EVERMORE ─ marvel

III. The Bedroom

Chapter Three
Liam

My room is still intact. I half expected my parents to sell my stuff and make it a home office or something. At one point my parents must have cleaned the room, because the bed is made and the floor is spotless, which definitely wasn't the case when I ran away. Everything is still here, all my photographs are still taped to the wall, my sheet music is in neat piles on my nightstand, my clothes are neatly folded in my drawers. What's startling is that all the plants I kept are still here, the ones I used to cure my restlessness when I wasn't using my powers. I had lied to my parents and told them I was getting into gardening. Every piece of furniture has shriveled up, wilted plants in small brown pots. I'm shocked they didn't throw the evidence of my lie, my powers away.

I am sitting on my bed now, and from here I wave my hands in the air, causing each of the wilted plants to perk up, regaining their life and color, now standing tall and strong in their pots. Stevie watches me from the doorway, staring at the plants in awe.

"I love it when you do that." He murmurs, glancing around the room at the various plants.

He has no idea how much it means to me to hear someone compliment my powers. Stevie has done so several times, and every time he does, it makes me feel like my cheeks will spontaneously burst into flames. He shuts the door behind him and comes over to my bed, sitting next to me.

"So this is your room," He says a little awkwardly. "It's nice. I love the pictures, did you take all of them?"

I nod, glancing around at some of them. Nearly every inch of my walls is covered in photos I took with my camera, as are my walls in my room back in Wakanda. Here the pictures are of California; the buildings, the deserts, the sites, the beaches, the people. In Wakanda, I haven't even gotten around to taking pictures of anything other than the wildlife, lakes, mountains, and especially sunsets. Wakanda has the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.

"What are my parents doing down there?" I ask him after a few seconds of silence.

"They're sitting on the couch. I think they're waiting for you to go back down."

"I don't know if I can do that." I confess to him, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear, some that has escaped my bun.

"You'll have to eventually. Are you just going to live up here forever?"

I give him a stubborn groan. "Yes, I was planning on it."

"I heard them talking about dinner, I think we should stay for a while longer. It will be good for you to eat something, you haven't since breakfast and all you had was a pop tart."

I shrug. "It was a very big pop tart."

"Lee," Stevie urges, once again slipping his hand into mine, the corner of his lips peeking up into a smile. "You said this was something you wanted to do. You owe it to yourself to talk to your parents, like really talk to them. You'll regret it if you don't."

He can be really wise when he isn't being a dork. I love that about him though. I love everything about him. I knew there was something special about him from the second I met him, and it wasn't because of who is parents are. He's filled with so much hope, he's so loving and open, and he just oozes charm. I've only known him about a month and half, but despite that, I know I would do anything to make him happy, to see that wonderful smile spread on his face. I think I would die of embarrassment if I ever told him any of this, even if I think he might feel the same way I do. I've never been very good at talking about my emotions, what happened with my parents made it so much worse. Ever since I left home I have felt very alone, very unloved, and utterly unseen. Stevie is the one that changed that, he made me feel like I belong.