Bully

Chapter 32: Charleston

A month or so later and we were arriving in Charleston. It made me nervous since I was going home with Eric. Barry said he'd overnight my documents to me making me smile in silent thanks. The dreadlocked man was the last to be dropped off so he gave me a gentle hug. Eric had grabbed my bags too before walking me to the front door.

He assured me I was going to love living here. When he opened up the door and let me step inside, I gasped. It was such a beautiful home! So warm and inviting. It felt...peaceful...here. I immediately almost felt at rest here. He told me to follow him so I cautiously made my way up the stairs. He showed me which bedroom was mine, which was across the hall from the master, and set my bags down by the dresser.

Eric let me check out my new living space while he dropped his bags off. The bathtub had jets in it! The stand-alone shower had a bench seat which was good for me. I could sit down with my jacked-up knee if I wanted to shower instead of attempting to climb in and out of the tub. I walked out on the balcony and the view was even more spectacular than the photos on his phone.

"Think you'll like living here?" He questioned from the door.

"Oh definitely! This room is bigger than what I had back home. I had to share the bathroom with five siblings and our tub certainly didn't have jets in it! My room back home just had a view of the garage." I gushed, "This place is amazing."

He laughed before telling me to follow him and he'd show me the rest of the house. I was excited to see more of this beautiful house. He wasn't kidding when he said the kitchen was large! A whole family could cook in there and there would still be room for people to move around! He showed me where the laundry room was, he showed me the basement studio he'd set up for himself. Finally, he showed me the magnificent backyard. The pool was amazing, the deck looked like it was great for just lounging around on a lazy day. The yard was fenced in but we had a gate that opened up to the beach!

We headed back inside so I could sit down and elevate my knee. My whole leg was hurting again although I tried to not let it show. Somehow, he could sense it and asked if I needed some pain meds. I slowly nodded my head yes. He went to fetch one for me and a glass of water. I quickly took it and thanked him. The pills always made me sleepy which I hated. He turned the tv and cable box on and began browsing for something for us to watch.

**ERIC'S POV**

The pill began kicking in and the poor girl couldn't keep her eyes open. As hard as I tried to pay attention to the movie, my eyes kept drifting to her. She eventually leaned over and was resting her head on my shoulder. I helped her into a more laying position where she could lay her head on my leg and stretch her legs out. She looked so peaceful laying there asleep. It looked almost natural for her to be laying on me.

As I sat there watching her sleep, I kept thing about what she'd said about her new room. "This room is bigger than what I had back home." Just what kind of space did her family let her stay in? A broom closet? A small space in the attic? I truly hoped she would enjoy living here with me. I hoped she would feel comfortable enough here with me to open up to me about her past. We were all worried about her.

Around dinner time, I slipped her head off my leg and walked into the kitchen to make us something to eat. Spaghetti sounded good so I got on to making that. Hopefully she would like it even though I used pre-made spaghetti sauce. She remained quiet as she slept and I cooked us our first meal together. The garlic bread was almost done and I was putting everything on the table when she finally awoke.

"Good timing, dinner is almost done." I smiled at her, "I hope you like spaghetti."

"I love it." She quietly replied.