Somniphobia

Chapter 9. Love birds

Aria POV
We were sitting in the living room together, watching cartoons on the TV. I laid my head on his lap while he covered me with a soft blanket. I curled up into a little ball, warm and comfortable as I watched the cartoon.

He brushed his fingers through my hair soothingly, making me feel safe and secure. He kissed the top of my head gently while running his fingertips through my hair with so much care.

I'd never felt this safe or this comfortable in my entire life. We literally watched every single princess movie—from Cinderella all the way to Sleeping Beauty.

I loved it. I felt so happy, like a little girl finally allowed to eat candy again after being punished for so long.
A sudden knock made me flinch.

"Relax, beautiful. It's probably Aaron," he assured me.

I sat up and grabbed onto his shoulders quickly, not wanting him to leave me alone.
"Wanna come with me?" he asked.

"Mhm." I nodded softly, wanting to be anywhere he was. Even when he used the bathroom, I wanted to be next to him. I followed him closely, holding onto the end of his shirt.

He opened the front door, revealing Aaron...and a girl who looked oddly familiar. I hid behind Caleb, too nervous to speak or look at them.

"Hi, Aria," Aaron greeted with a soft smile.

Caleb gently pulled me from behind him and held my hand, letting me stand beside him.

"H-hi A-Aaron," I said politely, even though I was nervous.

"This is my girlfriend, Lily. Lily, this is my brother Caleb and his girlfriend Aria," Aaron introduced.

I blushed softly at being called Caleb's girlfriend since we'd never made it official.

"Hello," Lily waved with a stiff smile.

"What were you guys up to?" Aaron asked.

"We were watching movies. You guys wanna join us for our little date night?" Caleb offered.

"Sure, why not," Aaron agreed.

We went back to the living room. I sat beside Caleb, hugging his arm while he and Aaron talked about the last few days. Lily kept smiling at me, but I could tell her smile wasn't friendly.

I recognized her—and I didn't have a good feeling about her at all.

I hid my face in Caleb's back.
"D-daddy..." I whimpered softly.

He immediately pulled me onto his lap when he noticed the tears running down my cheeks. He stood up with me in his arms.

"We'll be back in a minute," he told them before carrying me upstairs to our bedroom.

He sat me on the bed and knelt in front of me, worry all over his face.

"Tell daddy what's wrong, princess," he encouraged gently as he wiped my tears.

"I k-know h-her..." I cried.

"Who, princess?"

"L-Lily..." I whispered.

"You know Lily?"

"Mhm... s-she's m-mean t-to m-me. S-she's a-always m-mean t-to m-me."

He kissed me softly, hushing me as I cried. I hated the feeling I got when I saw her. She used to bully me for how I spoke. Sometimes she even hurt me because my mom told her to. Her mom was best friends with mine—and she hated me just as much.

"Do you want me to tell them to leave?" he asked gently.

I shook my head, not wanting to cause problems.