I looked at the time. Four in the morning. I pulled the hood over my head and Pete pushed some sunglasses on my face. We only brought what we needed. We were both going missing. He shoved some boxes into the backseat while I got up front. When I got into the car I pulled the glasses off my face and the hood down. He got into the drivers side.
"My dads gonna sell off the house for me and deliver everything to us over the course of the week. He helped me buy a house last night in a very small town. Everyone knows everyone. I think it'll be a nice change" he said.
"Sounds like what I've always dreamt of having" I said smiling. I texted Andy.
Me: We're leaving now, I'll text you the address when we get there okay??
And: Okay dude, love you! Be safe!!!
Me: Love you too
I clicked my phone off and stared at my old apartment building. I ducked down quickly when I saw Ethan on the porch smoking. I grabbed Petes hand on the steering wheel. He dropped it off the wheel and squeezed my hand tightly.
"He didn't see you" he said. I lifted my head up and kept my hand in his. "You're okay" he said.
"I'm still terrified" I whispered. I frowned as he turned the radio up. I stared at the road ahead.
"You're allowed to be" he said gently. I nodded. "Try to get some sleep okay? We have a long drive ahead"
"Okay" I mumbled.
-----
I woke up to sunlight. We'd been driving for at least three hours. Pete was staring intently at the road.
"Hey" I mumbled sleepily. He looked over at me then back at the road.
"Hey pretty boy" he said gently "How ya feeling?"
"Tired" I said "Maybe we should stop to get coffee?"
"That's probably the best thing you've said since four this morning" He pulled over at the next Starbucks. We got out of the car and I stretched for the first time in three hours. Pete hugged my waist tightly. "You're so cuddly" he said. I laughed and turned to hug him. We stood there hugging for a while. "You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine" I mumbled "Just don't let go okay? Not yet" He nodded. I felt weak. But, I was used to feeling weak.
-----
"Okay, so, this is your house" The realtor said to us "And you both have a key each. It comes furnished so you don't have to worry about it, enjoy you're new house!" We smiled at her. We probably looked like shit but we did just drive for six hours. She left the house right after. We looked at each other and sighed.
"It's a beautiful town" he said.
"It is" I said "It is really small, you think they'll care that we're a gay couple?" We walked outside to Pete's car together.
"Why would they care?" he asked.
"I don't know sometimes small towns are homophobic" I shrugged.
"Maybe, who cares though" we both grabbed some boxes and loaded them into the house one by one "Welcome home" he said "You can look around" I nodded and walked into the kitchen. It was a really cute, small house. The kitchen was plain. It definitely needed to be repainted. The whole house not just the kitchen. I walked into the living room again then I walked upstairs. Only two bedrooms and a bathroom. I stepped into the bedroom. I looked up at the curtains. They were perfectly parted, just like Ethan had to have his. I opened one and left the other one closed. I looked around the room. It was pretty. Pete watched me from the doorway.
"I like this one" I said.
"You think that bed'll fit two people?" he asked.
"Maybe we should test it out" I said. He laughed and stepped further into the room "That drives me crazy" he mumbled. He closed the curtain I'd just opened to they were perfectly parted again. I grabbed it and opened it again. I stared at him.
"I-I can't stand it when they're perfect" I said staring at my shoes.
"He used to make me color code our bath towels" he said. I looked up at him again "And alphabetize the food in our house"
"I had to keep the curtains perfect" I mumbled "A-and keep the fridge neat"
"I don't get it" he mumbled "I mean, the whole neat freak side to abusive men, do they all have it?"
"I think it's a control thing, they want total control right? So they beat the shit out of you" I said. I sat on the bed. He sat next to me. I laid down and he laid down with me. "I think it'll be big enough"
"Me too" he said. He ran his fingers through my hair.
"Patrick, I don't wish you wouldn't have come into the bar. And I'm glad you're safe with me instead of getting hurt by him. I don't mean the things I say sometimes, I was trying to hurt you they way you'd hurt me that week by not talking to me and calling me a whore"
"I didn't mean to call you a whore" I said gently "I was really upset that you said you wouldn't hurt me and you just slept with every guy you could find with me in the next room" He ran his thumb over my lips. He leaned down and kissed me. I moved my lips with him. He rolled on me.
"I was a little scared" he said when we finally stopped kissing "Scared to feel something for you, I haven't really felt something since I got away from my ex"
"You loved him?" I asked.
"Until he started to beat me, yeah" he said "Did you love Ethan?"
"Until he started to beat me" I mumbled. He rolled up his sleeve showing me a scar I'd noticed before but never asked about.
"He stabbed me once" he said "Because I fought back, and he didn't like that, he wanted power" I ran my finger over it "So he stabbed me, and that was it. I ran to a safe house. That was two years ago"
"You're really strong" I said quietly. He shook his head pulling the sleeve back over his arm.
"I stayed for four years" he said.
"So did I" I said. He laid his hands over mine. I tangled our hands together. "Let's get some sleep"
"Okay" he whispered. He kissed the side of my mouth. "I'm sorry about what I said"
"It's okay, I'm sorry I called you a whore" I said.
"It's okay" he said sleepily.
