Where My Demons Hide

Chapter 20

    One of my flaws was that I was a very eager person. I liked when things happened and I didn't like waiting. That was why I decided to quicken up the process of Haiden wanting to open up to me.

    I was sitting on the couch with a book in my hand and Haiden was sitting on the couch across from me, on his phone. Getting up, I decided to go through with my plan. It wouldn't hurt anyone and it would be fun to spend more time talking with Haiden, so I quickly walked over to him.

"Will you go on a walk with me?" I asked Haiden.

"Well, I kind of have to," Haiden said, amused. "Wherever you go, I go."

I nodded, even though I wished he took in I was asking him to hang out. I wanted him to have a choice in his answer to spend time with me, but Haiden didn't seemed to realize what I wanted. Knowing Haiden was like any other guy - dense, I just let it slide.

"Okay," I said. "Let's go."

Haiden got up and together we walked outside. We began to walk into the forest, silence surrounding us and all, and I began to give myself a pep talk. For some reason I was nervous and a part of me understood why Haiden wasn't keen on opening up. It was nerve wracking.

Finally, telling myself it was now or never, I said, "Okay, you literally know everything about me except for what happened the past five years of my life. I'm ready to tell you about what happened now."

Haiden raised his eyebrows at that, seeming surprised. Flustered, I looked away and mentally prepared myself. I had no idea what I would tell him and I found my heart racing. No one knew what I had to go through. No one other than The Daniels, which meant telling Haiden would be the first time I opened up to anyone on my own.

"You sure?" Haiden asked. "It's okay. You don't need to force yourself to do anything that'll make you uncomfortable."

"I know that," I said, looking back at him. "But I want to tell you this. It'll... It'll be good for me."

Haiden nodded, but he looked away. His body seemed stiff and I frowned, noticing he looked uneasy. I forced myself to ignore that as I began to open up.

"The day you left was the day my dad ended up in jail. It was all so sudden," I told Haiden as we walked deeper into the forest. "I remember coming home after waiting for you in the forest and seeing cop cars surrounding my house. Wondering if my dad got hurt, I ran to my house and I was suddenly grabbed by an officer who asked me if I was my dad's daughter. I said yes and he then proceeded to tell me my dad had been arrested for driving under the influence and for abusing me."

I took a deep breath in then, remembering the day clearly. I had felt so many emotions when I found out my dad was in jail. Fear, relief, anxiety. All those overwhelmed me and I remembered falling to my knees as I realized I had no one. I was all alone and I didn't know how to feel about it back then.

"The officer then told me to get into his car and together we went to the police station," I said, looking at Haiden who was listening attentively. "There I was asked to sit on a bench while they figured out what to do with me and I remember what happened next clearly. Hopeless, I sat in silence for an hour, wondering if I'd be sent to an orphanage. That was the last place I wanted to be and I remember how even though I was trying so hard to remain strong, tears began to slip down my cheeks at the thought.

"That was when a lady asked me if I was okay. My head had shot up at the voice and suddenly, I was looking at a beautiful, cheerful lady who turned out to be Chelsea Daniel." I smiled. "She asked me if I was okay again and I realized that was the first time anyone had asked me if I was that day, which led to me crying harder. Chelsea hugged me then and I cried and cried into her arms. When I finished crying, she then asked if I wanted to live with her.

"I was shocked when she said that and she told me how she always wanted a daughter. She told me I seemed to be a sweet girl and she would love to have me in her life, so after some hesitation I agreed. That's how the Daniels became my adoptive parents."

Smiling, I realized that had been such a good day. I remembered how warm Chelsea felt when she hugged me. I remembered feeling safe in her arms. No matter what they hid from me, I would be forever thankful that the Daniels adopted me.

"You know, I'm happy they adopted you," Haiden said, breaking the silence we had shared for a minute. "I was worried I had forced you to live in an orphanage unintentionally."

At those words, I remembered something I had always wondered. It had bugged me for five years and I couldn't believe I only remembered to ask now.

"Were you the one who got my dad arrested?" I asked. "Please be honest. I never understood how the police found out about my dad."

Haiden looked away, stiffening even more. "Yeah, it was me."

My eyes went wide and Haiden continued to look away. Even though I had expected it, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that even when Haiden left, he had made sure to make my life better one last time. Honestly, the things he did for me in the past were the exact reasons why I couldn't let go of him.

"How did you do it?" I asked quietly, feeling my heart race.

"I... Well, I just called the police station and told them that the man in your house seemed sketchy," Haiden answered. "They went to check on him and he was driving under the influence and he was also muttering about how you were never home and that he would make you pay for it. To be honest, I was lucky your dad was wasted that day."

    It was incredible how life had a way of playing out. Thinking that, I stared at Haiden with more questions in mind. I wanted to know about what he had been up to that day and why he suddenly left without a word, but I didn't dare ask him. I didn't want to push him away, especially after what he did for me.

    "So even though you were on the run or whatever, you decided to help me out by making my dad end up in jail?" I asked, stopping in my place.

    Haiden stopped walking as well and he turned to face me. His cheeks were tinted pink and I knew he didn't like talking about what he did, but I didn't care. Haiden was such a good guy and I hoped he knew that I was thankful for all he had done.

    "Yeah, I'm not that much of an asshole to leave you behind with a shitty dad when I ran off," Haiden mumbled, scratching his neck.

    I threw my arms around Haiden then, finding myself thankful. So incredibly thankful because thanks to him, I had received such an incredible family. Thanks to him, I also didn't kill myself like I had wanted to back then. Haiden had helped me so much in the past and I didn't care if he had changed. He had once been good and the things he did for me were things you couldn't forget.

    Haiden tensed as I held him tightly, but then he began to hug me back. It wasn't a tight hug and I could sense how uncomfortable he felt, but I continued to hug him. Hugging him felt so right, so I just hugged him in silence for a moment.

    After a bit, I then whispered, "Thank you so much Haiden. Seriously, that's the nicest thing anyone has and will ever do for me. No one is that kind."

    Haiden didn't say anything, but I felt his body relax. His arms began to tighten around me and I sighed lightly, knowing I was where I belonged. At Haiden's side, I felt happier than I had ever felt in a while. Safe too, because Haiden had been the home I had desperately needed five years ago.

    We held onto each other for a while and I closed my eyes. Haiden and I were getting closer and I began to dream of the day where we could be best friends again. I prayed it was close because everything felt right at Haiden's side.