This boy next to my room

47

Connor

When I open the door to our room again, I see June lying on the bed. She hasn't moved and she doesn't even seem to have noticed my return because she is so obsessed with these thoughts.

What is she thinking ?

I enter without forgetting to close the door behind me. It's only when I arrive in front of her that she notices me.

"I'm sorry I talked to you like that before, it's just I've never done that with anyone and... You just told me that you and Cynthia..." She begins.

"I don't owe her anything." I say to reassure her. It seems to work because she gives me a long look before smiling.

And for a second, I find her adorable, I question myself; how can I hate such an adorable creature ? Her smile is contagious because my lips immediately stretch at the sight of her beautiful face.

I haven't felt this way in a long time.

"Talk me about you." She asks me suddenly. I frown caught off guard by her request, but when I look closely into her irises I can see she needs it, after what just happened.

...

I'm lying on her bed next to her, our two bodies are a reasonable distance apart and staring towards the ceiling. I can't believe I'm about to unpack my life to this girl, I don't know hers as well and my curiosity has also made me agree to her request. I want to know her better and I want her to know me too.

"Can you start ?" I ask in hopes that she will answer yes to me. The only thing I know about her is that she came because of a robbery, nothing more.

"Yeah.. What would you like to know ?" She says in a strangely hesitant voice. I pretend to think, in truth I already have all my questions prepared in my head.

"Things about your family, and your life before you came here."

"Well uh... I think you remember my father, the one who came with me here when I first arrived. He's a home doctor and he works a lot, even at night. It kind of bugs me because I have to be on my own with my stepmom afterwards, Stella." She begins. "Stella is not someone I have in my heart because... Because she's not very nice to me, in fact she doesn't like me at all."

Her voice breaks slightly so she stops. I hear her swallow, like she's trying to get the lump in her throat to go away.

"Can you tell me a little more ?" I ask in a soft whisper. Unfortunately, I don't have the possibility to see the pain in her eyes because they don't look at me. Tonight I feel different with her, I don't want to hurt her anymore, I want to listen and ease her pain.

Like I did with Leslie.

"There's so much to say about her, so I can't tell you everything today. But let's just say she hurt me a lot growing up, she hated being part of the family because I wasn't her daughter. She was doing everything to get my dad to send me back to live with my mom and I think if he could he would have done it a long time ago, the only thing is we don't know where she is.."

And to think I called her a bitch... Her stepmother is the real bitch.

"And did you want to ? To go back to live with your mother?"

"I don't know, when I was a kid and my parents hadn't divorced yet, I got along with my mom until she met another man and started smoking, drinking and all that stuff behind my dad's back. When he found out, it was a disaster and our whole family fell apart. He insulted her like she was a trash and she ran away, without telling me." She continues until her broken voice stops her again. This time I turn to look at her. She stares at the ceiling and I can see her eyes glistening from the tears she is holding back.

And now I just want to get into her heart and caress her pain that makes her suffer so much.

I want to ease these pains.

So I put my hand on hers to show her my support. There is nothing sexual in this gesture, it's tender.

She doesn't push me away and even intertwines our fingers.

"There's nothing more to say Connor, I've always had this shitty life." She finishes as a tear slowly crosses her cheek.

"June, I want you to know I'm sorry for everything, I judged you too quickly. You're not a bitch and you're perfect the way you are, do you hear me? Don't ever let me say things like that again."

I don't know how those words came out of my mouth so easily but I'm glad she knows that now.

Her fingers tighten in mine and my heart warms unnaturally.

"What about you? Who the hell are you?" She asks with a slight chuckle.