Make Me Wild

Good Questions

"So tell me about you, Utah." Reid sighed. This was before I actually opened my eyes. He bumped me.

"Sleeping!" I rolled over and wrapped myself around him.

Reid just chuckled. "I saw. You're so cute when you sleep and your hair is a mess! It's sexy in a very kitten way!"

"You know, we had a kitten once. It scratched the crap out of my mom's favorite chair and tore up a drape in the living room, in one afternoon. I mean it was shredded!" I opened an eye.

Reid chuckled. "I know. You are like a kitten. You're cute and cuddly when you want to be, cat scratch fever sometimes, and a sexy kitten at halloween sometimes. It's hot!"

I glared at him.

"See! Sexy cat scratch Halloween right there!" Reid chuckled as I smiled.

"Do you ever just say good morning?" I glared.

Reid looked serious. "What's the fun of that?"

Good point. "Okay. So..." We adjusted. He sat up and I laid my head on his lap. Curled up like a freaking kitten. His hand was in my pale hair. "So, I have three siblings. Our dad skipped out when I was thirteen."

"I worked hard at school. The normal geek crap, AV club and whatever. My mom never much liked me so I stayed away. I sort of moved out when I was sixteen, no one noticed. I wasn't close to them."

"None of them?" Reid looked confused.

"My family wasn't like yours. My older brother was already into drugs. My little sisters hated me for being prettier than them. It was said a few times. Whatever."

"You are very pretty." Reid reassured me.

I rolled my eyes. "So, I got a job at sixteen just busing tables at a restaurant. I worked everyday after school for a few hours. Sometimes just an hour but it was something. I started just going home late, after midnight. I would hang around the restaurant."

"My mom didn't beat me or anything but she wasn't nice either. I don't think it was the gay thing either. We just never got along. She was verbally abusive and had to find an outlet. Her kids. So, I stayed away."

"I paid for a laptop that I cherished. I hacked because it gave me something to do after hours. I took a coding class at school one summer and fell in love with codes and computers. They made more sense than people. "

"One night the owner asked why I never went home. He knew, I think. I mean, why else would someone hang around after work? He offered me a guest house behind his house. Kind of." I smiled at Reid's expression.

"I mean he mentioned that he had an empty cottage thing. It was a small apartment with a small kitchen. I mean a hot plate and coffee maker. But it worked."

"I stayed in that place until after college. We never talked about it either. He was kind and I still visit him when I can."

"Can I meet him?" Reid asked me gently.

"If you want to. His name is Howard Johnson but not like the hotel people. It's just his name. He owned a few restaurants. I think he still has three. He's my family."

"And your mom never came to look for you?" Reid was concerned.

I chuckled. "No! I was out of her hair and that was all that mattered. The last time I set foot in that house was the night Howard talked to me. I sneaked in, packed one bag of clothes and left. I had my laptop and my clothes and a small stash of money. Howard was very kind and it was the break that I needed."

Reid just stared at me with shock and admiration on his face. "So, at sixteen, you lived alone, worked and got straight A's while getting yourself up and ready for school everyday, without a parent?" Reid looked shocked.

"I did. When I could, I paid Howard for rent. It wasn't much at first. One night, when I got home and found a small fridge in the place. I guess he saved up and bought it with the rent I was paying. He gave me pride in myself."

I smiled at that. "He would do things like that a lot. He left a very nice bedroom set and some decor and junk from auctions. He would go to auctions every weekend and he would find stuff."

"That's amazing. And you turned out to be like...you?" Reid looked out like he was thinking.

"Yep. Amazing, huh!" I joked.

Reid sighed. "You really are something, Utah."

"I'm not really, Reid. I'm afraid of people. The abuse that my mom did, it marked me, scarred me. I'm a little damaged." I sighed.

"I know. I don't care either, Utah. You are just amazing and I like you. You'll have to deal with that. You'll have to deal with me." Reid warned me.

"I do, huh? For how long?" I was teasing.

Reid rested his head on the headboard. "For the rest of our lives." He closed his eyes and I was stunned. Well, this was Reid. I just smiled and closed my eyes too.

Thanks for reading!