Breaking Free

Noah

 I stared at Harper for a moment taking in what she'd said. I wondered how much trouble she was really in. I checked the time on my phone and realized how late it was getting. I looked over at Harper as she finished her drink and put the bottle on the ground. She looked exhausted.

"Come on, let me show you the guest room," I said, pouring a bucket of water on the fire. She grabbed her bottle and stood up to follow me. I put both our bottles on the counter and made my way upstairs turning into the room across from the one she'd helped me paint. The walls were gray along with the carpet. A yellow and gray patterned throw rug lay in the center with half under the bed. The bedspread was also yellow and gray pulling the room together.

"My room is the one at the end of the hall if you need anything. The bathroom is right out the door to the right. Please don't hesitate if you need anything and try not to worry. Benny seems lazy but he's a great guard dog if he needs to be" I smiled at her. She nodded her head giving me a small smile, crossing her arms over her middle. I watched her look around the room for a minute before she looked back to me.

"Thank you, you didn't have to do this" she whispered looking down.

"It's no problem" I assured her and turned to leave her for the night.

"Remember, right down the hall if you need me. Get some rest, Harper" I encouraged closing the door behind me. I walked into my room yanking my shirt over my head and walked into my master bathroom for a shower before heading to bed. After tossing on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, I turned my light off and stared up at my ceiling letting my thoughts consume me for a while before I finally drifted off to sleep; only to be woken up by a loud scream.

I bolted from my bed and ran to Harper. She tossed and turned violently in her sleep, screaming and crying. I sat down on the bed and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a little.

"Harper, wake up, Harper!" I yelled hoping she could hear me through her screaming. Her eyes flew open but her vision was unfocused. She shoved hard at my arms and I pulled away from her. She scrambled to the other side of the bed to get away from me. She gripped her hair in her hands pulling, taking rapid breaths.

"Harper, it's okay. You were dreaming, everything is okay" I tell her, trying to keep my voice soothing. Her head shoots up and after taking one look at me she bursts into tears. I move closer and grab her hand when she tries to leave. I pulled her down next to me so her head was on my chest and stroked the back of her hand.

"Just breathe sweetheart, nothing's gonna hurt you" I assured her. After a while she tried to sit up but I held her to me. When she settled back down I ran my fingers through her hair hoping she'd go back to sleep.

"Sleep, I'm not going to let anything happen to you," I said. After about forty-five minutes her body relaxed completely and her breathing evened out. I waited a little while longer before I removed myself from her bed. I don't want to crowd her space and I don't think she'd be very comfortable if I stayed. After getting back into bed I thought about whether or not I wanted to bring this up to the guys. I had texted Tag letting him know I was going to be a no show at last night's meeting, that something had come up that was urgent and I needed to take care of it. From what I'm seeing she could really use the help. I thought about it for a while until I finally drifted back into sleep.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of something smashing to pieces. I jumped out of bed and bolted from my room down the stairs. I ran into the kitchen to see Harper kneeling on the ground picking up a broken coffee mug. I sighed heavily trying to stop my heart from beating out of my chest. Harper looked up at me and I saw a look of panic cross her face before she quickly looked back down.