The Help // Ed Sheeran

Chapter 7 : Stay

I've been here every day this week since Ed got back, Ed slowly seems to get better but we're still spending our days in a dark house sitting on the sofa watching ridiculous television between meal preparations and Ed's been eating his meals on the sofa as well. It's Friday now and I feel like Ed has gone back to the mental state of Tuesday when I first got to him, he is smelly, hiding under the blankets, and requesting that I bake more than I have already been and make him an entire pizza for himself. I think I even caught him crying once or twice, it is breaking my heart to see him like this and I don't understand what happened to cause him to backpedal so far. I quietly walk into the living room with Ed's pizza and set it on the table in front of him, he doesn't move, he stays sprawled out on the sofa completely covered with blankets. I sit on the edge of the sofa and determine where his head is and lightly shake his shoulder, "Eddie, wake up hun please." He stirs slightly and grumbles into the blanket, I sigh shaking my head and shake him again a little harder "Come on Eddie wake up and eat please." He peeks an eye out from under the blankets at me and sighs "Pizza?" I nod toward the table and smile "I made your favorite Eddie, a whole pizza just for you and I cut it the way you like." He gave a small smile, sitting up and grabs a piece of pizza, scarfing it down, after a few slices he sighs looking at me "I fucked up Nic, I'm so hurt and broken and I can't fix it and I just believe people too easily, I don't know why I always do this to myself." I shake my head rubbing his knee "No Eddie you just have a big heart, it isn't a bad thing, you just need to have a handle on who you let in and who you don't. You need to be more careful about who you trust. Believe me Eddie I know, I've been in the same boat." He nods and pushes the pizza away, scoots closer to me and looks over at me "Tell me about it?" I sigh and nod "Alright Eddie." He turns sideways bringing his legs up on the sofa and looks back at me nodding his head toward my lap and I nod shaking my head as he lays his head in my lap. "Well my ex, the kids' dad, was the picture of something good and stable and I let him in and we were alright for years, but it wasn't really alright. He was cheating on me and verbally abusive and I didn't do anything because I felt bad for giving up, I felt like everyone needed a chance and needed to be helped into the better person they can be." He looked up at me as I stroked his hair absentmindedly "How many times did he cheat?" I sighed closing my eyes "Three to five I don't really know honestly, three for sure though." He rubbed my hand and sighed "I'm sorry Nic." I shook my head and smiled "It's ok Eddie, it made me who I am and showed me that not everyone is worth your time. I can see through people now and I know you'll get there too." He smiled and closed his eyes as I continued playing with his hair until he fell asleep. I got up and made dinner for him putting it on the warmer then went to wake him up, "Eddie I have to go, your dinner is in the warmer." He nodded and smiled as I kissed his forehead before I left to get the kids. The next few weeks have been gradually getting better, we're still in a dark house watching crappy TV, and baking a lot but he's actually begun showering regularly again and getting dressed in real clothes instead of constant sweatpants. We usually end our days just hanging out on the sofa with his head in my lap as I wait for him to drift to sleep. Its been almost a month since everything happened and I can't stop thinking about that as I prepare his dinner and get ready to leave today. I'm proud of how far Ed has come but I just wish that he didn't hurt anymore.

