Stealing Kisses

Chapter 17

Faith POV: 

Tim paces my bedroom, rubbing his forehead incessantly. He rambles on and on about what he saw last night, and how it's been keeping him from sleeping. I stare at my alarm clock, wondering how he's been here for three hours already. I scratch the back of my neck, before clearing my throat, waiting for him to slow down so I can get a word in. 

"I know that he had The Dark Side of The Moon, Pink Floyd record on when it happened... I mean, every little detail..." He continues, as I shut my eyes for a moment. 

"Tim..." I cut off, causing him to pause speaking and pacing. "I really don't want to relive the night I was raped." I finally say, causing him to cringe. He looks down at his shoes and nods, before shutting his eyes. 

"Meredith is--" He starts. 

"My sister." I conclude for him, watching him nod. "She turned the other way, in exchange for heroin." I release, hoping that will silence him for a while. "I would love if you could forget this, alright?" I let out, as he stares. 

"Faith, I need this to stop." He releases, as I shut my eyes. "I can't see these things and just forget. I can't avoid seeing them, and I can't avoid remembering, but I need it to stop, because I can't let myself rest with this shit on my mind." He continues, as I shrug. 

"I'd love for it to stop too, but it's just won't. I wish I had the answer." I let out, feeling frustrated. I take a second to breathe, before sighing. "I'm sorry for being harsh. I'm just... I don't like talking about it." I concede, watching him nod. 

"I understand." He replies, as I feel a twinge of pain in my stomach. 

"I'm probably overdue for pain meds too." I add, placing a hand over my healing wounds. "Can you grab my medicine out of the cabinet in the bathroom?" I request, watching him walk into the bathroom. He returns with two pills in his hand, dropping them into mine. I wash them down with water, before looking at the clock once more. 

"We see the memories even when we aren't together..." Tim lets out, trying to think through our situation. He sits down on the edge of the bed, before rubbing his forehead. "My memories seem to be conjured up by seeing, touching, or thinking about something related." He admits, while I nod. 

"Mine too." I agree, hearing him sigh. "I don't think it's something we can avoid." I release, as he hangs his head. 

"I just don't understand why this is happening... and why it's happening to us..." He expresses, before turning toward me. "I mean, this can't be by chance. This can't just be a run of the mill thing." He begins to ramble, before reaching out and grabbing my hand. 

"I know..." I let out quietly. I bite my lip and try to find the strength to say what I need to. "Tim, I know this is something rare... but I can't uproot my life like that." I confess, before taking a deep breath. 

"So you're just going to ignore this?" He lets out, sounding heavily offended. 

"Things with Dan are steady and safe, and I can't risk losing that." I explain carefully, causing Tim to stand up and pace once more. 

"So you're going to play it safe, when the universe has sent us a blatant sign?" He argues, making me cringe. I look down at my knees, praying for strength. "Faith, when has something like this happened with Dan?" He challenges, as I look at him with exhaustion. 

"Dan's good to me... and we have a son together, Tim. It's different." I assert, watching his skin crawl a little. 

"It's different?" He chimes out. "Hell yeah, it's fucking different. It's different because you and I have seen our whole futures together, and Dan doesn't give you the fucking time of day." He shouts, making me wince. I take a deep breath while trying to keep my composure.