55. Everything reminds me of you

She took a quick shower, using some of the products she'd found in there. Julian's products. She was pretty sure that she kinda smelled like a boy right now, but she didn't really care. She was already so grateful for everything that Julian's father did for her. She would've gladly taken the floor in his garage if she had to. Anything to get away from the cold and scary streets at night.

She couldn't even begin to imagine what would've happened, had he never invited her to crash at his place. She would've roamed the streets all alone right now, probably in search for a safe and sheltered corner to sleep in. She wasn't even sure that she could've slept at all. She would've definitely been too scared to do so. She knew that there were so many bad people roaming the streets at night.

At least she was safe here. For now.

Holding a towel wrapped around her body, she exited the en-suite and padded back into Julian's bedroom, realizing right then and there that she had no appropriate clothes to sleep in. She only had a simple dress, two tops and two pairs of jeans in her duffel bag, along with those two evening gowns. And they were nowhere near comfortable enough for her to sleep in.

She nervously bit her lip, looking around the room. Julian's former room. Det. Hale had assured her that he wouldn't mind if she borrowed something from here. She evidently doubted that, after what went down at the Athenaeum today, but she also felt too lonely to even care if he got mad at her for taking his clothes. She only wanted to feel a little less...desolated. A little less scared. She yearned to feel his presence. His comforting warmth as he wrapped his arms around her...like he did last night. She was already missing him so much. His face. His body. His voice. And even if she already knew that he was most probably never going to hold her like that again, she could at least pretend for tonight. Pretend that he was here with her. Wrapped around her body like last night.

She swallowed that lump in her throat, blinking those small tears away as she went to the commode sitting against the opposite wall from the bed's, pulling open the first drawer. She immediately found a pair of boxers and some short pyjama pants. She then moved on to the dresser situated next to the door leading to the en-suite, hastily rummaging through it until she had found what she was looking for. One of his black band-printed t-shirts. She quickly dressed herself up and then went back into the bathroom to hang that towel to dry, taking but a moment to have a look at herself into the mirror.

She looked like hell. Her eyes were red and tired, her face so blotchy. And her hair was all over the place, but she couldn't have cared any less. She had no one to impress anyway. No more reasons to try and keep it together. To pretend. She oddly felt so relieved for that. For not having to hide everything anymore with a forced smile and a heavy layer of make-up. It was all out there now. Who she was exactly, what happened to her. What she did.

She should've at least felt a little mad at Lucy for exposing her like that. For telling everyone what almost happened to her. What those assholes were about to do to her, had Julian not intervened. Had he not saved her.

But oddly enough, again, she did not feel any of that. Anger. Betrayal.

She felt relatively liberated, for not having to pretend that it didn't happen anymore. For not having to silently endure their sickening presence, those terrifying bouts of anxiety gripping at her whenever she laid eyes upon them. Or Mike. She couldn't even go to that school anymore. She was so sure that her mother would definitely stop paying for the tuition from now on.

Her future was over now. Gone up in flames. But at least she had gained one thing after all that. Her freedom.

She took one hearty and encouraging breath, giving her broken and disheveled appearance one last look. Her true face. The true her. And then she turned off the lights and exited the room, heading out of Julian's bedroom. Det. Hale had invited her to have dinner with him. And she couldn't exactly refuse, no matter how awkward or embarrassed she felt. She was so hungry she could eat a whole cow right now.

She timidly tiptoed down the wooden stairs, stupidly trying to make as little noise as possible, even though she had no valid reason to do so. It wasn't like she was planning to creep up on him or even run out of the house. But she still felt so evidently reluctant to accept all this. His kindness. Her current less-than-desirable situation. He was a stranger after all. He didn't owe her anything. He could've changed his mind in the very next second and throw her out on the street and she still wouldn't have been able to hold it against him.

She finally climbed down the last stair, her bare feet sinking into the carpeted floor. She hesitated, her hands clutching onto the t-shirt's hem as she looked around.

"In here, sweetheart. I'm in the kitchen. Just follow my voice," She suddenly jumped like a scaredy cat at the sound of him talking to her, secretly wondering how the hell did he know that she was there as she briskly made her way through the living room.

Did he happen to have supernatural hearing or something? Or did that actually come with the badge? *Maybe he's secretly a werewolf or a vampire,* she childishly thought with a snicker, however being quick to cover it with a clear of her throat as soon as she noticed him standing in the middle of the kitchen area. The lower part of the house was actually more of an open space type of structure, comprising both the kitchen and the living room into a single and very large room, partially separated by a tall bar slash island.