The last month has seemed to fly by, Ed is doing a lot better, we open the blinds and go out into the garden a lot to walk around and look at the animals running about in the beautiful nature of changing seasons. I can't help but admire Ed as he roams around running and laughing like a child, its days like these I'm so glad I didn't give up and walk away when things got hard. Ed runs up behind me and grabs my shoulders, shaking me "Nic look at this day, the clouds look like marshmallow fluff, and the sky looks like an ocean, it feels beautiful outside and I'm so happy to be spending my time with you!" I turned around and smiled shaking my head "How are you a major artist Ed? You're so corny its ridiculous." He frowns putting his hands on his hips then tries to lunge for me but I laugh running across the garden as he chases behind me yelling that he's going to catch me and make me pay. I giggle as I sprint back past him to the side of the garden we were just on and he shouts "This isn't fair, I'm an unfit chubby ginger who you've been baking way too much for!" I laugh hysterically and pause waiting for him to get closer then sprint off again laughing, I turn to yell back at him but lose my footing and trip, falling into the grass. He cheers waving his hands over his head in triumph and plops down over me beginning to attack my sides with his fingertips and I squeal out kneeing at the back of his legs, thrashing about, "Eddie stop that right now! This is far from fair mister!!" He shakes his head laughing and continues tickling me as I push against him "Edward I swear if you don't stop it, I'm gonna piss on you!" His face immediately changed and he got up walking backwards laughing hysterically "Did you just threaten to pee on me?" I got up laughing and stuck my tongue at him running off "It got you off me didn't it?" He scoffed and began running toward me again, I laughed running into the house and slammed the door locking it. Ed ran to the door banging against it "Nic you CANNOT lock me out of MY house!" I unlatched the door quickly and made a mad dash for the kitchen, slamming through the cupboards looking for a bowl as I heard the door fly open then slam shut. I grab a bowl, swing open the freezer taking the ice cream out, shut it and go back to the bowl scooping it in, I look up and Ed is standing there sweaty with brows furrowed, "What have you been doing Eddie? You're all sweaty!" He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it and just stares at me very perplexed looking. I smile raising an eyebrow and laugh at him "Guess its good I'm making you this sundae, looks like you were getting a workout out there." He shakes his head laughing a bit and says "You're going to pretend like that didn't happen?" I tilt my head at him as I put the ice cream back and get out all of the toppings, "What didn't happen? Are you ok Eddie? Did you get too hot out there? Here, have a nice cold water and sit down I'll bring your ice cream to you." He takes the water shoving me lightly and laughs going to sit at the bar. I pour chocolate and strawberry sauce over the ice cream adding some pineapple chunks and peanuts before dropping hefty amounts of whipped cream on top. Ed is watching me with big eyes from the bar and he's licking his lips constantly. I smile proudly at him as I set the sundae in front of him, "Ta DA!!!" He laughs taking the bowl and digs in closing his eyes and mumbling "Oh my gosh this is the best sundae ever." I laugh sitting next to him as he scarfs down the sundae and he looks up at me mouth full, eyebrows raised, and a smirk on his face as he scoops out a big spoonful and shoves it toward my face wiggling his brows. I laugh shaking my head "No th---" He cuts me off by shoving the spoon into my mouth laughing and I roll my eyes at him taking the ice cream off of the spoon, he watches me and smiles. I swallow the ice cream and nod "Its alright Eddie, thanks for sharing." He smiles proudly and I laugh. Once he's finished his ice cream I wash the dishes and we go to watch some tv on the sofa, we sit in a comfortable silence for a while and I'm almost dozing off when Ed suddenly speaks "I want to go back to the farm." I look at him and nod. "I just miss the environment, the quiet, the privacy, the space, it's all so different from here." He lets out a sigh and closes his eyes as I turn to face him tucking my feet under my lap and smile. "I get it you know, its a completely different environment in the countryside, you feel more at peace and comfortable, no matter how secluded your home in the city is it just never compares." He smiles opening his eyes and pats my knee "I knew you would get it, you always do." I smiled and leaned back against the armrest closing my eyes until he spoke again "So how will that work? Will you come there? I know its a bit more of a commute but I need you, I'll starve to death without you, I'll DIE!" He whines out and I sit up laughing then my face turns serious "You mean to tell me you expect me to figure out ANOTHER kitchen? This is just too much, I don't want to." I fold my arms over my chest sticking my nose up and he scoots closer to me "Come oooon Nic I'll double your pay and let you come in later!" I laughed at him patting his head "I'm kidding Ed, nothing needs to change I'd be very happy to follow you to Suffolk." He smiles and rests his head in my lap as well fall into our after lunch routine. I'm so happy that only two months after everything he's doing so much better. I think he'll be ok, I really do, but I also think I'm starting to like my boss as more than just my best friend and boss.