Page 76 of Piece By Piece

“I’m leaving my door open. Call out if you need anything, I’ll hear you,” I promise before stepping back into the hall and closing her door.

Instead of going to my own room, I head back downstairs to gather a few things. Once I have everything I might need, I return to the second floor. When I linger in front of Aly’s room for just a second, I’m surprised to hear her call out my name. I’m back at the side of her bed in a second.

“I could hear you out there. What do you want?” she asks, sniffling after every word.

Suddenly feeling stupid and way more vulnerable than I’d like, I say, “I found a heating pad in case you’d like it.” I fumble with my words. “And chocolate,” I add quietly, feeling dumb. God, they don’t prepare you for this shit at school. I feel like a nervous wreck.

“And pain meds,” I finally say. Those were the first things that came to my mind when I thought of what might help against the pain. Well, not the chocolate. That might just be a cliché, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt.

With another sniffle, Aliena turns around, wincing as she curls up anew, this time facing me. I hate to see her puffy, small eyes and that stricken expression on her beautiful face. I wish I could hug her.

“Hey there,” I say softly.

“Hi.” There’s a beat of silence. “That’s very nice of you. That you brought me all that, I mean. You can just leave it here and go back to bed, I’m sorry if I woke you,” she says softly.

“I was already up, don’t worry. Is there anything else I can get you?”

“That’s okay. Just, please take the pills away,” she whispers hoarsely.

“Are you sure?” I thought those might be the most necessary.

“I don’t like to take medicine. We never had it in the house growing up and the habit just stuck.” She shrugs tiredly and I curse myself for not having thought about that. It’s not far-fetched that she’s opposed to taking pills after seeing what drugs did to her mom. Not that it’s the same, but I get where she’s coming from.

“Of course,” I agree, picking them up again. Then, before I can stop myself, I reach out to quickly caress her cheek, desperate to provide just a little comfort, at least. Her answering sigh makes my heart flutter, but I don’t push it, pulling away and heading for the door.

“Good night, Sweetheart,” I tell her.

“Good night, Seb. You can close your door now.”

Chapter 34

Aliena

The next week passes in a blur of work, visits at my parents’ place, and coming home to small surprises from Seb. Ever since he helped me that night of my cramps, he’s been making small gestures all the while still giving me space.

At times, he leaves little notes somewhere in the house he knows I’ll stumble upon them. Yesterday, he printed a QR code and stuck it to my bathroom mirror. When I scanned it, a video of a cat falling into a toilet popped up, startling a laugh out of me. It was the first time I laughed since his party.

So yeah, while I’m still sticking to my choice to stay away from him, I can feel my resolve crumble just slightly. Imisshim like his absence is a physical wound. I don’t want to keep fighting. I want to have things he told me I could never have...

On my next day off, I wake up to the sound of my phone chiming. I check it groggily, blinking for a few beats as I try to read what the message says. When I’ve read it three times and it the words still say the same thing, I sit up in my bed, squealing like an idiot.

He got me a ticket to another art exhibition. Persuasive idiot, he’s making it so hard for me to stay mad at him.

But the reminder that he got high in his room while I was being assaulted, all because he was so eager to think I would actually sleep with another man, on top of the things he said... Yes, reminding myself of those things does wonders for my grudge-holding and it dims my elation about the present.

He wants to make it up to me. I know that’s what he’s trying with the thoughtful notes and now this, and while my heart is screaming at me to give in, my self-preservation hits me with a firm no. He burned my trust to shreds that night, and I don’t want to put myself in a position where he can do it again.

That doesn’t mean I’ll refuse the ticket he got me...

I’m floating on cloud nine by the time I reach my parents’ place that evening. I was at the exhibition for hours, staring at the art and thinking about Sebastian and what to do with him.

When the daylight streaming through the curved windows turned to a golden evening glow, I took the bus here, as much as I didn’t feel like putting a damper on my mood. It’s been days since I’ve visited and checked in, after all.

I get in using my key and head for the living room, where I find my dad lounging on the couch.

“Hey, dad. Is mom home?” I ask, giving him a brief kiss on the cheek, trying not to notice how rough he looks. He hasn’t shaved in days and from the smell of it, he hasn’t showered recently either. He looks despaired and drained.

“They took her,” he mutters, making my thoughts coming to a halt. I whirl on my heels, gaping at him as my heart skips a beat.

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