A Thousand Tiny Wishes // Ed Sheeran

Chapter Ten - Safe

Ed

Three hard knocks on the bathroom door jolted me awake. My back was stiff from the hard surface and after another loud bang against the wood I pushed myself up, squinting at the bright bathroom light.

"You've got until the count of three to open this door," my father snapped.

I felt paralyzed sitting there under the blanket after I'd come to and realized the gravity of the situation. My breathing picked up with each firm thump at the door and I pressed my hands over my ears, wishing all the noise away.

"Ed!" The voice boomed, and I flinched.

My eyes opened and I kept them fixed on the white door, slowly peeling my palms away from my ears. Another knock came and once I blinked, I realized I was still in Stuart's bathroom after having fallen asleep the night before tucked away in the bathtub. The angry voice hadn't sounded like Stuart and I strained my ears, waiting for him to say something else.

From past experience I knew that sleeping in the bathroom had its ups and downs. Sometimes when I was younger I'd take to staying there when my father would go off and drink himself stupid. I'd hide from his wrath until he exhausted himself trying to get me to come out. Most of the time I'd get away unscathed, but sometimes it'd just make him angrier and he'd kick the door open, and those nights were especially bad.

The room fell silent and I listened, cautiously making my way over the edge of the tub. My socked feet thudded the cool tile the closer I went toward the door, fear settling itself heavy in my gut with each step. With my palms flat beside my head I pressed my ear to the cool wood.

My heart skipped a beat when the knocking came again and I stumbled back, making it halfway back to the bathtub when his knuckles clapped on the wood three more times.

"Ed? Are you alright, mate?"

I rubbed my eyes once I'd heard Stuart's voice, my heart hammering behind my ribs.

"I-I'm not coming out," I managed to speak.

"You've nothing to be afraid of."

I shook my head as if he could see, confused as to why and how I'd heard my father. It felt and sounded too real to be strictly inside my brain.

"I'm not coming out until he leaves."

The room fell quiet and though internally I was praying to be kept safe, I knew from experience that it took more than a silent prayer to keep my father away.

"Ed?" I heard again but this time the voice was female, "it's Libby. Stuart's girlfriend. He's left the room now, so why don't you come out? I've made tea."

Confusion worked its way over the fear inside me and I glanced around again, taking in my surroundings.

"Where's my dad?" I asked quickly, too afraid to take any chances.

Silence again.

I rubbed my eyes and took a long breath in.

"It's just the two of us here, Ed, you're safe," Stuart said.

The second I heard his voice I wanted to dig a hole through the tile and disappear. I hadn't planned on revealing my problems to him and even if I had, I wouldn't have let it slip out the way I'd just done, and I sure as hell didn't want him to know I'd slept in the bathtub.

"Come on out, yeah?" He spoke softly and even though I wanted to stay hidden due to embarrassment, I cautiously climbed over the edge and hiked up my dirty jeans.