Princess of the universe // Hardzzellee

Chapter 44

Joe read the text about Addison out loud. The three of them were seated on the couch with a glass of wine.
"So, she is doing alright?" Ben asked. Joe hummed.
"Looks like it." 
"How is she doing in general?" Gwil asked. Ben turned to look at him.
"She has honestly been doing very well. Now she is more comfortable around us, I feel like her anxiety is getting less. Also means she is starting to stand up a little more," Ben said. Gwil raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?" Gwil asked. 
"She hit me across the face while yelling at me. I was kind of taken aback. Might not have handled the situation in the best way, but we made it work." 
"How did you handle it?" Gwil asked. Ben took a quick sip of his wine.
"I put her in time out. Which is obviously what we discussed we would do. But I feel like I could have handled it a little nicer," Ben said before shrugging.
"Something to keep in mind next time."

Meanwhile, Rami got onto his feet quickly. He walked over to Scarlett first.
"Why don't you hang out with mom for a bit?" He asked before kissing her forehead. After that, he immediately made his way over to Scarlett's room. Addison was laying on her stomach. Tiny sobs ripped through her body. 
"Hey, Addy," Rami said after closing the door behind him. Addison put the sheets over her head.

"Oh, where did Addy go? She was just here a second ago," Rami said. He gently pulled the covers away.
"I found you," Rami said while laying down next to her.
"What is going on?" 
"I'm scared," Addison mumbled. 
"Of what?"
"To sleep alone," Addison's fingers ran over the covers, tracing patterns.
"But you are not alone, Scarlett is with you, and Lucy and I are sleeping in the next room. And you have Misha," Rami said although he knew full well what Addison was talking about.
"To sleep without my dads nearby," Addison mumbled.

"You know, I am scared of something too," Rami said.
"What?" Addison asked.
"Of spiders," Rami said. Addison giggled softly.
"No, you're not," She said.
"Yes, I am. Ask Lucy tomorrow morning. Whenever there is a spider I let her catch it. But you know what the funny thing is?" Rami asked. Addison shook her head.
"When Lucy isn't here and Scarlett sees a spider, I can catch it. Because I know she is even more scared of spiders than I am. But when Lucy is here, I won't go near one. You think that you are not strong enough to sleep alone, but I know that you are strong enough to do so. Benny will be here tomorrow to pick you up right after breakfast. And if you go to sleep soon it will be tomorrow sooner." Addison nodded. 

"And if you are still scared, you can always come and sleep in our room. But only after you have really tried to sleep here, okay?" 
"Okay," Addison mumbled.
"I think I got something that might help. I put this here just in case." Rami reached under the dresser to take out a picture of Ben, Gwil, and Joe on the set of Bohemian Rhapsody. They were in full costume. The girls had yet to see the movie, but their parents wanted to wait until they were a little older. When Rami handed Addison the photo it became very clear that she had never seen them in costume either.
"Do you recognize them?" Rami asked. Addison was giggling loudly.
"They look silly."
"They really do, don't they?" She hummed.
"Who looks the silliest?" Rami asked.
"Gwilly," She said while pointing at Gwil.
"You know, I think you are right."

"What if we put the photo under your pillow?" Rami lifted the pillow so Addison could place the photo under it.
"Now they are with you. Nothing can happen." Addison put her head down again.
"Remember what I said. You are way stronger than you think. And if you really want it, you can do it. But if it is still a little too much, you can come to our room and then we will try again next time, okay?" Rami said while brushing some hairs out of her face.
"Okay," Addison said. A smile spread on Rami's face.
"Goodnight, sweet dreams," He said before kissing her forehead. 
"Goodnight."

Joe, Ben, and Gwil spend the entire night on the couch talking. 
"I want to try and go on a walk tomorrow and maybe run a few steps in between. Just to see how it goes," Gwil said. Ben nodded. 
"Can you come along? Just in case?" Gwil asked while turning himself to Joe.
"Sure thing."
"Thanks," Gwil said.

As silently as he could, Rami opened the door to Scarlett's bedroom. His eyes first fell on Scarlett. She was laying on her back with her mouth wide open. He moved his gaze towards Addison. She was curled up on her side, Misha tightly pressed against her face. A small snore escaped her throat every now and then. Rami smiled before closing the door and making his way to his own bedroom. He contemplated texting Gwil. But he told them no news was good news. So, he kept it that way.

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