𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑶𝑶𝑵. 𝗿 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲.

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦

"Hey, Dem?"

A gentle tapping against her shoulder awoken the girl, who rested on the long couch. Demi yawned tiredly and sat up, alert and cautious - - a natural instinct she'd developed over her runaway years. She didn't remember falling asleep, but she must've ended up napping earlier.

Robby stood at her side, a guilty expression lying over his features. He didn't want to interrupt her sleep or anything, but he thought it was important that she ate. "I ordered us takeout," he told her, holding up a plastic bag. "It's not much, but you like pizza, right?"

Demi nodded, feeling a light pang in her heart. He didn't have to do all this. Letting her in his home in the first place was more than enough. "Thanks," she said.

Robby smiled at her lightly. "Course."

He continued to stand there for a second, just looking at her. Beyond her dirt and damage, her true beauty was visible. Even with the cuts and bruises, Robby still found her magnificent. Demi was unwordly, and it was a shame that such a nice girl was put through all the things she was. It was even more of a shame that, because of those things, she'd never be able to look at herself the way he did. She'd never see the beauty in herself and that saddened him. She really believed that she could never get any better than she did from life. That she thought she was doomed for the rest of her years.

Seeing that she was getting aware of his staring and seeing the panic that set across her features because of it, Robby quickly shook his head and sat down beside her. He took out the pizza box from inside the bag and the smell of hot cheese and tomato flew through the apartment. Demi could feel her stomach groan in response to the scent, having not ate a proper meal in forever.

"Hungry?" Robby chuckled, taking a slice for himself.

"Starving," the girl corrected, getting one for herself.

Once again, he smiled. He saw that she was beginning to get comfortable around him again, the way she did the last time he saw her. For the first few hours, she hardly spoke - - taking food from him wasn't something she dreamed of doing when she woke up this afternoon. But once she saw that there was no danger here, she was able to feel free to sort herself out. Robby was going to do all he could to make her feel safe and welcome in his home.

"Anything you wanna watch?" He leaned back into his couch and switched on the television his mom's ex-boyfriend bought them.

Demi shook her head. "It's up to you," she said. Robby smirked and she knew exactly what he was about to put on for them. "You're still watching that?" A soft chuckle escaped her throat. "Seriously? It makes no sense at all."

Robby missed that sound. Although they only knew each other for a short time, the time they spent together on that job felt like years. Demi was a reserved girl and she wasn't very good at letting people in, but once she did, she became so close to you that she considered you a part of her family.

Robby was the same.

They spent that week together, getting annoyed at the same people and feeling comfortable enough to open up about their pasts. And with that came a lot of fun times. Trust was something you had to fight for with a girl like Demi, and if she didn't trust a person they wouldn't know her at all. But deep inside, once she trusted somebody enough to get to know her, she was a great companion with strong opinions and thoughts. Robby often looked back and missed the days they spent together. Her laughter and smile could brighten up a room during the day; but she never smiled throughout the night and that made the entire world go cold for him, because he knew exactly what was happening to her and there was nothing he could to to stop it.

"It totally makes sense," Robby argued, laughing as he remembered their many debates over it. "Rick is a super genius and Morty's his grandson."

"It's so dumb," Demi defended her point.

"You loved it last time!"

"I did not."

Robby barked a laugh. "Then why did you keep it on after I fell asleep?"

Demi shrugged. "I couldn't be bothered switching it off."

"Sure." Robby held a smirk on his face, shaking his head as he put on the first episode of Rick and Morty. Surely enough, Demi Moore couldn't keep her eyes off the TV screen. And Robby Keene couldn't keep his eyes off her.

Hours later, as their late afternoon faded into the night, Demi started to feel warm. Really warm. Robby hadn't made a single move on her and he'd not said one thing to make her upset or uncomfortable. He hadn't pressed her with questions, nor had he made any indication that he wanted her to leave. It almost seemed like he wanted her to stay. With no other intentions or costs. Demi had never stayed with somebody like that before.

They spent most of the night laughing and playfully arguing over the entire concept of their shared favourite animated comedy. It really felt like she was a teenager, doing normal teenage stuff. Demi wasn't out in the freezing cold, forcing herself to do the worst possible things just to keep surviving. It felt like she could smile and it could be real. It felt like she could turn her back and not be betrayed. It felt homey.

Then, her phone pinged and all her defences peeked back up.

Robby turned to her with curiosity and knitted brows. He hadn't even realised she had a phone with her. "You good?" he asked, seeing the haunted expression on her face. She didn't lift her head up for a long minute and he was getting worried, wondering if the person behind that screen was the one who hurt her.

Eventually, the blonde shook her head. "Yeah, no, I've just gotta go to work," she explained vaguely.

Robby gulped. "You sure you want to?" he asked her.

Demi shrugged. "I have to," she responded.

And in that moment, Robby Keene wanted to convince her to stay. He saw that look on her face and he wanted nothing more than to tell her not to go, to wrap her up in his arms and to promise her it was going to be okay. But he knew better than most that getting out of things like this wasn't easy and it took time, and he knew Demi was smart enough to come to that ending on her own.

"I'll leave the door open for you," he told her, keeping his voice smooth.

Demi shook her head. "You don't have to do that," she said. "I can stay in a motel, it's cool. I'll have the cash now. Sorry for bothering you."

"No, I want to do it," he insisted. "Please come back."

Smiling shortly and standing up, feeling an unnatural, heated sensation in her chest, Demi nodded. "Thank you, Robby," she said once again. "Really."

He nodded back. "Of course, Dem." As she left, Robby wanted to tell her to be safe, but she was just starting to warm herself up to him again and he didn't want to push her too hard. He didn't want her to run away from the first safe place she'd had.

Demi wasn't back until five the next morning.