(Complete) Charlie's life is slowly spiraling out of control. Her mother is useless, her relationship with her boyfriend Gavin is a train wreck and the bruises she has to cover up are all becoming too much for her to bear.
Tanner has it all. He has...
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Ever since the night of the party, Tanner and I have been closer than ever. It feels nice to finally have someone who supports me- someone who's there for me and by my side when they say they're going to be.
With Tanner, I've never felt more special or loved in my life. Being treated so well is definitely hard to get used to after years of mental abuse- being told you're not good enough, having someone scream at you over the littlest thing, being told when and where you could go, who you can go with, the list goes on. For the first few weeks of us being together I found myself stuck on some old habits.
Sometimes when I felt my phone vibrate, an icy sensation would shoot down my spine and freeze me in my spot. Then, there's been times where Tanner goes to place his hand on my face before he kisses me and I flinch as if he's going to hit me. He's never acknowledged it vocally, but the few times it happened- the look of sadness on his face was unbearable. No matter how many times I apologized afterwards, he always reassured me that it was okay, that I've experienced trauma and I'd have some after effects of said trauma- and as much as I believe him, a huge part of me is terrified that he will eventually get tired of trying to put my broken pieces back together.
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"I love you, you know that right?" Tanner is smiling down at me but there's a hint of sadness hidden in his eyes.
I pout my lips up at him, my arms lazily wrapped around his waist. "Of course, and I love you too. I'm only going home for a few days, promise. I'll be back before you know it."
He nods his head and there's a question behind his eyes, and my gut tells me that it's him wondering why I didn't invite him to come with me. It's not that I didn't want him to meet the Ramirez family, it's more that I was afraid of who else he might meet. The thought alone sends a wave of panic through me- if I end up crossing paths with Gavin, I don't know what I'd do. Seeing my mother was also another sore spot for me.
Before he can even ask the question, I look up at him. "I'm sorry I didn't invite you along... It's just-" I sigh, unsure of how to explain my feelings to him.
He stops me with a smile. "Babe, relax. I understand- maybe not fully, but I do." He leans in and kisses my forehead- the sweetest, most tender kiss, and my heart nearly falls to the floor. Butterflies erupt in the pit of my stomach and I can't help the wide smile that spreads across my face.
