My Safe Haven (BxB)

Chapter XXXVIII - Truth

Christian's POV – 30 September 2019 (Monday)

"Christian," a voice calls out softly, waking me up. Angelic, is simply how I'd describe this individual's voice. "Aren't you hungry?" the same person questions from behind me, and I turn to get a look at them. Andrew? Who knew his voice could get so soft, I think, making heat rise to my cheeks. "You've been in here since yesterday, and left a few times to go the bathroom" he explains, "now the sun is rising, and you haven't had anything to eat in over 24 hours" he adds sadly.

At the mention of all that transpired yesterday, I am reminded of the reality that awaits me outside the walls of my bedroom. Finding out who wanted to kill me. Who did I do so wrong that they wanted me dead? Who did I bother so much that they felt the only proper way to 'deal with me' was to tamper with the brakes of my car?

Now I'm not one to accuse people without any evidence, but in a situation where I almost died, I can't help but do exactly that; so I had a few people in mind...

"Ian?" Andrew calls, holding my hand in his comfortingly. "What's going on?"

I sigh and shut my eyes, trying to recollect myself and build up enough courage to tell him what my mind has came up with. "Andie, I don't know if I'm right, but I think I may have a few ideas of people that would want to take me out."

As soon as the last word leaves my mouth, I see his eyes widen in shock, under the little light provided by the rising sun, seeping through the curtains.

"Really? Who?" he questions, sitting up straight.

"Don't hate me for what I'm about to say..." I state, pausing to try and get any changes in his facial expressions, but if anything, his eyes widened even further in nothing short of interest. "I think- I think...maybe, just maybe, your family may have had a hand in this..."

"What?!" he interrupts me. "No Christian, my family would never do such!" he yells, obviously defending the people that have caused him so much pain. People that are responsible for so much of his trauma, and at his words, I can't help but wonder how good a person can possibly be? How good is Andrew's heart that he sees fit to defend the exact same people that threw him out of their house?

"They never hesitated hurting you before, their own son, why on God's green earth would they think twice about hurting a total stranger?" I ask Andrew, and he freezes in thought, before confusion dawns on his features.

"But why would they do that?" he questions, his gaze falling from my face.

"This is what I've come up with till this point. Your parents kicked you out because your mother saw you and me together, before your father beat you to a pulp, then throwing you out on the streets. Now, hear me out...who knows what was going on in their heads? Maybe they were convinced that I influenced their son, and saw fit to get rid of me, so they could have you back" I explain, looking at his face, as he considers my words.

"I wish I could defend them, but I can't put it past my father not to do that" he sighs. "After all that man has done, I really wouldn't be shocked if he did that...but, didn't you say had a few people who could be responsible?"

"Yeah."

"Well...?"

"My step-father" I say, and sigh at the possibility of this being the person behind my accident.

"Your step-father?" Andrew questions slowly, as if to make sure that he heard me correctly.

"Yes."

"Why would you think that?" he asks.

"I know so much about you, but I've kept you in the dark about my life" I state, looking at him. "And I owe you the truth..." I pause, "...my mother in her final years of high-school, dated this guy that was a student at the local college. She fell in love with him and soon, they were engaged, but there was a huge problem that they faced. My grandparents never approved of the guy because he was older than my mother, so they disapproved of the relationship from the on-set, but my mother refused to see their concern, blinded by love" I explain, drawing in a breath. Andrew squeezes my hand comfortingly, and gives me the courage to go on with my life story.

"When schools closed for summer break, she left with this guy, only for her to come back a few weeks later with a brand new last name. Cora King was her new name. She and her lover had eloped, and when my grandparents found, they went crazy. They refused to talk to her, or acknowledge her existence because she had disrespected them, and things, unfortunately for my mother became worse. She found out that she was expecting" I chuckle. "Now, from what she has told me, as sour as things were at home, she was always happy because she knew her lover would be there for her and her baby. He would support them and make sure that they were both well and healthy. He was always there for her doctor's appointments, until one day, he didn't show up, and my mother knew something was off..." I divert my gaze to our entwined hands.

"She spent the whole night trying to get ahold of him, until in the early hours of the morning...she received a call from her best friend, to the news that her lover was involved in a shootout between two rival gangs" I feel arms wrap around me, and that's when I realize that my cheeks are wet with tears.

"She knew her lover...just a student at the local college that wanted to be a sound engineer and change his mother's life. But irrespective of all that, when my grandparents found out that he was shot in a gang shootout, he was automatically billed 'a pimp'. They hated my mother's first lover so much that they took out all of that hatred on an innocent soul, my mother's first born...me. I was born to an 18-year old single mother" my voice cracks, as more tears pool out of my eyes.

"My grandparents never hid their dislike towards me, and the fact that I am a splitting image of my father didn't make things any better. Their hatred drove my mother away from them to an extent that we moved to a one bedroom apartment, not far away from here, and those were honestly the best times of my life. Just me and my mother against the world" a smile breaks out on my wet face.

"Until, he showed up. Antonio Perez. My step-father. I don't know where my mother met him, but I curse the day he ever laid his eyes on her. The sweet and calm man that approached my mother, changed into an abusive bastard as soon as he got my mother under his roof. He was not only abusing my mother physically, but emotionally as well. But the abuse can't even begin to compare the years of pain he put us through by introducing my mother to drugs, which is what led to the years of negligence, and me having to step up to take care of Bella," I wipe my eyes.

"Oh my goodness...I'm so-sorry Ian" Andrew sniffles. "I'm sorry for crying."

"It's okay Andie" I wiggle out of his arms, and turn to look at him, seeing that his face is as red as a tomato, wet with tears. "But what made things better was that my grandparents absolutely adore Isabella. Sometimes they'll stop by and pick her up for lunch, she'd spend weekends with them, Christmas, Thanksgiving..." I pause, feeling more tears swell up in my eyes "...and I'd be left here, in my step-father's house, with a mother high on drugs" I break down some more. "It's been so hard for me Andrew, so hard."

"D-don't you have other fa-family" he stammers, as more tears fall from his beautiful eyes.

"An uncle that's always busy, too busy for his own good" I add. "He helps where he can, and I appreciate it, but it's been hard Baby" I wipe my eyes harshly, "and if my step-father is back, I'm in deep shit."

Andrew grabs my hand again, drawing my gaze to his face, and I meet his eyes already on me, and I can't help but feel naked under his gaze, "If he's back, you have me, okay." I stare at him as he says this, and I see the look on his face. Love. Well, in all honesty, love does not even begin to describe the look on his face...

"I love you so much" he says, interrupting my thoughts.

"Oh fuck" I say, and throw my arm around him, "I love you so much more Andie, so much."

...and as we sit there, in the early hours of the morning, wrapped up in each other's arms, I can't help but be overwhelmed by the feeling that Andrew may be the family that I've been deprived off for majority of my life. That's why his face, along with Bella's, as well as my mother's flashed before my eyes when I had my accident. He has been that missing part of me, and as we sit, I am confident that my future lies with him.

*****

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