Obsessed [book: one] // Thiam

Chapter 19

I speed down his street, looking out for his house number through the pouring rain. I stare down the street, seeing a figure on the side of the road, curled up into a ball. I knew before I could even see properly that it was Theo. I quickly turn into his driveway, stopping the car and jumping out. I close my door aggressively, noticing that half my car was still in the middle of the road.

I ignore it and run over to Theo, dropping down beside him, trying to assess what had happened to him. I can see fresh blood and I can tell he's in pain, I just don't know where it's coming from. The rain falls heavily onto us, saturating me within seconds. He continues to cry, hyperventilating as he rocks back and forth.

I hesitantly reach out my hands, reading somewhere that you should never touch someone when they're having a panic attack, but I don't know if this is a panic attack or not. I decide to slowly wrap my arms around him, stopping him from rocking.

"It's okay Theo, I'm here now. It's alright, just take some deep breaths," I calmly tell him, brushing his hair out of his face. "It's alright, I'm here now, nothing else can happen."

He places his head on my shoulder, crying into it. I look over to his house, now hearing the screaming coming from inside. I can't make out what they're saying exactly, but I can hear a male and a female yelling at one another. I can only assume that it's his dad and his mum, which would only make sense.

His dad and mum always fight, his dad gets mad at his mum, Theo then steps in and tries to stop it, which then leads to Theo getting hurt.

I run my hand through Theo's hair, shushing him, trying to calm him down before reassessing our next move. I think back to dinner and how my parents mentioned the spare room. I know that Theo can't stay here by himself and I already know I am not going to stay here with him, where it's unsafe for the both us.

The yelling gets closer to us, making Theo weep loudly. I hug him tighter, covering his ear with my arm. I hold him close to me, closing my eyes and imagine us somewhere else, blocking out any other noises.

"Imagine we're on the beach, the waves crashing against the rocks, the birds squawking as they fly passed us. It's a bright and sunny day, nobody is around us and we have the whole beach to ourselves. It a perfect day outside and we sit there for hours. No talking, no distractions, just nature." I whisper to him, trying to put his mind at ease.

He stops crying, his body limp and weak. I let go of him and look down into his sad, broken eyes. I look over to my car and then back down to Theo.

"Want to come home with me? We have a spare room." I tell him, only receiving a small nod.

I help him stand up and help him walk over to the car. He holds his ribs as he slowly walks over to the car, getting in slowly. I can see the pain on his face, but I don't comment on it, because I already know it can go one of two ways and right now I just want to get him back to my place, where I know he will be safe.

I close the door behind him and run over to the drivers side. I look over to the door, watching as his dad runs outside, calling Theo's name. I quickly get into the car and start up the engine, driving away before anything else could happen to Theo.

I drive down his street and take a right turn, not entirely sure as to where I'm going. I turn down the music, noticing the silence in the car. I quickly divert my eyes from the road and look at Theo, noticing that he wasn't crying anymore.

I continue to drive around in silence, unsure if I should disturb the silence and ask him a question. I tap my hands on the steering wheel, taking a deep breath in as I prepare myself for whatever happens next. I clear my throat and look at him.

"What happened?" I ask him softly.

He takes a deep breath in and slowly turns around to me, giving me a weak smile. He looks down at his hands, which were shaking uncontrollably.

"About a year ago, my parents got a divorce. My mum and dad never really got along, but he's still apart of my life. About 6 months ago, my mum met this new man and things got serious fast and she moved in with him, but I refused to leave my dad. But about 2 months ago he got really sick and died, which meant that I had to move in with my mum and step dad." He begins crying again, everything now making sense to me.

I grab his hands and hold them firmly, looking into his sad and broken eyes. I can't imagine what it's like to lose a parents suddenly with no warning. I don't even want to imagine it, so I don't know how Theo has been this strong for this long.

I start the engine again and begin driving towards my house, knowing for a fact that it is not safe for Theo to return home. I turn the music up slightly, trying to distract him from everything that has happened to him in the past year.

I turn down my street and slow down, giving him time to settle down and think about everything. He looks around at all the houses, an odd look on his face, almost like he's been down here before. I ignore the look and proceed to pull into my driveway.

"You're staying at my place tonight and for however long you want to," I inform him, making sure he knows he has no choice into where he stays tonight.

He looks at me and slowly nods, pure sadness in his eyes.