Care For Me ✔️

T W E N T Y - F O U R

L I L Y

Leo spent most of the night teaching me Italian, I now know how to say basic phrases such as hello, good morning, how are you- I'm no expert but I'll get there someday, hopefully. Grey came in to Leo's bedroom at around 2am to check on us, upon realising we were still wide awake, he was not impressed and told us to get to sleep so we would be well rested for school tomorrow.

We didn't want to disobey Grey and managed to fall asleep around an hour after Grey's appearance. It had to have been one of the most comfortable and peaceful sleeps I've ever had, I slept in an actual bed for the second time in my life. I had no worries of getting woken in the middle of the night to be beaten, no voices in my head telling me how worthless or pathetic I am and most importantly no nightmares plaguing my already fragile mind. As I felt Leo's large arm pull me closer to him along with his soft breathing I couldn't help but feel one thing I had always longed to feel- safe.

I woke up at 6am, Leo was still in a deep sleep. As I stared at Leo's sleeping figure I couldn't stop the small smile that fell upon my lips, he looks so peaceful, so worry free. I liked seeing him like this. One thing I've realised about Leo is he always seems almost emotionless, he has the whole I don't care aura around him but I can tell deep down he himself has inner demons, demons that plague his mind much like my own. He puts up a front to hide his hurt- his eyes, the eyes so scarily similar to my own show his vulnerability. I can see it so clearly, maybe it's because of the similarities between us that I can tell what he's trying so hard to mask, no matter how hard he tries to hide it, to keep his expression blank- I can still see the young boy that seems lost, who seems numb.

As not to wake Leo, I gently untangled myself from his grip before making my way into the bathroom. I wash my face and brush my teeth then decide to head down to the kitchen. Walking down the long soft carpeted hallway towards the spiral stairs, I couldn't stop myself from looking around in awe- their home is so beautiful.

Upon reaching the kitchen, I realise I'm not the only one awake, thus causing my anxiety to creep up on me. I'm fine talking to Leo's brothers, I can't help but feel comfortable around them, but- my fear of letting something slip about my home life and fear of making a fool of myself due to my lack of social skills still weighs heavy on my mind. I feel a pressure- pressure for them to like me. I don't know why I feel this way, I barely know these people- but it's true, I really want them to like me.

Grey is sitting at the breakfast bar- a pile of paper documents are spread out in-front of him as  he analyses them with a mug of coffee in his hand. He looks up from his work, sensing he's no longer alone. His blue eyes meet my own as a large smile over takes his face, did I make him smile? I can't help it as my lips pull up into an smile equally as large as Grey's. Warmth fills my chest- no ones ever given me a smile as genuine as his.

"Morning bambina, you're up early- how'd you sleep?"

"Morning Grey. I slept really good, thank you."

Grey pats the seat beside him silently indicating for me to take a seat, which I do. My eyes scan over the large piles of documents in front of him as he begins to rub his temples.

"What are you doing?"

"Paperwork tesoro, I need to have this finished by the end of the week so thought I'd get an early start."