𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒔

thirty seven

"the pain in the body quiets the pain in the mind"

The quiet in his house was strangely comforting, something steady amid the noise that usually clouded my mind.

We were sitting on the couch, just relaxing, though I was anything but calm inside.

The minutes slipped by without words, just the soft hum of the heater and the muted glow of a lamp casting warmth across the room.

I glanced over at him, feeling a question form that I hadn't intended to ask. "Do you...mind if I stay the night?"

Cato looked at me, surprised, though his expression softened. "You don't wanna go back?"

I shook my head, not trusting myself to say much. "I... I just don't like being alone right now," I murmured, almost ashamed of the admission.

For a moment, he just watched me, and then he gave a small nod. "Yeah, you can stay," he replied quietly. "There are plenty of rooms upstairs. Take your pick."

The relief washed over me, and I relaxed a little. "Thanks," I said softly, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease just a bit.

"Do you...have anything I could wear?" I asked, glancing down at my jeans and sweater. They suddenly felt uncomfortable, heavy.

He hesitated, then stood up, motioning for me to follow him. We walked through a hallway to his bedroom, which was surprisingly neat. He opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, handing them to me.

"Hope these work," he said, a little awkwardly.

"Yeah, they're perfect," I murmured, clutching the clothes to my chest. "Thanks."

He pointed down the hall. "Bathroom's just over there."

I nodded, heading down the hallway and closing the bathroom door behind me. I leaned back against it, feeling a strange sense of security I hadn't felt in a while. Being here, in a place that wasn't mine, felt oddly safe. Like I could just exist without worrying about anything else for a while.

Turning on the shower, I let the hot water steam up the room before stepping in. As the warmth washed over me, I felt myself relax, the weight of everything melting away, if only for a moment.

I let my mind go blank, focusing on the sensation of the water instead of the endless loop of thoughts I usually couldn't escape.

After a while, I turned the water off, wrapped myself in a towel, and pulled on the oversized clothes. They were loose and comfortable, the fabric soft against my skin. I gathered my hair up in a towel, breathing in the scent of clean fabric that somehow felt like him.

When I finally stepped out of the bathroom, the house was quiet, and I found myself wondering if he'd already gone to bed. But as I walked back to the living room, I saw Cato still there on the couch, scrolling on his phone.

He looked up when I entered, his gaze lingering for a second before he cleared his throat. "Feel better?"

"Yeah," I said, managing a small smile