course. I’ll be ready by 6am on Monday.” I continue chewing my lip, urging the tears to wait until he leaves.
“I’ll see you then,” he growls. He leans in and places a soft kiss on my forehead. He lingers for a moment before releasing and walking out the door. I sink to my knees and cover my face with my hands as the tears finally fall down my cheeks.
**9**
“Aiden, please don’t,” I begged, pushing myself away from him. “I don’t like it when you do this.”
“Shut the fuck up, slut!” he rambled, giving me a glimpse of his beer scented breath. I was ten years old, and Aiden was now eighteen. I was counting down the days until he left for college. “Fuck, Velaney…”
My body shook as he said the F bomb. That word was the worst. It meant he was really mad.
I begged him each time to stop. If he weren’t drunk, he was high. Or both. I don’t know how mom and dad didn’t notice, or maybe they just didn’t care. He was their perfect angel during the day. But at night, he was the devil.
“You owe me a goodbye present, Laney. I’m leaving for c ollege soon, remember?” I nod, acknowledging that I knew he was leaving. Of course, I knew. It was the only relief I felt in the past two years.
Aiden left a few weeks later, driving hours away from home. I prayed he would find a girlfriend and leave me alone from now on. Unfortunately, there was no such luck. Thanksgiving and Christmas break arrived much too soon.
“Don’t I get my Christmas present?” he asks, rubbing a finger up and down his leg. I shivered at the very thought. I shook my head, hoping he’d get the hint. “You fucking owe me!” What exactly did I owe him? And why? Hell, I was only ten years old.
“Stop , Aiden, I will tell.” The words sounded pathetic. I could barely get them out, and he knew it. He laughs in my face as he grabs my hand making me do exactly as he wanted.
“Lane, wake up!” Carissa yells and shakes my body as I jolt out of sleep. “Good God! Are you all right?” she asks. I look around and notice I’m in bed. Carissa is sitting next to me, looking worried.
“Yeah, sorry. What happened?” I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“You were in here screaming bloody murder, Lane. Were you having a bad dream?” I scan the memory of Aiden in my head and simply nod in her direction. She takes me in for a hug and presses her lips to my forehead.
“Want me to sleep in here with you?”
“Sure. Thanks, Riss.”
“Of course. Now , scoot over.” I move to one side, opening the sheets up for her. Carissa used to sleep with me almost every night during my adolescent years. She was the only person besides my parents that knew. She understood the night terrors I used to have. She would hold me and rub my hair until I fell back to sleep.
The sound of my alarm jerks me awake. I promised to meet Eric at 6am today. Ugh, the sun isn’t even out yet.
I haven’t spoken to Eric since Saturday night, so I was hoping things wouldn’t be awkward between us now. I wanted us to be friends. I needed him to be my friend.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” His southern tone captures me as I stretch on the pavement. He stands there in front of me, shirtless. Damn, he’s doing that on purpose.
“Good morning,” I say, clearing the rust from my voice. Boston is chilly in the morning, yet here he was — shirtless and stunning.
His smile reassures me he’s in a good mood today. Perhaps this was a sign there would be no awkward tension between us. I had spoken to Alex on the phone yesterday and my feelings were reassured about how I felt about him. He was amazing to say the least. I opened the bar Sunday morning at eleven, and by noon he arrived with lunch.
“Well, aren’t you sweet,” I say, smiling as he raises a bag up for me to see.
“Just wanted to make sure my girl was well fed around all these drunks.” It was game day, which meant lots of drunks.
“Thank you.” I grab the bag from
“I’ll see you then,” he growls. He leans in and places a soft kiss on my forehead. He lingers for a moment before releasing and walking out the door. I sink to my knees and cover my face with my hands as the tears finally fall down my cheeks.
**9**
“Aiden, please don’t,” I begged, pushing myself away from him. “I don’t like it when you do this.”
“Shut the fuck up, slut!” he rambled, giving me a glimpse of his beer scented breath. I was ten years old, and Aiden was now eighteen. I was counting down the days until he left for college. “Fuck, Velaney…”
My body shook as he said the F bomb. That word was the worst. It meant he was really mad.
I begged him each time to stop. If he weren’t drunk, he was high. Or both. I don’t know how mom and dad didn’t notice, or maybe they just didn’t care. He was their perfect angel during the day. But at night, he was the devil.
“You owe me a goodbye present, Laney. I’m leaving for c ollege soon, remember?” I nod, acknowledging that I knew he was leaving. Of course, I knew. It was the only relief I felt in the past two years.
Aiden left a few weeks later, driving hours away from home. I prayed he would find a girlfriend and leave me alone from now on. Unfortunately, there was no such luck. Thanksgiving and Christmas break arrived much too soon.
“Don’t I get my Christmas present?” he asks, rubbing a finger up and down his leg. I shivered at the very thought. I shook my head, hoping he’d get the hint. “You fucking owe me!” What exactly did I owe him? And why? Hell, I was only ten years old.
“Stop , Aiden, I will tell.” The words sounded pathetic. I could barely get them out, and he knew it. He laughs in my face as he grabs my hand making me do exactly as he wanted.
“Lane, wake up!” Carissa yells and shakes my body as I jolt out of sleep. “Good God! Are you all right?” she asks. I look around and notice I’m in bed. Carissa is sitting next to me, looking worried.
“Yeah, sorry. What happened?” I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“You were in here screaming bloody murder, Lane. Were you having a bad dream?” I scan the memory of Aiden in my head and simply nod in her direction. She takes me in for a hug and presses her lips to my forehead.
“Want me to sleep in here with you?”
“Sure. Thanks, Riss.”
“Of course. Now , scoot over.” I move to one side, opening the sheets up for her. Carissa used to sleep with me almost every night during my adolescent years. She was the only person besides my parents that knew. She understood the night terrors I used to have. She would hold me and rub my hair until I fell back to sleep.
The sound of my alarm jerks me awake. I promised to meet Eric at 6am today. Ugh, the sun isn’t even out yet.
I haven’t spoken to Eric since Saturday night, so I was hoping things wouldn’t be awkward between us now. I wanted us to be friends. I needed him to be my friend.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” His southern tone captures me as I stretch on the pavement. He stands there in front of me, shirtless. Damn, he’s doing that on purpose.
“Good morning,” I say, clearing the rust from my voice. Boston is chilly in the morning, yet here he was — shirtless and stunning.
His smile reassures me he’s in a good mood today. Perhaps this was a sign there would be no awkward tension between us. I had spoken to Alex on the phone yesterday and my feelings were reassured about how I felt about him. He was amazing to say the least. I opened the bar Sunday morning at eleven, and by noon he arrived with lunch.
“Well, aren’t you sweet,” I say, smiling as he raises a bag up for me to see.
“Just wanted to make sure my girl was well fed around all these drunks.” It was game day, which meant lots of drunks.
“Thank you.” I grab the bag from
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