The Moon, The Sun, and Everything Else

The Fight

"Kirst, what happened?" Avi asked as he opened his apartment door to see a crying Kirstie. "Come in, come in, it's freezing out there." He ushered the shorter girl inside, seeing how the rain outside was starting to come down harder and harder. "Love, you can't stay in those clothes, you'll catch a cold. Give me a moment." Kirstie nodded, and Avi disappeared around the corner. He came back momentarily with a hoodie and a pair of leggings. "Esther left these leggings here, and here's a hoodie. Change from those clothes, I don't want you getting sick." Kirstie half smiled and took the clothes. She went to the bathroom and changed. Once she came back, she approached Avi again.

"Where would you like my old clothes?" She whispered.

Avi shook his head. "Don't worry about it, okay? Snuggle up on the couch, and I'll deal with them, okay?"

"Thank you." Kirstie replied.

"Of course." Avi kissed her forehead and went off into the bathroom Kirstie had just come from. Avi hung Kirstie's rain soaked clothes over the curtain rod of the shower to dry out. He stopped momentarily when he heard gentle sniffs and coughs from the living room. He sighed, but finished hanging her clothes up before going back to where Kirstie was. Avi sighed once more, as he knelt before Kirstie, who was sitting with her head in her hands. "Kirstie?" Avi asked quietly, rubbing her back. Kirstie looked up at Avi, and sighed.

"I'm sorry to be a bother, I--" Kirstie started.

"No. Don't start that train of thought. Listen, cuddle up, get comfy, I'll make you a cup of tea, alright? And then, we can talk this out." Avi nodded and went off into the kitchen. Kirstie grabbed a blanket that was slung over the back of the couch and buried herself under it.

"I hope you don't mind me using this blanket." Kirstie told Avi, thanking him for the mug he handed her.

"No, no, of course not." Avi sat on the opposite side of the sofa from Kirstie. "Now, let's talk this out. What happened?"

Kirstie took a few breaths, and then a few sips of her tea before starting to retell the story.

~~~~~

"Okay, what's wrong?" Kirstie asked, looking over at her boyfriend, Jeremy. He had been acting weird all night. Kirstie set her fork down and turned her whole focus towards Jeremy's uncharacteristically distant behavior.

"Fine." He mumbled. Kirstie sighed and picked up her clean plate, starting to walk it over to the sink and dishwasher. Kirstie looked back at her boyfriend as she set her plate down.

"You're not fine, Love. What's wrong?" She asked as she walked back, and reached over the table to grab Jeremy's plate. Kirstie flinched as Jeremy grabbed her wrist.

"Do you want to do that again, Darling?" Jeremy asked in somewhat of a husky whisper.

"Do what again?" Kirstie frowned, and shook her hand from his grip. She reached for his plate and started over to the dishwasher once again.

"You tried to hit me!" Jeremy yelled, standing up from the table.

Kirstie gasped. "I did not!" She exclaimed. She started to speak up again, but was cut off by a shriek of her own. Kirstie ducked down to her knees as a glass flew from Jeremy's fingertips, across the room, and ended up hitting the wall a few inches from where Kirstie was standing.

Tears sprung to Kirstie's eyes when the glass shattered right by her feet. Kirstie stood up and grabbed a jacket, running out the door. She ignored the shouts she heard from Jeremy, and she just kept running.

~~~~~

"And that's how I got here." Kirstie whispered, not realizing that she had curled herself even tighter into herself as she told the story.

"Is that where...?" Avi started, and Kirstie just nodded. She knew that he was alluding to the few glass cuts on her fingertips, and the small one on her jawline. "Kirstin..." Avi's voice trailed off as he hugged the girl. "I am so, so sorry, Kirstie." He whispered. "You don't deserve any of that. Why don't you stay here tonight, okay? I need to make sure you're safe." Kirstie nodded against his shoulder. After finishing their mugs of tea, Avi lead Kirstie to his bedroom, explaining that he would take the couch. Kirstie fought back, saying that that was stupid, but Avi insisted. He left to go grab her a better pillow than the ones already on the bed, but when he came back, Kirstie was basically already asleep. A gentle smile fell onto Avi's lips as he tenderly switched the pillows out under Kirstie's head, and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Kirstin. I love you."