Naked (Wattys 2022)

Part 6

"Have you ever had a friend?" Calhoun asked curiously.

I shook my head instead of speaking.

"Eli." He said my name with no underlying feeling or anything. Concern was evident, but slight, as to not cause worry.

"Mhm." I scrunched my lips together pondering deeply on what a friend could be.

"A friend is someone you laugh with, you cry with and sometimes go a little crazy with." Calhoun laughed a little whilst turning his body towards me giving me his full attention.

He was very attentive and made sure to prevent any danger from happening to me. If that was what a friend was I couldn't bare losing him.

Was Emily trying to be friends with me? Was she trying to take her time in order to be a mother to me?

I smiled to myself. The mere thought of Emily attempting to be my friend was heartwarming. She didn't need to be. I was use to forceful behavior and became accustomed to the fact that that's how people were treated.

By the looks of it, it seemed oddly different. The situations were wildly unlike but by the looks of it they both haboured something I liked. The only difference was that in my childhood I did not have a choice but to adhere to commands. The way Emily and Calhoun handled me, made me realize that it was my choice whether to accept them or not, not that I wanted to refuse their presence.

I sighed and it caught Calhouns ears with ease.

"You're always so down casted. I have some friends coming over later and I have to leave." He said peering down at his phone quite saddened.

"Do you have a cellphone?" He asked and I shook my head. When Emily wanted to give me one as a gift, I politely refused simply because I wasn't use to presents.

Calhouns hand found his head and rubbed, slightly unsure of what to do next.

"Would you mind giving me Emily's number then? Then whenever you do get a cellphone you have my number." I nodded. It seemed accurate.

Once we were done I began cleaning the table afterwards.

"What are you doing?" Calhoun asked as he turned around.

"You don't need to do that Eli." He said with a smile on his face. I stared at him oddly. Wasn't this suppose to be common courtesy? Or had I been mistaken once again?

"You know what? Do it. I'll help you." Calhoun agreed as he tidied up along side me.

"The world needs more kind people like you Eli." He murmured before staring at me with the most benevolent gaze. A breathe left my mouth and I felt as if the statement he so generously gave me should've been said to himself.

"Let's go before we worry your mom." Mom? Oh, Emily. For a moment my eyes widened but I was thankful that Calhoun chose to ignore certain things even though he saw them clearly.

"Let me help you okay? Is it okay if I touch you?" Those that refrained from asking entered my already bruised brain.

Thoughts I sepressed seemed to be coming at me without any warning sign. My breath hitched and I shook my head.

"No no it's alright." I tried to seem calm and contained but my voice betrayed me almost immediately.

I was frightened within, petrified that the touch of others would not be gentle, would be of ill intent.

Calhouns was perplexed and worried as he stared at me. I continued to walk whilst holding my side. Even in my discomfort he never asked again.

Once we came back I could hear laughter which made me smile brightly at the sight in front of me.

Emily and Calhouns mother were in deep conversation whilst they held their cups.

Once her eyes landed on me it widened and she walked towards me immediately.

"Did you have some fun?" she asked and I nodded. Emily wrapped her arm around my waist just before I could fall and because I was so tall I nearly fell to the ground if it wasn't for Calhoun.

My eyes caught sight of his dark brown ones and feared that they understood the meaning behind my refusal. I thought he'd be angry like one of my other parents but he wasn't.

He removed his hands from my clothes almost immediately after I gained my footing.

Without communicating Calhoun seemed to understand me more than myself. It was alarming in a strange way. I didn't know what to make of it just yet.

"Bye bye!" Calhoun said enthusiastically. I couldn't quite match his energy as I grinned feeling slightly down.

"Me and Calhouns mother are meeting next week for dinner, you are welcome to spend more time with her son, if you are comfortable of cause." Emily said hesitantly. Prior to meeting Calhoun and his mother I refused to leave the house.

I realized that Emily had been lonely all this time and even with me by her side, she was exhausted. Her husband was consistently traveling and never once has she shown a fault in her image, except for evenings when one cannot escape the walls closing in, one on top of the other.

As we drove towards Emily's place I fiddled with the straps of my jacket.

The drive was quiet and filled with nature. It was something me and Emily shared in common: peacefulness.

It was something about the sound of nothing that made me breathe. When I grew up, the ruckus surrounding me was something I didn't quite like, but I put up with everything because they told me they loved me. That what they were doing was out of the love they had for me.

Once we got home Emily unlocked the door. The two story house was awfully quiet before I heard a pop.

"Surprise!" Daniel stood in between the two staircases with tears in his eyes. The entire room up until the front door was filled with presents. Amungst them was a Christmas tree as well.

"Eli? Emily? " I had never seen a grown man cry this way before. He walked towards me and stood in front of me as tears streamed down his olive skin.

"HI Daniel." I greeted with a slight smile.

"My boy. I'm so sorry." He said whilst getting on his knees. I was usually on my knees for always causing trouble by merely existing, but Daniel didn't do anything wrong. He'd been trying to find me all along.

"No no sir, please get up." I bent down to his level and my face shifted with discomfort.

"Whats wrong?" He asked and I shook my head.

"I missed you both so much!" He said as he kissed his wife. Emily was so shocked that tears just streamed out of her large green eyes.

Daniel didn't dare lay a finger on me as he stepped a foot away, trying to give me space to take it all in. He was as tall as me and harbored some honey colored eyes. His Chestnut hair was combed backward in a sleek style and some dorky glasses were propped up on the bridge of his nose. He was handsome.

I could see the resblance as I stared at both Emily and Daniel.

I couldn't help the tears that littered the floor.

"I'm so sorry I'll clea-"

"My love, no." Emily voice cracked in pain as she embraced me which opened the floodgates I never knew I harbored.

Daniel's arms wrapped around Emily's and as all of us cried our hearts out I realized how much they'd gone through as well.

The torment could be heard with every huff of breath. We were broken, as broken as they got.