GOT GUTS? | Season 2 | How To Survive Human Trafficking [On Hold]

CHAPTER 9: Bound To The Bed

Kevin recoiled, a stare of skepticism tugging at his nervous smile.

"You're gonna do what now?"

He thought Duke was kidding.

Duke wasn't kidding at all. He knew his little captive was too smart to be left unchained. Even though Kevin couldn't even walk yet, Duke knew that if he managed to get his memories back, he would find a way out.

"I, umm." Duke scratched the back of his neck. "I'll have to restrain you." He winced at the harsh words that came out of his mouth. "Keep ya bound to the bed." He raised his hands to stop Kevin from judging him. "But it's just a safety precaution. I don't want you to hurt yourself. You're still recovering from the coma, ya know?"

Kevin gave Duke a dirty look before asking, "Are you a doctor or something?"

Duke mentally face-palmed himself. The memory loss again. Of course, Kevin wouldn't suspect a thing. He couldn't remember Duke's name sometimes, he couldn't even remember his own name.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I am."

"I see." Kevin lowered his gaze. "I have to be restrained so that I won't end up sleepwalking or sleepcrawling or whatever in one of my memory-loss episodes."

"Exactly!"

"OK." Kevin sighed then looked at Duke. "I get it. As long as you leave your door open in case I call for you. Deal?"

Did he just say he wants me to leave my door open? Duke blinked a few times to get back to reality, but this was real. My door? Me?

Duke expected an argument, a tantrum, anything but what Kevin just demonstrated. Kevin was calm and understanding, almost like he trusted Duke about everything. Duke loved it. It was like God gave him another chance, a chance to start over with a clean slate, a chance to actually get Kevin to be on his side, to like him, to love him even, to be his partner, forever.

Kevin held an adorable innocent stare that melted Duke's heart. I wanna kiss him right now, Duke thought, but he got a hold of his unstable feelings with a blink of an eye.

"Deal." Duke chuckled, earning a cute half-smile from Kevin. "Alrighty, then." He slapped his thighs before getting up. "I'll go get those restrains."

Duke winced as he said that last word. It sounded like the old him, the one who hurt Kevin and did unspeakable things to him. He didn't want to be that guy anymore. Kevin meant so much to him. He wanted him on his side at any cost. And, thus, he had to act nicer, be nicer around this clueless version of Kevin.

Just a little longer, Duke reassured himself. Keep this a little longer and Kevin's gonna be mine one day. All mine.

All the next mornings, Kevin woke up soaked in his own sweat. He refused to exercise or stretch his limbs no matter how Duke encouraged him. The nightmares didn't stop. Kevin was exhausted every morning thereafter.