The girl timidly walked closer, watching him turn around to face her. The hint of a rather uneasy grimace taking over his features as he took in her "outfit".

"Sorry about that. We unfortunately don't have any girl clothes around here," he quickly apologized, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck.

"It's okay," she blushed, feeling a little dumb and self-conscious now. She was willing to bet that she looked so stupid right now, wearing his son's clothes like some desperate fangirl.

"I-I didn't have any pyjamas with me in that bag, so..." she stuttered out in a desperate attempt to explain herself, earning only a quick nod from the male.

"It's fine. Like I said, you can use whatever you need. He won't mind if you do," he offered her a kind smile, the girl simply letting out a nod in reply.

She continued to timidly stand there like that, not really sure what to do with herself or where to go.

"Have a seat," det. Hale politely invited her as if sensing her unease, pointing to the high stools sitting by the bar.

She obediently did just that, casually watching as he made his way to the fridge and grabbed himself a brown glass bottle from there.

"Want one?" He paused to turn and ask her, the girl's brows furrowing a little as she curiously questioned,

"W-what's that?"

The male let out an amused chuckle at first, not realizing that her question had been genuine until he lastly noticed that puzzled expression still marring her doll-like features.

He immediately sobered up with an awkward clearing of his throat.

"A beer,"

A beer? She definitely knew what that was, but she'd never had one before. Not that she hadn't wanted to try, but her parents had never had such beverage in their stock of refreshments. And she hadn't seen them drink such type of beverage either.

"O-okay," she eventually agreed with a small nod. He quickly grabbed another one and popped it open with a bottle opener, placing it in front of her.

She paused to glance between him and the brown bottle for a moment, noticing that genuinely curious expression now marring his features as he stared at her expectantly.

So she grabbed the bottle and took a hearty swig, her face inevitably scrunching up at the sudden bitter taste flooding her mouth.

Det. Hale let out a laugh at the sight of that, thoroughly amused by that rather cute expression pulling at her face. She looked like a kid that had just tried to taste a lemon for the first time in their life.

"That bad, huh?"

"It's okay," she replied with a shrug, not really wanting to offend him or anything. The beverage didn't actually taste that great but it wasn't really horrible either. So she settled on drinking it, watching as he resumed to his working around the kitchen.

He soon produced two plates of steaming hot food, placing them both on the island. One for him and one for her. She curiously inspected it, noticing that it sort of looked like pasta. A very orange-y, cheesy type of pasta. It did smell pretty inviting though.

"Sorry. I know that it doesn't look that great but it's all I could come up with at the moment," he rushed to explain with an apologetic shrug, the girl offering him a sweet smile in return.

"That's okay. It actually smells pretty delicious,"

That made the male's stony heart soften a little, finding himself mildly touched by that endearing smile on her face and that warm look in her big doe eyes. He was slowly starting to understand now. Why his son appeared to be so smitten with her. She was kind. And pretty humble, despite her background.

"I can vouch that it tastes good too. I may not be a chef but I do know the recipes to my five meals by heart. I have perfected them over the years. You can ask Julian. He may have ended up in the ER with an indigestion for a few times in the past but he definitely loves them now,"

The girl couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter at the sound of that, the male soon joining her. They both laughed together for a few good moments, all those troubles that were plaguing her mind seeming to have faded away for those precious few moments that she sat there with him, enjoying that home-made meal. That simple and perfectly delicious meal.

Mac-and-cheese it was called. She'd heard of it in the past but she'd never had the chance to try it before, seeing as her parents only preferred having haute cuisine meals instead. But she found that she liked it, actually. Very much so. It was simple, tasty and very nourishing as well.

She scarfed everything down with the speed of a hungered wolf, expressing her gratitude by doing the dishes at the end. Exactly like she'd been used to at home.

Det. Hale- Derek, like he'd asked her to call him seemed a little surprised at first by her eagerness to do chores around the house but he let her do it nonetheless, choosing to retire for the night. She did too soon after, eagerly climbing in Julian's bed as she was already so tired. So completely depleted.

They kinda smelled like him, even though they were obviously clean. The pillow. The sheets. Or maybe she was just imagining it out of pure desperation. But either way, it did seem to have a calming effect on her as soon, she drifted away to dream-land.

Unaware of that silhouette that gently pried the door open a few hours later, only to admire her. Gaze upon her peaceful and serene features as she slept. The way that she hugged that duvet close to her chest. Those black clothes on her body that definitely weren't hers. They were his. And that only brought a small albeit pleased smile upon his face.