Temporary -- A Rocky Lynch Story

Chapter 8

*Rocky's POV*

"Rocky," I heard Ross call as the front door opened. He had been gone for a couple hours, but his tone has changed considerably. When he left hours earlier, he was seething. Now, he sounded like a mixture of relief and apprehension. "Dude, where are you?"

"Living room," I called back. I was sitting with my feet up on the coffee table, watching a random TLC reality show that Rydel had stopped on before getting up to answer some emails. I heard him approach, but soon realized he wasn't alone. There was a second set of footsteps, echoing in Ross's. Tiny footsteps. Was this really happening?

"Rocky, I brought someone to see you," Ross said as he appeared in the doorway. From behind him emerged Liz, whose head hung low. It was as if she was trying to shrink herself. "You guys need to talk." He quickly retreated, leaving Liz and I alone.

I muted the TV, siting up straight on the couch. "Hi," I murmured. She slowly walked into the room, taking a seat on the chair a few feet away from me. "It's nice to see you." That wasn't a lie. It was as if her presence completely changed the energy in the room. It was really nice to feel her near me again.

"I missed you," she said quietly, picking at the tear in her leggings. I couldn't help but smile at her. This was a side of her I had never seen before. She was acting shy. That was the exact opposite of the snarky, feisty girl that I have known. "I owe you an explanation."

She finally looked up and made eye contact with me. Her eyes were even bluer than I remembered. They looked different, though. Softer, maybe. I was starting to see her in a new light. I could see her chewing on the inside of her cheek, waiting for my response. "Go ahead," I encouraged.

Nodding, she opened her mouth and everything started to spill out. "I just want you to keep in mind that this isn't an excuse for how I have treated you," she started with. "I have some demons I've been trying to face down. When I was about 7 years old, my mom's boyfriend – and now husband – sexually abused me in the middle of the night." Her voice started to get shaky, but the tension her body had been carrying was visibly reduced after that confession.

"Liz," I gasped slightly, but she shook her head.

"No, listen. I fought back and told on him multiple times, but no one believed me. Not even my mom. And that last night I called you over, my mom had just called me. She wanted me to come visit for his birthday. When I said no, she told me I was ungrateful and a bad child." Amazingly, she had avoided crying. I had no idea how she was staying so strong.

"I'm honestly sorry that I took everything out on you," she continued. "I didn't consider your feelings, and I should have."

"Such a formal apology," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. She smirked at me, acknowledging my joke. "I owe you an apology, too. I sent mixed messages. I should have been clearer about my feelings when they formed instead of pushing them down. But I don't take back anything I said."

"So, you love me, huh?" she chuckled softly, the sound of her laugh filling the empty spaces in my soul.

"Yeah, I do." I scooted over on the couch, trying to close some of the distance between us. At this point, all I needed was to feel her skin on mine. "How do you feel about that?'

"Well," she said, considering it in her mind. After a second, she decided to admit the truth. "I'm scared, honestly. But I want to love you, too."

"Can I have a hug?" I asked her, treading lightly. The last thing I wanted was to freak her out enough to have her retreat again. Things were going to have to be on her terms for a while, and I understood that.

She got up out of her chair and took a seat next to me, leaning her head on my chest and wrapping her small arms around my waist. Her touch was so delicate and gentle. I held her close to me, resting my chin on the top of her soft hair. She smelled sweet like peaches. Nuzzling her head into me, she squeezed gently before starting to pull away. The sensation of holding her tenderly was unlike anything else. I really did love her. "Well that was different," she sighed.

"A good different, I hope," I laughed nervously.

"Very good. I needed that." She straightened my shirt before turning to face the TV. Extreme couponing was playing, still muted. "I love this show. Can we watch it for a little while?"

"Sure." I reached for the remote and unmuted it, and the sound of a southern woman explaining her lifetime supply of cat food stashed filled the room. As the scenes played on, I realized one off thing about this woman. "Why does she have cat food when she doesn't even have cats?" I joked.

"Oh my God!" she snorted, leaning back into me. "I didn't even notice that! What the fuck!" She continued to giggle as she rested her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her and played with some loose strands of hair. "I always want to coupon after I watch this," she sighed. "But then I go through one ad booklet and get mad because I don't have the patience of organization skills. I was not cut out for the extreme couponing life."

I continued to wrap her hair around my fingers, barely even watching the TV anymore. I was taking in everything about this amazing girl. I had no idea that this girl was hiding beneath the façade. She was so beautiful when she was being herself, and I wished I could pause this moment. I never wanted her to leave her position in my arms, right where she belonged.