Silent Cries |✔|

Eye Opener

Drew was sitting in the decline chair eating a bowl of Mac N' Cheese. He sent Arabella a polite smile. She wondered if everyone in his family is good-looking.

They made their plates and made their way into the living room. Brendan sat on the couch and smoothly pulled Arabella onto his lap. She gasped as she accidently flopped onto him. When she tried getting up he snaked an arm around her waist not allowing her to move. Drew chuckled from his spot in the chair seemingly amused.

She finally gave up and stopped trying. She sent a glare to Brendan, but he only pecked the side of her lips. When she got comfortable on his lap, she realized why he had her there in the first place. He still has a hard on. From the way it's poking at her butt, it hasn't gotten any smaller. She giggled quietly catching his attention.

"What?" He chuckled. She wiggled in his lap making him groan then quickly cover it up with a cough.

"Stop coughing." Drew said with a mouth full of noodles.

"Fuck off." Brendan said.

"So, Belle, how's the Mac N' Cheese?" Drew asked.

"It's great." Well, it isn't that great. More like it's okay.

"Don't lie, babe. It's barely edible." Brendan said.

"Maybe you should've made it then." Drew said.

"I was busy." Brendan looked at Arabella and smirked. She took a bite of her Mac N' Cheese to avoid him.

"Anyways, how was Mongolia?" Brendan asked.

"Kind of weird. But it was very enjoyable."

"Did you buy me a souvenir?"

"I'll give it to you when you make dinner." Arabella giggled at their conversation. She's never heard family be like this, it amused her.

"What do you do for living?" She asked.

"I work with the student exchange program for Oregon University. They make me travel to recruit students and stuff."

"Sounds fun." She said. Traveling for living would be like living a dream.

"It is, sometimes it's stressful though. Going where people don't speak English can be difficult." This sparked up a conversation between Drew and Arabella. Brendan would occasionally chime in, but she assumed he was listening. Her and Drew talked about culture and time. She discovered that Drew, much like Brendan, is a funny guy. He's not as sarcastic as Brendan, but he's funny.

"Wow, you know a lot about this stuff." Drew said surprised.

"She's pretty smart. She's pretty much a grade level ahead of hers." Brendan said.

"Oh really, what grade?"

"I'm a junior."

"I thought you finished high school from our conversation. Are you going to graduate early?"

"I hope so."

After that, they went on to discuss college and how he graduated college early because he took classes while in high school and suggested she try it. He seems very intelligent in a book smart kind of way. They ended up talking altogether for an hour. Soon his charming features became a charming personality.

"I enjoyed talking to you, Belle. Unfortunately, I'm very tired and need some sleep." He said standing from the chair. When he went into his bedroom and shut the door, Arabella turned to Brendan.

"He's really cool." She said smiling.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'm gonna go to sleep." She yawned.

"You don't wanna stay up and watch movies?" He pulled a cute pouty face.

"We have school, and it's late." She stood from his lap.

"You talked to Drew for an hour, but you can't cuddle and watch a movie with me?"

"I was being polite. I'm sort of in his apartment."

"Okay, fine."

"Why don't we watch a movie in your room?" She suggested.

"Because this TV has better HD."

"Baby, I'm tired." His eyes lit up when she called him 'baby'. He licked his lips and stood up next to her.

"Alright, let's go to bed." He kissed her forehead and lead her to his bedroom.

After settling under the blankets, Brendan pulled her closer and started caressing her stomach. Arabella hissed as he skimmed over her rib cage. Hoping he didn't notice, she turned away from him.

"Did I hurt you earlier?" He asked concerned.

"No." Her voice is quiet as she spoke.

"Are there still bruises from him?" He asked gently. She clenched her stomach and didn't answer. The bed dipped as he sat up and turned on the bedroom light. She hid herself further into the blankets as he sat where she was facing.

"Can I look at your stomach, baby girl?" He stroked her cheek gently. She shook her head no.

"I just want to make sure your ribs aren't fractured."

"It's ugly. I don't want you to see." They've showered together, but she made sure he wouldn't see them. Everytime he touches that area she feels a slight ache, but ignores it.

"Nothing about you is ugly." She looked up at him only to see a soft smile. She sighed and pulled off the comforter. He instructed her to lay down. Slowly, he lifted his shirt she's wearing, revealing fading bruises. Dark ones marked her rib cage in random places.

"I'm going to check you ribs. Tell me to stop if it hurts too much." he said. She nodded and laid on her back.

When he started caressing the fading bruises, her face scrunched up a little at the dull pain. He slowly made his way up to her ribs lightly touching the bruises. She gasped when he applied a little pressure. Pain soared through her chest as she let out a yelp.

"Shit, I'm sorry." He removed his fingers from her rib cage and held her waist gently.

"I think some of your ribs are fractured." He said rubbing circles on her sides.

"It's fine, I'll just put ice on it or something." She tried pulling down her shirt self conscious of her belly. Brendan's hands on her waist stopped her.

"I'm taking you to a doctor tomorrow. He knew my dad when he used to box, so he'll do it for free off the record."

"But that's illegal."

"It's fine. He won't get caught, trust me."

"You dont have to do all of this." She sat up and crossed her legs.

"I'll do anything to keep you safe." He said giving her a soft kiss.

"I should see my mom tomorrow though. I'll take the bus."

"No, I'll take you. I'm not letting you go there alone."

"Brendan, it's fine. She's always home early on Thursdays."

"I'm going with you. Period." He said sternly. Arabella couldn't deny that she liked this side of him. He's possessive and protective, which can get annoying, but she loves it about him.