Page 90 of Objection
“No, I think it’s best that I stay. You go get some sleep.” Her objection took me by surprise.
“Please, I just want to make sure she’s okay,” I tried again. I needed to know she was okay. When we had first arrived back home, I admit, I had let myself breathe for a moment. Sandra was with her and I needed to process some of what had happened. But too much time had passed now. I wanted her in my arms and against my side.
“Soren, she needs a little space. She went through hell tonight. Give her time. I have her. Trust me. Go get some sleep.”
The silence stretched on between us as I stood there, somewhat dumbly. I couldn’t seem to step away.
Finally, after a long while, I nodded my head and closed the door quietly. Sandra was right, Posey needed sleep. If I were in her shoes, I would probably be tearing the walls down, wanting to make it all stop. I was surprised she was sleeping so peacefully, but thankful for it in the same breath.
Being pushed aside felt wrong, but I understood it. Or at least I was trying to. It felt wrong to not be the person taking care of Posey. That was my job. But Sandra had a point as well. If I didn’t take care of myself and get some rest, I would be in no position to care for Posey in the days to come. Ultimately it was better for me to take the help she offered, as hard as it was to do so.
For all I knew, having a man around her right now could send Posey into traumatic dreams and nightmares. I didn’t want that. I wanted her to rest easy and get the care she needed.
Tomorrow I would put my foot down and care for Posey, my submissive, the way she deserved.
My morning alarm went off too early. I made my way down the hall to check on Posey again. Sandra’s tired eyes found mine and she smiled. Posey was sleeping, and sleeping well if her light snores were anything to go by.
“Go get some more sleep, Soren. I’ll stay up until you are both up and awake.” Sandra’s kindness would not be forgotten by me, and I planned on doing something nice for her as a thank you. I nodded, trudging my way down the hall to get a few more hours of sleep.
I slept until past noon, and finally felt rested enough to wake up and stay awake. The sound of dishes moving around in the kitchen sent dread racing through my body.
I ran down the stairs, almost tripping and breaking my neck and nearly crashed into Posey. She was putting dishes away.
“What… what are you doing?” I asked her, perhaps a little harshly in my surprise.
“Um, putting dishes away?” She answered hesitantly, almost shyly.
“Yes, but why?” I asked, taking the bundle of silverware from her.
“Because the dishwasher was clean. Are you okay?” She eyed me cautiously.
“You should be resting, Posey,” I sighed, setting the silverware down and pulling her to me. She stepped forward into my arms stiffly. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes were down, not looking at me. I stepped back, giving her space.
“Uh, I made some lunch. Nothing much, just sandwiches, but I was hungry. Help yourself,” she stammered nervously.
“Thank you. You didn’t need to,” I reassured.
We sat down to eat together, awkwardly. I was sure the tension in the room was simply due to all of the events of last night.
“I will be giving Jace a call tomorrow and have him start renovating your room.” She hadn’t looked up once since I had come down to the kitchen.
“Posey?” I tried again.
“That sounds nice. I’m sure it’ll be good to get the spare room back to functionality.” She looked up then, giving me a smile that didn’t exactly reach her eyes. “I think I’m going to go rest for a little while if that’s alright.”
“Of course, it is. What can I do for you?” I asked her with every ounce of sincerity I felt. She simply nodded and made her way back upstairs. I was sure that the exhaustion and pain I was feeling was only magnified in her. She was going through so much.
A short while later, when I had cleaned up lunch and taken a short rest myself, I found her in her old room. She had a suitcase on the bed, the one she had brought when she came here, and was filling it with her belongings.
“Posey… what?” I asked, stammering in my utter confusion. She sighed heavily, still facing away from me.
“Soren, it’s nothing personal. I just think that maybe…” she trailed off, searching for words. “Maybe I need to go stay with Sandra for a few days.”
“Nothing personal!? Are you kidding? Why are you leaving?” I asked, fear gripping me hard and fast, making me feel like I couldn’t breathe.
“It’s really not. I just — I need some time. I need to deal with everything. I need to figure out how I feel about… things.” Every word she said felt like a goodbye. What the hell was happening?
