How He Saved Her

Chapter Eighteen

Aurora

"Do you think you can honestly hide from you?", his voice is booming even as I put a hand on my ear to shut him out. "I will find you."

"No you won't", my voice is barely above a whisper.

He laughs, an ugly sound,"I will. That boyfriend of yours won't be able to protect you. He has other responsibilities. He can't be by your side forever. And honestly that's pathetic."

"Oliver is my best friend", I say and that prompts him to laugh harder.

"He will leave you once he realizes how needy you are. Why would he keep you around? Use you, protect you, and then dump you. Only time will tell."

"No he won't", I say my hands balled up in a fist.

"Only time will tell. In the meantime, I'm still coming for you", he says and starts making a move toward me. I try to run away but when I turn around Oliver is there. I start toward him but he moves me toward my monster of a father. Tears spring in my eye at his betryal and my father charges at me.

I wake up with a jolt, sweat beading past my forehead. I feel it drip down my face and onto my neck. That felt too real. I claw at my blanket and pull it off me. I walk toward my door and open the two locks Oliver helped me install the other day. Once I get it open, I make my way to his room. I find him in bed and I want to reach out to him. Hold onto him. But if I touch him, I won't be able to leave his arms and I respect his mom enough to know I shouldn't sleep in his bed with him.

Instead, I lean down and a place a kiss on his forehead. His muscles tense at my touch and I whisper,"Grazie piccolo."

Thank you, baby.

I leave his room with the door closed behind me and head to my room where I know that I will stare at the ceiling until the sun rises. It's never easy for me to fall back asleep after my daily nightmares.

♡♡•♡•♡••

It is lunchtime and the team has all gathered together at our table making me sit on Oliver's lap. I hang off his one leg while he keeps a hand on my waist, steadying me.

"What do you think, principessa?", he says to me when the team starts arguing at a certain point. I look up at him and say,"Sorry, what?"

He tickles my waist and says,"Not paying attention?"

"I'm sorry", I say to him and he puts a hand on my lip neutralizing my pout.

"Do you think Austin should do a cartwheel on the court when we win?", he says and the whole team starts laughing. I look up at Austin who is shaking his head and with my eye on his, I nod.

"Yes", I say and the crowd of people around us cheers so loud I don't have anything to pull me down to reality but Oliver's arm under my shirt. I found that that is his favorite thing to do when we are eating, watching tv, or even simply standing. He draws circles on my skin and I take a deep breath in.

"Did you eat?", he whispers in my hair and I nod. I ate a little, just fries but enough that he doesn't need to be worried about me. "Good girl", he draws out the words and my stomach erupts in butterflies.

"You guys are disgusting", Austin says feigning a gag and Oliver flashes his middle finger at him.

"Find yourself a girl and then come back to me?", he says his mouth is still in my hair. I hear Austin gag harder and I flash my middle finger at him too.

"No way!", Austin laughs and a guy on the team slaps him on the back. I smile triumphant at him and laughs.

"Oliver man, she turned just like you", he says and Oliver laughs into my hair.