Close As Lovers

Ten.

Song: Call Me When You're Sober- Evanescence

"I know you're in here, Stacy," His chilling voice screamed as he slammed the front door open. "Come out here now!"

Mom grabbed my hand and placed her finger against her lip, signalling me to be quiet as she led me to the guest bedroom. She pushed me into the closet, kneeling down in front of me. "Stay quiet, honey, and don't come out until mommy comes to get you, okay?"

I nodded, and she kissed my forehead, letting it linger, before closing the closet door and leaving the room. Everything around me was pitch black, and for a second, the house was silent, but then all hell broke loose when my father caught sight of my mom.

"You bitch! I told you to have dinner ready when I got home and you can never do a damn thing right! I'm sick of you not giving me what I need," He screamed, sending chills down my spine. "You deserve to rot in hell for being such a horrible wife!"

I had never heard such mean words come out of my father's mouth, the man who cared for me and loved me. That was the first time he had come home drunk, and what mom and I didn't know then was that it wouldn't be the last. It would only get worse with every drink.

Mom choked on a sob. "I've done everything to make sure you and I could have a good life, Daniel. I tried to give you the best, and when you couldn't get anywhere, I pushed you to go to that interview which gave you the job you have now. I work so damn hard to provide for you and Molly!"

My mother had never yelled the way she did that night. There had never been so much hurt in her voice, and she rarely ever cried in front of my father. I was too young to understand then, but as I grew older, it broke my heart to understand the pain my mom went through.

"Please," My father scoffed. "I could do so much better than you."

Everything grew silent for a second, and I thought they had stopped, but then mom let out an ear piercing scream, and her sobs grew as more screams escaped her mouth. I was too young to know fully what was happening, but it scared me to hear my mom scream and cry. So, instead of listening to mom's orders, I ran out of the closet just in time to catch my father throwing a punch.

"Stop it, daddy! Stop it!" I screamed, grabbing onto his leg in attempts to pull him away from mom, but that only enraged him more. He released mom and grabbed me, and I screamed out in pain at his tight grip on my shoulders. With all the strength he had, he threw me against the wall, and I fell to the floor with a thump. I wailed, unable to move because of the impact of my back hitting the floor, and mom tried to crawl towards me.

"Stop crying, you little brat!" He picked me up by my shoulders and shook me as he screamed before he slammed my head against the wall. I cried more until black took over my vision.

***

I let out a scream as I bolted awake, sweat dripping down my forehead. Wes pulled me into his arms, cradling me into his chest as he rocked me back and forth. "It's okay, Molls. I'm here."

He caressed my hair gently as he calmed me down, and once I stopped crying, I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly. His embrace was the only thing that could make me feel safe.

"I'm scared, Wes. I was never supposed to see him again."

"You don't have to be scared, baby. I'm always going to be here to protect you." He kissed my forehead, lying down with me on the bed. "Nobody will ever hurt you as long as I'm here. I promise."

"It's not going to be pretty with him back. I know he hasn't changed. You know how he acted."

"I don't care what happens. I'll be here no matter what and you never have to worry about it." He shot me a smile, wiping away my tears. "I love you, Molls. Please don't forget that."

I smiled softly, pressing a gentle kiss against his lips. "I love you too, Wes."

And that was the most peaceful sleep I had in a long time.

***

I walked through the front door of the house, drowsiness weighing heavy on my entire body. I had a terrible hangover, and I missed work.

You could say that day wasn't working out very well.

Three days had passed since my nightmare, and Wes had stayed with me every night. He made me feel safe, and with him holding me, my nightmares stopped.

Until I had a shift at work, and my father just so happened to be there.

I walked into the living room to see Wes talking on the phone, a frown evident on his lips. I leaned against the wall, holding my hands against my pounding head.

"Yeah, I understand, dude. I'll talk to her as soon as she gets home." He paused for a minute, and I could faintly hear another low voice talking through the phone. "Alright, bye."

Wes hung up the phone, releasing a deep breath, and then he faced me, letting out a sigh as he shook his head. "You look like death."

I chuckled, pressing my head against his chest. "I feel like it too."

I waited for him to wrap his arms around me, but he never did. They remained stiff by his side, and I could practically feel the coldness radiating off him.

"Evan told me you missed work."

I was going to kill Evan the next time I saw him.

I glanced at Wes to see him frowning at me, and I rolled my eyes as I pulled away from him. "He needs to mind his own business. Besides, it's not that big of a deal. I hardly think I'm in the condition to work when I'm hungover."

"No, Molly. It is a big deal. You can't just miss work because you went out and got drunk off your ass," He rolled his eyes as I glared at him. Then, he sat beside me, running his hands through his hair. "He doesn't need to mind his business, as you put it, either. He's looking out for you."

I bitterly laughed as I stood in front of him, and he continued to frown. "I don't need anyone to look after me. I'm perfectly fine."

"Are you?" He challenged, standing up to me again, and I rolled my eyes, shoving him away. "If you don't need anyone to look after you, then do it all on your own because I'm just about done watching out for you."

"Wow, Wes. You really earned boyfriend of the year for that one."

He suddenly stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyes flashing with hurt before they grew cold. He stormed back towards me, and I could tell he was trying to hold back by the way his hands balled into fists. He always did that whenever he didn't want to show his anger or hurt.

"You don't get to be that way with me. Not this time. I've been there for you every time you've had a nightmare or a shitty day because of him. I've done everything I could to help you," He bit his lip as he looked away from me, but I could still see the rage burning in his eyes. "I suggest you watch what you're saying and doing, or else you're going to end up alone on a path to self-destruction without anyone to care."

He stormed out of the room and I watched him, my jaw dropped. My eyes grew blurry from tears, and I ran to my room, trying to contain the frustration and disappointment that was starting to surface from everything that was happening. He and I had fights like every other couple, but he promised he would never leave. I knew my heart wouldn't be able to handle it-- especially not after I had just got him back. Wes had never once hinted at leaving, and I couldn't see it then, but I had started pushing him away, and it was only a matter of time before I shoved a little too hard. 

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