Healing Sophie (18+) - RH//DDLG

48 - Hide & Seek

This may be my fave chapter that I've written so far. Enjoy!! 😊❤️

Sophie laid in bed, paralyzed with anxiety, safely confined within the walls of the treehouse. It was a comfortable place for her to clear her head. To hide away from the world. Something about moving the structure to their new house brought a liveliness back into it. It no longer felt lonely or abandoned as it had when Sophie first moved in with Chase, Theo, and Victor. As with herself, the treehouse was a stronger version of its past self. Unfortunately, that made it all that much more difficult for Sophie to leave.

"Sophie!" At the sound of her name, she snuggled in tighter to Mr. Hopkins and Ellie, hoping they would magically develop invisibility powers that they could cast over her for protection.The whole world was just too much at the moment.

She closed her eyes tight, trying to focus on a single thing, anything she could latch her attention onto beyond the distant sound of sirens or the feeling of her shirt brushing against her skin. She had been so caught up in her busy schedule that she was beginning to neglect taking care of herself. She couldn't remember when she had last taken her medication or even just curled up with a good book and practiced self-care. She always had a habit of immersing herself into things so heavily that it left little room for anything else. Her latest focuses had been school, work, ignoring her dad, and play rehearsals. She felt like her body was finally crashing from the lack of care and the surplus of external stress.

The door to the treehouse swung open and Sophie nearly whimpered as the loud sound met her sensitive ears. "Bambi?" Sophie remained silent, unable to speak. Whenever she had one of her moments, as Finn called them, it felt like every word took all the energy she had. She watched quietly as Theo frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong, Sophie?"

She shook her head. Words were difficult.

"Can't talk?"

Another head shake. He rubbed a hand against her thigh and she tensed, causing him to immediately draw back. "No touching right now?"

She shook her head, hating the look on his face. She was disappointing him, she could tell.

He studied her for a moment, as if trying to solve a difficult puzzle. "Did... Did I do something wrong?"

Her heart ached at the question and she did her best to grab his hand with her shaky one. She didn't know what she could say without seeming like a freak. Before she could formulate words, a singing bird flew by outside and she tensed. Theo's eyes followed the movement and he relaxed. As if a switch had been flipped in his brain, he immediately sprung into action. Sophie trailed his every move as he walked to the corner of the space, turning on a small battery-operated lantern. He began softly speaking as he moved, trying to not speak too loud. "I get sensory overload, too. It used to be really bad when I first became friends with Vic and Chase." She listened intently as he closed the curtains over the windows, casting the space in a dark glow. "It's gotten quite a bit better with medication and music, but sometimes I still have moments. If my food touches, or someone brushes against me, or I go somewhere crowded, it feels like my brain is mush. Like gross brain soup." He walked back towards the bed and brushed a gentle hand over her arm. "Can I lay with you, Bambi?"

She desperately wanted to be close to him, to cuddle in his arms, but the thought of being touched or feeling his emanating body heat had her nearly panicking. "Hey, hey. It's okay," he said. He grabbed a small chair and pulled it to the side of the bed. "I'll be right here by your side" He grabbed a small box from his hoodie pocket and opened it. He held up two earbuds. "Put these in, gorgeous."

Sophie did as Theo said and slipped the earbuds into her ears. Everything became slightly muffled and she relaxed a bit.

"Can I play some music for you?" She nodded and Theo scrolled through his phone, continuing to speak as he searched. "I'm right here for you, Sophie. I'll fix you right up." A tear rolled down her cheek and he quickly swiped it away before settling on a playlist. A soft, smooth melody filled her ears and she felt her brain immediately relax. "Close your eyes, baby. I'll be right here if you need me."