Desires

•CHAPTER LXIV•

I rummaged through the bathroom cupboard to find three new toothbrushes, towels and tubes of toothpaste.

I fiddled glanced down at the toothbrushes looking at the white bumpy bristles to focus my attention on, rather than my mothers contorted face of anger striking down with memories.

Romeo stands in the doorway and folds his arms leaning on the doorframe.
"Do you brush your teeth?" I ask curiously and threw him a tooth brush that he, without fail, caught.
He tossed it into his other hand and chuckled.
"Twice a day." He says and sets the toothbrush on the shelf before walking over to me. His cool hands slide around my waist and his chin leans on my shoulder.
"Yes?" I say as I shove the towels back in the cupboard and swivel around facing him.
"Are you okay?" He asks, his eyebrows knit into concern.
I nod more than once. "Of course I am."
There's a pause. "You know that I can hear your heartbeat, right?"

I'm going to have to try and be more convincing with my lies...

"I know that." I say more rudely than intended and press his hands away from me, occupying myself by rinsing my hands under the cold tap.
He walks towards me and I can see his tall reflection in the mirror.
"I'm sorry." I say and turn the tap off. He takes a towel and puts it between my hands.
"It's okay." He looks down at me and takes the towel off me once I've dried my hands. "You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" He adds.

I look up at his green eyes. Wholesome yet mysterious.
"I just- I don't know." I say in frustration. "It's still fresh in my mind and it won't go away. If I don't do or say anything else then it's all I'm ever going to think about." My hands tense at my sides.
"Hey, hey, hey. I understand." He says and wraps his arms around me.

I feel comforted and safe. Like our embrace will last forever. It's almost like I can feel the haven drip off him.

"I just don't know what to do." I mumble into his chest where I find my hands.
"It's okay," He says and rubs my back. "You're safe here. With all of us. I won't let anyone, ever, lay so much as a finger on you. It won't ever happen again, and if it does, god help whoever they are because I will torture them myself till they beg for death."
I look up at his emerald eyes with surprise.
"Too morbid?" He asks and I chuckle, shaking my head. Without fail, he makes me laugh.

He kisses my forehead and I feel like, slowly the broken pieces of me are pulling back together.

Charlie runs into the bathroom and pauses at the doorway in a panicked hurry.
"Sorry to disturb you guys, but I think somethings at the door." She says between taking deep breaths.
"Who?" Romeo asks almost furious and takes swift strides down the hall.
We follow him cautiously.
"I thought it was Cole, but it doesn't look the same as him..." Charlie says.

We get to the front door, with Romeo in front, cautiously leaning toward the button on the side. He turns around and puts his finger to his lips indicating that we keep quiet and so we do.

I tread my footsteps carefully and cringe when the floorboard creeks.
Charlie grasps onto my arm as on the screen emerges a giant furry wolf with darker fur.
It's eyes are a null yellow.

"Who is that?" Charlie whispers.
The wolf grunts against the voice com, it's wet nose brushing past as the animal heaves, catching its breath.
"I think it's Jason." Romeo concludes.
"Jason? How do you know?" I whisper and creep beside Romeo staring down at the beast that's just behind the door.
"It's the same heartbeat. Same scent, just more...dog like."
He looks at me as we both think if it's safe to allow him in.
"Jason?!" Charlie says out loud earning glares from both of us. But as soon as she said that name, the wolf snarls, crinkling it's nose and bearing it's big white canines.

I nod at Romeo and he opens the door.
Charlie runs to toward the dark furry beast and crouches down to the wolf's leaning stance.
He was out of breath and looked drearily tired.

"Jason!" She calls and just as she does the wolf's eyes meet hers with a familiar glint.
"Quick, get him in." Romeo says as he looks around in the forest.
The wolf creeps its way inside, just fitting through the door frame. It makes its way to the living room where it lays on the rug before the fire place.

Romeo shuts the door as Charlie kneels next to the animal that had his eyes shut.
She looks up at us with clueless eyes.
"What happened to him?" I ask.
"He must have ran all the way from Morgen." Romeo says cleverly.
"No shit." Charlie says and strokes the dark fur gently, lulling the wolf to sleep. "I'm gonna stay with him. Just in case he wakes up or turns back." She says stubbornly.

Romeo and I switch glances.
"Are you sure?" I ask and she nods without fail.
"Goodnight then." Romeo says and begins to head upstairs.
"Goodnight, Charlie." I say and close the door behind me.

–

After taking a long earned shower, I change into an unfamiliar set of silk pyjamas that fit me just perfectly.

I brush my teeth and dry my hair, all set and ready to sleep. But before I do I pause.

Where would I be sleeping?

I walk past what was supposedly Charlie's room and all the other spare rooms, reaching Romeo's who's door was slightly open by a fraction, perhaps inviting me in.

I gently slide open the door passing a ray of light from the hall into the dark room. I shut the door behind me and slide myself into the bed next to a familiar figure.

I wrap my arms around him, and press my forehead against his back.

"Goodnight, Azra." He says and I can hear the smile on his lips.
"Goodnight, Romeo." I tiredly whisper into the dark embrace.

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authors note:

happy weekend!

thank you for reading, if you enjoyed please leave a vote/comment!

also thank you so much for 100 followers and 22k reads, it means so much to me.

-kiim