Loving the fight

20❦

20

❦𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮❦

I'm making sure all the boys stop and eat before we leave the gym. Ace is on a mission to get Henry out of his current living situation and moved in with him as soon as possible.

Sometimes I have to take a moment to appreciate how grateful I am to have met these guys. I look at the three men crowded around the desk shoving their faces with Spanish rice.

A wave of pride washes over me, like warm sun flowing through a window. We're all going to be ok, because we have each other.

Now that I know Isaiah is trying to get clean and Henry will be safe, I finally feel settled.

There was an incredible unease while Isaiah was distant from us. I tried to ignore it but it was always there. I had to leave it alone, hidden in the back of my heart. It's hard knowing you can't help someone when they don't want to be helped.

Now that Isaiah is making the choice to clean up, I stand wholeheartedly behind him. And Henry moving in with Ace for the time being will put me at ease.

I knew something was going on with his fosters, he told me the situation wasn't great. I was going to dig a little deeper as we rekindle our friendship, then the guys intervene and get it all settled before I even get the chance to.

"Ok, let's go get your stuff before it gets too late." Ace hands me his empty bowl so I can put it back in the cloth bag I made last week.

Henry shoves the rest of his in this mouth and follows Ace's lead. Blake takes the bag from me and places his bowl in it too.

I reach out to grab it back but he pulls it away from me and heads for the door that the other guys just left thorough. The little things he does for me has my love for him ever growing.

I fall in place behind him, wishing he would walk just a little faster. I'm excited to get Henry out of that house he's been in and I couldn't imagine a better person for him to be roommates with than Ace.

Blake is two feet away from the door when he stops walking. My nerves run cold. What made him stop walking? What went wrong now?

Slowly he turns around, something is turning in his brain and I don't have a clue what it is. He takes slow threatening steps towards me. A cool wind blows in from outside making me shiver under his gaze.

"Did you eat before you came here?" His voice is low. I was hoping he wouldn't notice, I should have known better. He has a way of figuring things out all of a sudden. I don't know how he does it, sometimes I wish he'd stop.

"No." There isn't a point in lying, he already figured it out and I don't see what the big deal is with skipping a meal here or there.

I used to go days without food and I'd be fine. I know it's not the best health wise, but skipping dinner once or twice a week should not do any real harm.

Blake thinks otherwise and makes sure I eat every meal and even makes me eat snacks throughout the day. I never thought eating would bother me so much, it's such a nuisance and I just don't feel like it sometimes.

But tonight wasn't even like that, I brought food for myself and I wasn't expecting Henry to be here so I gave it to him instead. It's really not that big of a deal.

"Rose. We talked about this, you need to be eating more. You have to stop skipping meals." I know, ok, I get it. Eat more, eat more, eat more. I'm so sick of hearing those words.

"It wasn't even on purpose." I say agitated, fingers gripping the hem of my shirt.

Blake sighs when he notices my change of mood. It's not exactly a new thing, I get overwhelmed by it more often than not.