Broken [boyxboy]

Chapter Five

After spending the afternoon talking over tea and coffee, Lawrence smiled and got to his feet. He held his hand out to me. "I want to show you the garden," he grinned widely. I cautiously took his hand and got to my feet slowly. He knitted our fingers together and smiled at me comfortingly. "You don't have to be nervous, Myth." 

"I'm not," I lied, trying to smile back at him. I guessed I failed because he kissed me on the forehead and told me that it was okay. He led me out of the kitchen, across the hallway and through a set of French windows onto a patio. I swallowed. 

In front of me was the biggest garden I'd ever seen. It was about the size of the whole estate where I  lived... where Mum and Raven lived, anyway. I lived here now. With Lawrence. But I was too blown away by the garden to be upset about that right now. It was all lush green glass and tall leafy trees and little shrubs and beautiful near flowerbeds. There was a pond with a water feature and a big chair swing and a little wooden gazebo area with a mosaic floor. I sucked in a breath in an amazed gasp. He grinned broadly. "You like it, then?" he asked. 

"I do. It's... beautiful," I said. "D-D'you keep it all yourself?" 

"Oh, heavens no!" he laughed. "No, I have a potter in the flowerbeds every know and then, keep the fish in the pond fed and whatnot, but I have three gardeners who keep it all looking beautiful. I'm terribly grateful to them. I like to sit out here and read sometimes - do you read a lot?" 

"No. I'd like too," I admitted. "But my mum could never really afford to buy me books." 

"Mm? Well. There's lots in the library. Feel free to pick at them as you please," he said. I shivered as a cool evening breeze washed over me. He chuckled. "Are you cold, love?" 

"A little," I said. He smiled at me and shrugged off his thick button-down sweater. He draped it over my shoulders and stroked my hair. 

"Is that better, love?" he asked. 

"Yeah, thanks," I said, smiling at him. I was surprised to see him wearing a tee-shirt. Last time I'd seen him he'd been wearing a shirt and trousers. He smirked at me when he saw me staring at his bare arms. 

"What?" he asked, sounding amused. 

"You have really good muscles," I commented. He laughed. 

"Thank you, sweetie," he said. "Shall we have a walk?" 

"O-okay then," I swallowed, as he took my hand in his and lead me down the garden. 

He peered at me when we reached the pond. "You've taken all this rather well," he observed. "I expected you to put up something more of a fight." 

"What's the point?" I shrugged. "You're much stronger than I am. If I fought, you'd win no matter how hard I tried." 

"Intresting way of looking at it," he smirked slightly. "You know, my brother and lots of my friends have human pets. You're the most complacent I've ever met." 

 "Um..." I wasn't exactly sure what to say to that. He smiled. 

"It's a good thing, I promise," he said, putting an arm around me. He pulled my closer and kissed the side of my head. "I know how hard this must be for you. You're being incredibly brave." 

"I've kind of had to be, growing up," I said, without thinking. He peered at me. 

"Oh?" he said. "Why so?" 

"Well," I shrugged. "Dad died before I was born. Mum had a fair few boyfriends when we were growing up. Most of them were okay but there was this one... Paul..." 

"And what happened with him?" he asked. I turned my head away. "Was he abusive?" Lawrence's voice became much softer, more gentle. I nodded once. 

"Yeah," I whispered. "Towards all three of us." 

"Oh darling," he whispered. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you. Promise." 

"Mm," I mumbled. It was all I could think to say. Lawrence rubbed my back. 

"Shall we get and early night, my love?" he asked. 

"I-I suppose so," I said. He gave me a hug.

"Now, hey, you don't have to be so scared," he whispered. "I wasn't planning on doing anything tonight. We'll just have a cuddle tonight, eh?" 

"Th-that... that sounds really nice," I admitted. I'd always loved cuddles, no matter who they were from. He smiled and linked his arm through mine. 

"Let's go then," he smiled. 

I went with him willingly. 

***

Lawrence took me up to his - our - room. He went to the wardrobe and produced a set of pyjamas. "Japanese silk," he said, handing them to me.

"Wow, " I whispered, running the fabric between my fingers. The only silk thing we'd had when I was still living with Mum and Raven was Mum's wedding dress, and even that was only imitation. We'd not been able to afford such luxuries. I put the pyjamas on and marveled at how soft the fabric felt on my skin. 

"Come on," Lawrence said. "Get in." he was already lying in bed and he patted the space beside him. I slipped under the covers and he put an arm around me. 

"It's going to be okay, Myth, I promise," he told me. 

"I know," I mumbled. 

"Hey, listen. I got a call from my brother earlier," he said. "He's coming round tomorrow." 

"Oh." I said, not knowing what else to say. 

"I'm just warning you," he said. "He and I are a bit... well we're different. He's not quite as... understanding as I am. He doesn't treat his pet totally nicely." 

"Will his pet be coming with him?" I asked him. 

"I imagine so," he said. "His name's Mattie, and he's very shy. I think he's about your age but I'm not totally sure. You look after him if he's here, eh?" 

"I will," I promised. 

We were very quiet for several long moments. 

Then I fell asleep.