Innocent ✔️

Thirty five

I shut my eyes and finally made my way closer to his room. I needed a bit of courage to ask him what I wanted and I was sure he won't refuse it.

I woke up this morning in his arms as usual and took breakfast with him talking about how was my day. I wanted so bad to ask him where he was and why he left the bed but I didn't. He came and was here for me when I was crying so he didn't mean anything bad about it. Right?

I walked closer to his bed where he was sitting with his computer on his lap. He saw me coming close to he shut it down and smiled at me. He placed it next to him and opened his arms to make me lay in them. I didn't hesitate before making my way to him. He placed a sloppy kiss on my head and laid back so his back was against the headboard of the bed.

"Jackson?" I called for his attention. He hummed in respond. It's time to tell him, he won't do anything. What's the worst thing that could happen? He will refuse that's it! "Can I ask you something?" I said and looked up at him.

"Anything." He smiled down at me. He started playing with my hair.

I took a deep breath and finally spit it out "can I go spend the day with my brother?"

"Where?" He asked taking his eyes off of me and turned to look the other side.

"I don't know wherever he is." I respond.

"Why?" He simply asked. He looked like he didn't want me to or he was scared of something Kyle would tell which made me want to see him even more.

"Why what? He's my brother and it's been so long that I didn't see him." I simply answered him.

"Fine, I will tell someone to go tell him to come spend the day with us here." He said. I looked at him confused. It was like he was scared to leave me so something would happen. He always wanted me under his eyes and it scared me, not of him but of knowing what's behind this.

"Thank you." I chose to play along, after all, all I wanted was to see my brother and spend time with me.

***

"So yeah," I finished telling him everything that was happening except me being with Jackson. I never hid anything from him but I felt like this should be. "What about you?" I asked, trying to stop thinking about it and distract myself from feeling bad.

"Well I wash cars, help in the kitchen sometimes and help cut the trees and yeah, stuff like that." He smiled at me, taking another sip of the tee that Miss Robertson made him. "Mister Robertson never leave my side." He finished.

"I never met him." I told him.

"He's really nice. Just like Miss Robertson." He said a bit louder so Miss Robertson would listen.

"You don't have to scream Kyle, I can hear you." She screamed from the kitchen making me and Kyle laugh.

"Take care, I feel like something is going to happen soon." Kyle looked at me with a pale face making me frown.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Just take care of yourself." He tapped my shoulder and stood up. "I have to leave before Mister Mickelson comes."

"He's never here!" I said, standing up as well, wanting him to stay a bit longer.

"That's whatever scaring me the most." He muttered but I heard him. "Anyways," he gave me a small smile and placed a kiss on my forehead and made his way to the door. He turned around right after he opened it and waved to me. I smiled and waved back.

"He seems nice, that guy." Jackson's voice caused a gasp to escape my mouth. I turned around and he was holding a glass in his hand.

"That guy is my brother, Kyle McLeod." I said.

"Easy, easy." He chuckled and walked closer. He sat next to me on the couch and took a sip from his drink. "Why did he leave so early?" He asked.

"I don't know," I softly said even if it was 10pm, I didn't argue, Kyle's words kept repeating in my head and I was almost scared to start asking myself with the what ifs again. "But he said that he feels like something wrong is going to happen." I looked at Jackson's face knowing that his face expression will show if he knows something or not but I think he made sure to hide it with placing the glass to his lips again. "Do you know anything?" I found it easier to ask.

"No," he simply answered. "He said he feels like...that doesn't mean that something is going to happen!" He said taking the last sip of his drink. I nodded, his words making sense in my head. "Common, let's go upstairs." He said and put his hand in mine, dragging me upstairs.

When we walked in my room, I walked straight to the bed and sat there. Jackson followed not so long after. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, just thinking." I shortly said knowing that he will ask more so I prepared myself for the answer but he didn't. "About what Kyle told you?" He surprised me by asking.

"Yes." I huffed. "I don't know but it, sort of, scared me." I honestly said.

"Of what?" He asked, forming his arms around my waist, pushing me closer to him.

"You know," I started ignoring his question. "I never had a wish." I looked at him with sad eyes. "Every girl my age would dream of marrying the right man that will make her happy and take care of her or being rich and buy everything she wants or even having her family, her kids, her husband, mom, dad around her but me," I looked down at my hands. "The only thing I want is to feel safe, to close my eyes and sleep in peace without fearing what's tomorrow has in store for me or what's going to happen while I'm sleeping." He caressed my back, telling me that he was listening. I softly smiled and looked at him "I only found that when I'm with you. I always find myself thinking of you. When you hug me close to you while we're sleeping, I close my eyes knowing that nothing will ever hurt me because I know that you will protect me."

He let go of me and came to sit right in front of me. He softly pushed my chin up to look at him and when our eyes met, his lips met mine and when he pulled away he said "nobody will ever hurt you again." He caressed my cheek with a small smile on the corner of his lips. "Promise me something," he said. I looked up at him, questioning about it. "Promise me that you won't leave me, ever."

"I won't," I shook my head. "Why would I if you didn't give me a reason to?"

He looked away, preparing himself to tell me something but I silent him with reconnecting our lips but he pulled away and said "Ana I need to tell you something," he started.

"Save it for another time." I said, laying in his arms. I closed my eyes feeling the happiest girl alive.

"But I—" he started again but I hushed him and said "I love you."

His tense disappear and his muscles relaxed. His body softly laid in bed and bought mine closer and said "and I love you." He placed a kiss on my forehead then muttered "so much" making me smile and slowly fall asleep.