Georgia's POV:
"Alison's on her way"
We had gotten all the pillows and blankets, now they are all spread around the barn, with everyone circled up to talk. Alison only lives down the street so it won't take her long to get here, i'm just amazed she was awake at one in the morning.
"Cool" Dakota says
"Ooo Kota, your girl's coming over". Memphis says in a sing song voice
"Shut the hell up Memphis"
We all laugh.
When Alison gets there, we sit around and talk about nothing important.
"No no Top Banana is the best Jelly bean". Memphis says shaking his head, like he's disappointed.
"Ick, banana is disgusting". Dakota laughs
After about an hour, everyone has fallen asleep, except me of course. Even when we were younger and stayed in the barn, if I didn't fall asleep before Memphis and Dakota, I wouldn't get any sleep. I always picture something coming out of the darkness and grabbing my leg or something. Instead of just laying there I grab a flashlight and quietly walk outside, to go look at the stars.
I look up searching for the few constellations my dad taught me way back then.
"Hey"
I jump and spin around, only to find Theo.
"Sorry didn't mean to scare ya". He rubs his neck and smiles sheepishly.
"Its ok". I turn back to the stars
"Do you like stars?". He leans against the fence next to me and tilts his head up
"Yeah, before everything fell to shit with my dad, he taught me a few constellations".
We sit in a silence, my mind is whirling with one question that's been on my mind since earlier tonight.
"Where are your parents?"
His whole body tenses, he even clenches his jaw.
"Nevermind, it's none of my business, you don't have to answer that, I'm sorry". I ramble
He just shakes his head, and we fall back into silence.
"My mom...she died giving birth to me, and my dad left when my mom told him she was pregnant. I was given to my uncle".
I look over to Theo in shock, his face has contorted and he's gripping the fence hard enough that his knuckles are turning pale. I decide to stay quiet, allowing Theo time to say something else if he wants, and time for me to process the new information he's just told me.
"I'm sorry". I look over to Theo again, who's already looking at me. His face is back to normal, but in his eyes I see sadness.
"I know you've got more questions". He grins. "Go ahead it's good".
I smile at him and think how I want to word my next question.
"Why arent...is there a reason your not still with your uncle?"
Theo stares at me
"He sold me when I was 15, raised me to be strong enough to handle the manual labor at a horse ranch, and then sold me as work slave to one of his friends".
Tears are falling out of my eyes for the boy in front of me.
"Don't cry Georgia, i'm fine". He smiles at me to try and prove his point.
"Is that where you met Alex and James?". I ask
"Yea, and Violet". His eyes get darker again
More tears fall at sweet little Violet being raised to be a work slave, or worse.
"That's horrible, selling your own flesh and blood". I wipe my tears away from my face, Theo nod's, staring down at me.
"Can I ask one more question?"
"Mhmm"
"How and when did you escape?"
"That's two questions".
"There's only one question mark".
Theo laughs, making his dimples appear and the dark look on his face disappear, it's like winning a prize.
"We got out a couple months ago.."
I notice he didn't answer one of my questions but I let it go, knowing he'll tell me when he wants to.
Theo's POV:
I don't know what made me want to tell her, and I definitely don't have a clue on what made me actually tell her. I've never told anyone, the only other people I talk to are James and Alex, and well, they already know.
I avoid telling people, for my safety, and to avoid pity. To me, when someone shows me pity, they are not looking at me as a equal person, instead they are looking at the problems in my life and judging me off my cracks. They think I need their help, when really I just need a friend. The whole time I told Georgia she never once showed pity, of course she felt bad for me, but she was just what I needed her to be. A friend.
"Well, it's late...wanna go back in?"
"Nah imma stay out here a little longer". She looks away from me and back to the stars
"Georgia, why are you really out here?"
She sighs, staying silent.
"I uh...i can't fall asleep". She finally mutters to the stars. There's a moment of silence between us.
"I'll stay awake until you fall asleep...if that will help?"
She finally looks up at me, her blue eyes seem darker, like they are taking on the shade of the sky, instead of staying their natural color.
"Really?"
"Yeah come on" I lead her back into the barn and move my stash of blankets next to hers. Awhile after we had both settled in, Georgia starts tossing and turning. I decide to move closer, close enough that our sides are touching. She freezes when we make contact, I think about moving away, but...I really don't want to. She flips so we are facing each other.
"Calm down Georgia, just close your eyes. Trust me. I won't let anything get you...I promise". I watch as she follows my instructions, closing her eyes. After a couple of minutes her breathing goes steady, and her face totally relaxes, as she enters dream world.
YOU ARE READING
Darling
Romance"That was cheesy...in fact this whole thing was cheesy". His arms tighten around me. "It was bad?" "God no, it just seems like something I've read in a book".
