Milo

Chapter X: Precaution

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          "I set a doctor's appointment for Milo on Tuesday. He can get caught up on all his shots and they can make sure everything else is okay." Santiago spoke as he exited the hallway and entered the living room. 

          Milo had already been put to bed, having been fed soup and taken a bath. He looked exhausted, rightfully so. I gave him his medicine which he did put up a small fight to, it was cherry flavored. I understood his protest, I could still remember the taste of child's medicine, even at the age of twenty-one. Santiago came in to say goodnight to him and only then did he finally fall asleep.

         "Thank you." I said sincerely.

         "It's nothing." Santiago dismissed me and moved to stand in front of me.

         "No, take the thanks. It means a lot, genuinely." I furrowed my brows at him.

         "Okay. okay. I'm sorry, you're welcome." He smiled. "Better?"

         He moved his hand to the back of my neck and rubbed it up and down soothingly. I sighed at the feeling, my eyes closing. Affection was something that had been scarce to me for far too long. There was a small voice in the back of my head telling me to move away from it, but I ignored it. It felt too good, the feeling of his warm hand on my skin. 

         "Are you tired?" Santiago asked quietly.

         "Mhm.." I hummed, opening my eyes. His face held a look of fascination. A weird feeling swirled in my stomach as his pale green eyes observed my face. 

         "You should get ready for bed, we can leave the packing for later." Santiago told me softly.

         I nodded my head, I was about to pull away when a thought came to mind. "Are you staying here tonight?"

         "I think it would be best, I can sleep on the couch." He suggested, his tone sounded somewhat cautious.

         "I can't let you do that. This is your apartment anyway. We can uhm-" I stuttered, pausing, before gaining a bit of confidence. "We can share the bed."

         Santiago didn't respond and instead, stared. From his lack of a response, I could feel my heartbeat quicken. 

         "I mean, if you don't want to I can sleep on the couch instead." I faltered. At that moment I felt like a fucking idiot. It had been so long since I opened up to someone and I was already regretting it.

         "No, no, it's fine. But are you okay with that?" Santiago rushed to quell my anxiety. 

         "Yes, I am." I said and started to move back, his hand slipping off my neck. "I'm gonna take a shower now."

         Santiago nodded and watched me walk away. When I was finally out of sight I shoved my face into my hands. I wanted to bang my head into a wall. After entering the bathroom I turned on the shower.

         The hot water eased the tension in my body. I let out a low sigh. From my vantage point, I could see out of the window. The sky was completely dark as it was around ten pm. A thought popped into my head as I lathered up a loofa. I needed to buy some hair products so I could re-twist my hair. It was something I always kept consistent and through the years it grew, now reaching my shoulders. 

         When I was done showering I walked to the closet, a towel wrapped around my body. I dressed in a teeshirt and shorts. I entered the bedroom to find Santiago standing on the right side of the bed, looking out the window. He was still dressed in his suit. 

         "You can take a shower now." I commented, my voice quiet.

         "Will do." Santiago answered me and walked away from the window. He had set the bag he brought from the car on the bedroom dresser. He opened it and grabbed something out of it. After a few seconds of staring, I finally realized what it was, a gun. He moved away from the bag and slipped it into the bedside drawer. When he was done he turned to face me a crooked smile on his face.

              "Precaution." He reassured me and moved back to the bag. I nodded understandingly and sat on the bed. The next thing he pulled out was a pile of folded clothes.

              "You planned to spend the night, then?" I cocked my head, a small smile making its way onto my face.

              "I'd be lying if I said I didn't." He moved away from the window, stepping into the dark, giving me little to no information of his facial expression. "You can go ahead and go to sleep, I'll be back soon."

              I nodded and watched him exit the room, leaving me alone. I shifted in my seating position, feeling nervous, ever so slightly. After a few minutes, I fully laid down and got settled into the plush sheets. Sleep came almost instantly. The day had been stressful for multiple reasons, and I knew the days ahead would be as well. But for now, everything was calm. 

              Santiago entered the room after some time. He got into the right side of the bed. I could tell that he was turned to face my back. I shuffled backwards until my back was against his chest. I held my breath as I waited for his reaction. At first, he didn't say anything. I was about to pull away when I felt his arm wrap around my waist.

             "Is this okay?" I whispered, ignoring the way my words stuttered.

             He moved his head to the crook of my neck and nodded. I shivered when his lips brushed against my skin. I could only hope he didn't notice. Sleep overtook me once again, this time it was successful. 

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authors note: hello! hope you enjoyed this chapter...... it's a little bit shorter than usual but the next one will be long. <3 have a great week!