Before You, He Had Me

Twenty-Two

⚠️TW// medium⚠️
(discussion of Rape and Abortion)

She can feel his eyes on her, trapped in a view from above as he steps in front of her.

"Turn around!" "RUN!" she wants to scream at herself but it has no effect, she is stuck watching as she exits the club bathroom right into his path, watches as he pulls her into the other bathroom. The whole night playing out as if she is watching a recreation from above.

Knowing it's a dream, a nightmare, each word he spoke to her stinking as if being cut into her skin and scarred there. Wanting her body to wake up, to find herself home in bed, safe and away from him. But nothing she does can get her to wake herself, not until she blacks out, the crack of her head on the bathroom wall making her shoot forward into a seated position, sweat sticking to every inch of her body as she shakes.

Climbing from the sheets she hurries across the hall to expel everything from her stomach, rinsing her mouth out before returning to the privacy of her room. Taking a few deep breathes she pulls the green hoodie she has yet to return to Calum off the back of a chair and sliding it over her body.

Sitting in a ball on her bed for a long moment she sighs, reaching over to grab her phone, hoping he won't be mad.

"Annie?" His voice is heavy with sleep as he answers after a couple rings.

"Sorry to wake you up, Cal." She mumbles, "I had another nightmare about it all. I don't think I can do it. I think I need to terminate the pregnancy. I can't have this constant reminder of what happened to me."

"Hey, deep breaths, Meg." He suddenly sounds more awake. "No one is going to be mad you are choosing this."

"I just... I don't know how to handle all of this, Calum. It's been one thing after the next for weeks. I can't do it for months, I need relief." Her lip starts to tremble as she admits it.

"Hey, don't cry, baby. I'll pick you up in the morning, okay? I'll take you down to the clinic to talk to someone, figure out what you need to do to move forward with this. It's all going to be okay. I will help you in anyway I can."

"I'm terrified, Calum." She whispers, her eyes burning with tears.

"What do you need right now, Meg?"

"Will you... will you sing?" She asks with a small sob, cuddling his hoodie tighter around her as she buries herself under the covers.

"Anything for you, Annie." He responds, taking a deep breath before his melodic singing voice reaches her ear, slightly raspy with sleep but instantly warming her from the inside out.

***

"Meg?" Calum calls, entering the Clifford home with his spare key.

"Meg?" He calls again when he doesn't get an answer, heading for her room when he doesn't see her in the living room or kitchen.

"Meg? You're still in bed?" He laughs as he steps into her room, seeing her eyes blinking slowly.

"What are you doing here, Cal?" She groans, stretching out to show off the fact that she is wearing his Empathy hoodie, the dog he had won her at the fair laid beside her like she had been cuddling it, her phone still on her pillow from where she'd fallen asleep on him last night.

"You called me last night remember?"

"Ya." She sighs, rolling to her back.

"I'm here to help." He shrugs, sitting on the edge of her bed, "You know for not being my girlfriend you sure as hell look like my girlfriend." He smirks, "My hoodie, the stuffed animal I won you, your phone still on your pillow from our 3am conversation."