Electric Dreams (Choni)

23.

My head was throbbing, but my body shivering, and I started to walk blindly. I wanted to get as far away from Thistlehouse as possible. It was like a house of horrors. I didn't feel comfortable in it anyway, but I didn't really know what to do now either, except to keep walking, occasionally stopping when I got too dizzy. It was pitch black outside, and I didn't know where I was going, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other.

I stopped outside the southside trailer park. I hadn't even realised that I'd walked here, but clearly some instinct in me had led my feet right here. I took a deep breath. Was this a bad idea? Definitely. Did I feel safe going home? No. Where would I feel safe? The answer was to my left.

I gingerly knocked on the door of Toni's trailer, hoping nobody had seen me. She opened it up fairly quickly, and looked surprised to see me on the other side of it. 

"Hey. What's going on?"

"Can I come in?" I whispered.

She shrugged and nodded, and I stepped into the light of the trailer.

She inhaled sharply once she took a proper look at me. "What the hell happened to you?"

I gingerly touched my cheek, and drew it away to see blood on my finger. I was so numb from the cold that I hadn't even noticed that I'd started bleeding.

"Oh, that. Nothing happened, don't worry about it."

She raised an eyebrow. "How many times, princess. You're a horrible liar."

She closed the door behind me, and threw me a hoodie that was lying on the sofa.

"Put it on. You need to warm up."

The hoodie was soft, and as soon as I put my head in it, all I could smell was her. It was so comforting that I felt a tear stinging my eye, but blinked it away quickly. It was at least two sizes too big for me, but it was warm and smelt like Toni's excitement and mystery, and I immediately felt better.

I pulled the sleeves over my fingers, watching as Toni brought over some antibacterial wipes. 

"Here, just in case. I don't know what you got hit with, so it's easiest if I just clean the cuts, okay?"

I nodded. "Since when are you a qualified nurse?" I joked, and she grinned.

"Shut up, princess, or you can do it yourself," she told me. 

I decided I wanted to shut up.

She brushed my hair behind my ear, still grinning, and started to wipe the blood off my face.

The liquid stung like a bitch, and I grimaced, while she laughed.

"Don't be such a baby," she teased, and I glared at her. 

"You want me to give you a cut and pour that shit in and see how you like it?" I retorted, and she chuckled.

"I've got enough cuts and bruises already," she joked, tenderly cupping my face with her scratched hands. Every time she touched me, it was like fireworks going off in my stomach, my veins, my heart, and I smiled softly at her.

"Thanks for letting me stay."

She looked me deep in the eyes, and I felt more vulnerable than I'd ever done in my entire life. I was certain she could tell exactly what I was thinking. Something about the way she looked at me made me sure she could uncover all my secrets. She had piercing eyes, that was for sure.

She cleared her throat. "No problem. You can stay over anytime you need to."

Her hand was still under my chin, as she leaned in to kiss me. I closed my eyes, but just before her lips could reach mine, there was a knock at the door.

"For fuck's sake," she muttered, pulling away, and gently nudging me to go into her bedroom. Neither of us wanted anyone to know I was here.

"What?" I heard her growl, once she opened the door. I grinned to myself at her impatience.

I heard the low murmur of Sweet Pea's voice, and a list of profanities leave Toni's mouth.

"Fine. Thanks, Pea. See you tomorrow," she said, before slamming the door shut. 

I poked my head out of her bedroom. "All okay?"

She ran her hand through her already messy curls. "Yeah. For now."

I raised an eyebrow. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe later." She went over to the kitchen, and filled the kettle, before coming over to me.

I grinned as she grabbed my hand and pulled me into her arms, resting my head on her shoulder, and holding her tightly. We swayed around the room a little, our arms still tightly around each other, and I closed my eyes in bliss. This was exactly what I needed now. To just be held and comforted, and to feel safe. It wasn't a feeling I was used to.

"Do you want to borrow some clothes?" She murmured into my shoulder. 

I nodded, finally letting go of her, but standing close enough to her that I could feel the energy and electricity she gave out. 

I loved clothes. And I loved other people's wardrobes. It was one of my favourite things to do to try and figure out what people were like based on their clothes. Toni's stuff was all in one big cupboard and one chest of drawers in her bedroom, and she told me to go through them and find something to wear. Her clothes were unique. I'd never met anyone who dressed as confidently, yet as badass as she did. I pulled out an oversized, long sleeved top, and decided to just wear that, and hope it didn't get too cold during the night.

She was sitting on the sofa when I went back to her, and grinned at me. 

"That top looks good on you."

I raised an eyebrow. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you're gonna say. Everything looks good on me," She mimicked, just before I could say anything, and I broke into a smile.

"Fuck off," I told her, and she laughed.

She hopped up from the sofa, and sauntered into her bedroom, clearly waiting for me to join her.

My head was spinning. Did I go and sleep in her bed with her? It wasn't like I hadn't done it before. But I'd been drunk every time. That didn't mean I hadn't had the best night's sleep of my life though. Everything was going through my mind at once. If I went to sleep in her bed, would my feelings for her just get worse? 100%. How angry at myself would I be if they did? I didn't know the answer to that one.

"Are you coming, princess? You're welcome to spend the night on the sofa if you'd prefer. It's nice and cold, just like your heart."

I laughed, and followed her into her room, letting the door fall shut behind me. My mind was made up.