The man pressed his forehead against yours.
"Let's play a game little one. You like games, yes?"
You nodded yes, feeling overwhelmed by everything happening at once.
He saw the panic in your eyes and shushed you, telling you to close them while he spoke.
"There's a combination lock on the door, 23317. You can either run away or hide. If you run away, I won't come looking for you and take it as a sign. If you hide it has to be somewhere in the front yard. I'll find you, bring you back inside, and show you the care that you deserve. Understand?"
"I understand."
"Go."
Running with your hands shaking, heart pounding, and vision spinning you made your way to the door, whispering the combination.
"23317."
You pulled the lock down and to your surprise, it worked. A rush of air greeted you as you opened the door. You had a decision to make. You knew you were in danger. This man was capable of horrible things, but on the other hand, he was open with you, emotionally vulnerable, and gave you reasons to trust him. The reality is that you had a love for him that couldn't be buried. Not a romantic one, but something similar to a parental one. Spotting a large bush, you hid behind it. You still had the chance to run away. Your mind was telling you to, but your heart was telling you otherwise. You chose to listen to your heart, even though doing so may have dire consequences. Your attention was drawn to the front door. The man stepped outside, talking to himself.
"There aren't many places to hide out here."
He was right about that, which is why he looked behind the bush almost instantly.
"Y/N?"
His eyes widened as he realized that you made the choice to stay. Wrapping your arms around his neck, he lifted you up.
"Let's get inside and I'll show you how much you mean to me."
