Small

Love

Darren patted the outfit on the corner of my bed. "Let me know if you want my help getting dressed."

I nodded and watched him step out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

I turned to look at the pajamas he set out for me. I was used to him dressing me but I wanted some time to be by myself for a few minutes.

I had a great time seeing Darren's mom and I was glad we were able to visit her for the day. But it wore me out and I felt like I needed some time alone to... recharge.

I took my shirt off and left it in a heap on the floor. I grabbed the pajama top and pulled it over my head. I fluffed my hair out behind me.

Once I was fully dressed, I laid back on my bed, kicking my legs against the side of the bed. The ceiling fan was on and spun in circles, making me dizzy the longer I stared at it.

A knock on my door cause me to jump.

Darren paused in the doorway, the door partially open, as he saw my reaction. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you all ready for bed?"

I nodded and sat up. I looked at my bed before looking back at him. "Can I stay... with you?"

"Like in my room?"

I nodded.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

"Okay. Don't forget Ted."

I picked up Ted from where he sat against my pillows. Darren let me lead the way to his bedroom across the hall. He turned the lights off as we went from room to room.

I stood at the head of the bed and peeled back the covers. I crawled into the bed and stared at Darren, confused. "Why are you just standing there? Did I do something wrong?"

He smiled. "No, no. I just... I'm surprised you're getting so comfortable."

"Is that... bad?"

He chuckled and walked to the other side of the bed. "Not at all. I'm glad you're relaxing here. It's your home now, too."

I nodded. I felt the same way. It felt like Darren's home was now my home and I was welcome to be myself there. I never hid my real self in any way with Owen but I felt like, with Darren, there wasn't anything I'd get punished or yelled at for. Laughing at the TV or being scared of thunderstorms weren't things that I would be judged for and it was a big sigh of relief.

"Do you want me to get some blankets and sleep on the floor?"

I shook my head and patted the empty spot to my left. "No, sleep here."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, trying my best to be convincing. I trusted Darren. Maybe not 100% but enough that I could sleep in the same bed as him and not worry about what could happen.

"If you get nervous or scared at all, just-"

"I'll be okay."

He watched my expression for several seconds before he got into bed beside me. He kept his distance from me so I didn't feel as suffocated.

I hugged Ted close to my chest as I tried to fall asleep. I was tired as I hadn't had a nap earlier but for some reason, I wasn't falling asleep just yet.

I watched Darren as he closed his eyes and took deep breaths through his nose. After several minutes, he opened his eyes and they met mine.

"How come you're not falling asleep?"

"I don't know."

"Is there something on your mind?"

I nodded. There was always something I was thinking about. Sometimes, it was good and other times, it wasn't. But there was always something swimming around in my mind.

"You can tell me, Aly. Maybe I can help you."

I bit my lip. Part of me didn't want to be such a baby and just let myself go to sleep. But the other part was nervous about Owen showing up again with even worse intentions than the first time. "It's about... him."

"Are you afraid that Owen will come back again?"

I nodded.

"I won't let him hurt you, Aly."

"But he hurt you."

"I'm already healing. See?" He scrunched his nose then winced.

I bit the inside of my cheek as tears welled up in my eyes.

"You don't have anything to be afraid of, Aly. I'll keep you safe. I promise you that."

"How can you say that? We didn't know he was gonna show up today so how would we know if he plans to a second time?"

"I don't know. But I do know that I'll do whatever I can to protect you and keep you safe. You're my responsibility now."

"Responsibility? What does that mean?"

"That means that if anything happens to you, I have to fix it. That I have to take care of you."

I stared at the design on his shirt, unable to read what the letters said. "That's a lot to deal with. I'm... a lot to deal with."

He placed his hand over mine on Ted's head. "I'm not 'dealing with you', Aly. I'm loving you and taking care of you and protecting you from all the bad things in the world."

"Loving me?" I asked, a slight panic coursing through my chest. It didn't give me a good feeling to hear him say that and I needed to be sure that it wasn't a bad thing that he felt that way about me.

"Yeah. I love going camping with you and introducing you to my mom and sharing a bed with you."

"What does... What does that mean?"

"Love?"

I nodded.

"It means that you would do anything for the person you feel that way about."

"Anything?"

He nodded.

"Then... can I ask you something? And you'll tell me?"

"Aly, you know I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

I decided to be direct with him, knowing it was the best way to get the answer I wanted from him. The answer that had been on my mind for weeks.

"How do you know Owen?"

His breath caught and stuttered as my words came out. Clearly, he wasn't expecting me to ask nor was he expecting to have to answer me, either.

I kept my eyes on him, knowing that my gaze alone could pressure him into telling me. Surely, he had to feel a little guilty keeping a secret like that from me.

He sighed, knowing he wasn't getting out of giving me what I wanted. "Owen and I are brothers. He's younger than me by five years. And, in case you haven't noticed, he was the accident child."

I stared at him in complete disbelief. There was no way he was related to a monster like Owen. Darren was so caring and sweet and selfless. Owen was the exact opposite and more. It couldn't be real.

"I'm not like him. And I really don't want you to think I am. I want to be the person you trust the most. Not another person you're afraid of. God knows you have plenty of those."

"I do trust you the most." I said softly.

He smiled, relaxing a little. "Good."

I held Ted tighter to me and brought my knees close to my chest. How was I supposed to fall asleep after hearing that?

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Edited 5/18/2022