Coming Back to You ✔

46. August

"Sophia. Sophia, baby, open your eyes for me."

Sophia didn't want to open her eyes. She was so, so tired. But after everything, there wasn't anything she would deny that voice.

With great effort, she pried her eyelids apart, not even able to give a sigh of relief when she saw Dean's kind, dark eyes staring directly at her.

He looked so good. He was dressed in his L.A.F.D. shirt, his hair adorably messy with his waves falling across his forehead. His arms braced himself on the arms of her chair, and all Sophia wanted was for him to wrap them around her, take her away from this nightmare. But even in her semi-conscious state, she knew he couldn't.

"You're not here," she whispered, her dry throat even scratchier than before.

He gave her a small smile. "No," he said. "But that doesn't matter. You don't need me."
"Yes, I do."

"Soph, you need to fight this." The smile dropped off of his face and his lips pressed into a hard line. "You need to fight him."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"I don't know how."

"Yes, you do." Dean's hand passed over hers, and even though he wasn't real, Sophia could almost feel the warmth. "You know him. Better than either of us would like, yes, but you know him. Use that, Sophia. Lie to him, manipulate him, fake him out, do whatever you have to. You can survive this. You will survive. He doesn't deserve to win."

"I miss you," she whispered, but as she tried to bring her eyes more into focus on his face, he was gone, and she was alone.

In some ways, thankfully, she was alone. Graham was nowhere to be seen, and Sophia took the opportunity to struggle against her bindings, twisting her wrists and straining against the chair. But it was all in vain. She was stuck fast, and the more she struggled, the more panic reentered her mind.

She twisted and twisted, trying to pluck at the rope that held her hands bound, but she didn't do anything but make her already exhausted body and mind more tired. Her brain turned fuzzy and her limbs jerked without any real strategy, the ropes rubbing her skin raw. She started crying again, snot dripping from her nose and her breath coming out in gasps.

Sophia froze the moment she heard the unlocks being undone on the door. She gulped, trying to wipe her face on her shoulder, and steeling herself to face him again. But she knew that there was nothing she could do to actually prepare herself.

He carried a pizza and two bottles of water. She couldn't believe that he had just sauntered up to a pizza shop, bought food, and came back, but here he was.

"Good, you're awake." He had calmed. In fact, he didn't even seem like there had ever been an argument, at all. "You must be hungry."

She wasn't, but that didn't mean she didn't need the food. She watched as Graham made his way to her, pulling up the same chair that he sat in yesterday. He opened the pizza box and pulled out a slice.

"I can't untie you," he said. "I want to trust you, Sophia. But I can't, not yet." He scooted closer to her and held up a piece. "But let me help you. Just, trust me. A little bit. You need to eat and drink, I hate to see you wasting away."

Every instinct in Sophia told her to keep her jaw clenched, give Graham the stink eye, and refuse any sort of cooperation. But then the words Dean said, or she had thought, came back to her. She knew him. She knew what she wanted. And she could use that to her advantage.