Fix You ~Completed~

Act Sixty

The town we stopped in had a population of fifty people. In other words, it was my kind of town. We got a hotel room in this cute little place called the Crackling Falls Inn. (I didn't know where the name came from since the town wasn't called Crackling Falls. My best guess is the owner just thought it sounded cool.)

There were only rooms with two queen beds available, which wasn't a horrible thing. Eddie and I had no issue with sharing. "Gale is gonna tease the crap out of us," Ed sighed while we set our bags down on the left bed. Each of the beds in the cozy, cabin-esque hotel room had matching quilts with little bear paws etched into them. I loved it.

Ale was currently outside, phoning his girlfriend to let her know we made it to our first stop in one piece, so it was safe to talk.

"Eh, so what?" I responded, nudging him lightly. Eddie gave me a tiny smile, shrugging. "It's warmer when we sleep together. Is it really such a crime?"

"Of course not," he agreed, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. My face caught fire at the simple touch.

Just as we both made a move to retrieve our pajamas from our bags, Gale came skipping into the room. "Dame got worried when I told her we got a room with only two beds because she thought I was gonna share with one of you. I assured her that no, my two best friends who are totally in love but refuse to do anything about it are gonna share a bed. No worries, honey," he informed with such a Gale chuckle. Eddie threw his car keys at the ginger boy. I simply rushed off to the bathroom, trying to hide the fact my face had been entirely taken over by that damn blush. "Lem, don't leave us!"

"I need to change into my pajamas," I informed him, shutting the door behind me.

Six months hadn't totally washed away the discoloring or the marks on my body. Six months didn't erase the ache in my muscles or the whimpers caused by the invisible that dug into my arm if I bent it wrong.

Six months did a lot for me, but it didn't fix everything.

I never changed in front of the guys. Eddie had walked in once to find me changing out of my hoodie and into a t-shirt that I was going to wear under said hoodie for layers. His eyes were met with the marks on my arms and a purple lump on my lower back before I tugged my hoodie back on, shaking. That was the closest either of them came to seeing my messed up body.

Quickly, I yanked my jeans off and replaced them with sweats. My World's Greatest Effing Friend hoodie was replaced by a long-sleeved shirt with a Sawyer U. logo in the center of the chest. I pulled my hair back into a bun before exiting the tiny room. It had grown significantly since Jimmy trimmed it and Gale was trying like hell for me to agree to let him or Ed take a crack at it.

Gale was plopped down on his bed, already appearing to have drifted off to sleep, and Eddie was scrolling aimlessly through his phone. Both of them were already in their pajamas, meaning they changed in front of each other. They were comfortable enough to do that. They weren't afraid of themselves the way I was.

I slid down beside Eddie on the bed and grabbed his arm. He carefully lifted it over my shoulders, hugging me just as I needed him to. "You're so beautiful," he commented, pressing his cheek to my forehead.

"I still can't... you know. I don't want you to see my scars," I admitted. Eddie had been adamant that nothing could change how he saw me; no cuts, no bruises, no twisted limbs. To him, I would always be gorgeous. But I still couldn't stop being afraid. "You've already seen my arms. You don't need to see anymore."

"Okay, Clemmy," he agreed, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. "Ready for bed? I'm beat after today."

I found my way back into his arms without thought when we crawled under the covers and shut out the lights. Life was always easier in the dark.

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Look at the precious bean.😇