Impossibly His

Chapter Seventeen

A/N: This chapter is a little longer than my usual length. I think you are going to like the end though.

Chapter is dedicated to Our_Captured_Moments for the beautiful covers that she made me. Thank you so much!

Lastly, song on the side is Closer by The Chainsmokers. I hope you enjoy!

***

I awoke to the sound of sobbing. It was a painful kind of sob; holding such sorrow that my heart ached hearing it. I got out of bed slowly, being sure not to make too much noise because I knew the rest of the house was still asleep, and made my way towards the sound.

The noise became louder as I walked out of Reth's bedroom door, and I realized that the source of the sound was the room beside his. Rain's room.

Hesitantly, I opened the door, being cautious as I didn't know what to expect to be walking in on. The lighting was dim, but still enough for me to see as I slowly stepped through the doorway and closed it silently behind me.

My eyes caught on him the minute they adjusted to the lighting, and my heart broke at the sight. He was just sitting there on his bed, nearly expressionless and sobbing as tears streamed down his face.

I didn't say a word, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the bed beside him, realizing to my dismay that he was sitting still and staring blankly down at his arm as he sobbed.

And there were marks. Marks running up and down the length of the underside of his arm, branded into his skin. Cigarette burns. Dozens of them. He was staring down at them with such sorrow I could barely stand it, and without a second thought I pulled the sleeve of his sweater down, nearly as far as to cover his hand to be sure that the scars would be obscured from his view.

I pulled him into my arms, and he began to sob harder. He clenched his eyes shut tightly and bit down on his bottom lip, as if to try and calm his mind, but as his efforts were proven fatal he wrapped his arms tightly around my torso and continued to cry.

"Shhh," I whispered to him as I brushed his hair out of his face. "It's okay, honey. I know how it feels, but everything is okay now. Me and your brothers, we're going to make everything okay, I promise."

"My head..." he whispered. "It won't get out of my head."

"You can't just erase the memories, sweetie...believe me, I've tried every way possible. Trying to forget will only make it worse."

"But how are you supposed to move on if it always comes back?" he asked me, sounding lost.

"Sometimes it's good to talk about it, sweetie. With whoever you feel the most comfortable talking to. I go to therapy, and it has helped me, but if you don't think that is the best cooping strategy for you, you can find your own. What matters is that it works for you personally."

He was silent for a while, the only audible sound being his occasional sniffle, and before long I heard the unmistakable sound of his bedroom door slowly creaking open, and Reth silently stepped in. I didn't meet his eyes; I wasn't for sure how much of our conversation he had heard, but I hoped it wasn't enough for him to start jumping to conclusions about what he thought happened to me in his absence.

"Is everything okay?" He asked softly, and I could feel his eyes on me.

"Yeah," Rain said with another sniffle. "I just had a nightmare...Clare heard me and came to help. I'm okay now."

Reth pursed his lips but nodded silently before turning around and walking back out.

***

"I just wish he would talk to me, you know?" Reth ranted as he drove. "Me and Rain...we use to be really close. But he stopped talking to me. I've tried so hard...I don't know what to do anymore."