Safe Place

08

AIDEN

It's been a week since Zara was sexually assaulted.
She's been staying in her dorm room ever since, not going to school.

She needs time and she deserves the time to process everything that happened.

We both fell asleep on the bathroom floor that night snuggled into each-others arms.
No blanket, no pillow. Just on the hard bathroom floor.

"You have to eat, my love." I whisper as I enter her room.

She puts her elbows behind her getting up slowly.
"Why are you up so early?" She says in her quiet, sleepy voice that drives me insane.

"To take care of you."
"Aiden, I'm fine." She complains, trying to resist my help.

"You haven't been eating. So just please take this tray off my hands." I try to laugh, to cool the tension in the air.

"Fine." She laughs with me taking the tray from my hands.
I sit on the corner of her bed trying to give her space.
"When do you think you're going to get back to your classes? that essay is due soon."

"My essay is already done, but I'll get back to my classes tomorrow. I'm feeling better."

Thank God.
I was worried that she'd never get out her bed and I missed the look on her face every time she got mad at me. It made my days.

"Alright." I rise up from her bed moving closer to her planting a kiss onto the top of her head.
She looks up at me giving me a soft, lopsided smile.

As soon as I leave the room I hear a knock on the front door.
"Hurry bro!" A voice says from a distance.

Eli.
Of course.

I open the door to see him staring at me with a scared look.
"Where's Zara? He says in a concerned tone walking over closer to me to take his shoes off.

Zara and Eli...
Huh?

"She hasn't been responding to my texts dude." He continues.

"You talk to Zara?" I say my words slowly and confused.

"We're just friends, I see the way she has you wrapped around her finger. Don't worry." He rapidly says. "So where is she?"

I've never seen them speak once. But she does not have me wrapped around her finger.
What does he even mean by that?

"Uhm," I pause. "first door on your right."

He paces toward her bedroom door closing it as soon as possible to the point I can't hear anything through the walls.

I trust Eli. I've known him my whole life, he's that one sweet friend that knows how to have fun. He's never done anything to hurt me, that's one of the reasons I love him so much.
I don't get emotional much.

What is he doing with Zara though?
The thought of seeing them together makes me want to vomit.

A million thoughts run through my head once Eli finally gets out her bedroom.

I stare at him trying to figure out what happened in that room.

"Come on man don't look at me like that."

"Don't know what you're talking about." I mumble, shaking my head.

"You already told me you claimed her ever since you saw her in-" He stops for a second to think "Where was it again? The gas station? yup, ever since you saw her in the gas station."
Claim? that's a bit exaggerated. I was just intrigued by her.

"Shut the fuck up. She can hear us." I cover his mouth with my hand.

"You know I'm right." He grins, pulling my hand down.