiment51