Before You, He Had Me

Thirteen

"Wait, that's the way back to the house." Meg points as they pass the exit.

"I know." Calum smiles, "I think you deserve an extra couple minutes before you have to relive it again."

"I would like to never relive it again actually." She sighs, leaning against the window.

"I know. And you are going to tell them as little as possible to get the point across before I will make them stop asking about it." His tone gets defensive as he says it, making Meg smiles slightly.

"Thank you." She sighs, turning her face to look at him.

"But first, if I remember correctly, Little Annie loves a good chocolate shake."

"Don't call me Annie. But you are right, I do love ice cream."

"I'm never going to stop calling you Annie." He chuckles, taking an exit Meg isn't sure she's ever taken.

"I know..." She groans.

Calum's soft chuckle filling the car for a moment before it goes quiet, a peaceful kind of quiet, Meg getting lost in the LA scene around them through the tinted windows. Her body seeming to finally relax as she zones out, and by the time she comes to again, Calum is waking her.

"Did I fall asleep?" She breathes in sharply as she pulls her head from the window.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" He laughs, "It's fine, you probably needed a little nap."

"Did I miss out on ice cream for a nap?" She frowns.

"I'm not your mother, Megan. Falling asleep does not mean I skipped the treat. I got you ice cream." He laughs, lifting a large chocolate shake into view.

"YES!" She grins, grabbing the drink and taking a long sip, humming in delight.

"Did you not get a shake for you?" She asks after a minute when she realizes he isn't eating a sweet treat.

"Eh, I didn't really want one." He shrugs.

"Liar." She laughs, offering him a sip of hers, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her in surprise before he happily takes a mouthful of the cold smooth drink.

"Yours tastes better anyway." He chuckles, "Thanks for sharing."

"Thanks for getting my mind off things for a minute before we have to face reality again."

"No problem. Michael has been blowing up our phones by the way."

"I could have guessed that. I'm pretty sure he is freaking the fuck out over everything that has happened tonight."

"I mean, wouldn't you be if you didn't know anything going on?"

"I do know what's going on and I'm still freaked out about it." She laughs humorlessly.

"Ya..." He sighs, "I'm sorry, Meg, that this is something you have to live with for the rest of your life."

"Me too." She turns to look at him, "But maybe some good will come out if it. I mean, I never ever would have shared a shake with you before this."

"I would have won you over somehow eventually." He chuckles, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone, "How are you feeling right now, Meg?"

"Scared, exhausted, burnt out physically. Like it literally feels like every nerve in my body is individually exhausted from the shock and panic of seeing him there at my house." She sighs, leaning her head back against the seat.

Calum frowns as he looks over at her softly, "I'm sorry you have to tell the story again tonight, Megan. You don't deserve to have to re-live it so much all in one night."

"You can help me this time at least. It's not like an official statement where you can only tell your side. And I know you've got my side of the story memorized by now."

"I wish I didn't. I wish I didn't have any of it memorized, and I wish you didn't either. I wish it hadn't happened... "

"Well that's wishful thinking we don't have the luxury of any longer. Come on, one more time and then we can be done. No more sharing it tonight. And hopefully not ever again in full." She smiles, offering him another sip of her shake.

"Alright ready to head home? Face reality again?" Calum straightens out in his chair as he swallows the cold chocolate.

"I'd like to not, but now is as good a time as any. I need to clean up your face properly anyway. How are your hands?" she asks, noticing his knuckles are still fairly red.

"Sore, but functional. They'll figure themselves out within a day or two. Every single cut, bruise, pain, it's all worth it to know that guy got what was coming for him. I hit him as much for myself as I did for you. For the images I get to see in my nightmares of you laying on that bathroom floor lifeless and beat."

"Hey, are you okay, Calum? You've been so focused on me, and my being okay after it all. It affected you too. I never asked, and I'm sorry for that."

"Knowing you're okay, healing, all of that, it's helping me heal me. The only way to replace the images of broken you is replacing them with the stronger version of you and the you that includes beating the odds of getting your abuser what he deserves. I'll be just fine, Meg. And do not feel bad for not asking, you were worse off in everyway in this situation."

Carefully leaning across the console, Megan places a soft kiss to his cheek, shocking him entirely, "Thank you. We can go back now. No need to keep everyone worried even longer."

"Let's go, I'd say to ease their worried minds, but I don't think that's what will be happening."

"No, but we can end their confusion."

"That's a start." He smiles, turning the ignition before resting his right hand across the console, surprised when Meg leans against the console, her little hand wrapping around his larger one and playing with his fingers as he turns the car back towards Michael's house and the mess waiting for  them there.

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What now? Any thoughts on their little conversation?

Everyone really does find out Meg's truth in the next chapter. How will they take it?

Vote and comment!

I love you guys!!!

~M =)