Chapter Thirty-Five - I Don't Want Any Of Them Looking Differently At Me
Chapter Thirty-Five - I Don't Want Any Of Them Looking Differently At Me
Peyton
I managed to fall asleep, but now I’m awake after a few hours. Gabe is deeply asleep beside me, his arm still holding me protectively. I hadn’t planned on returning here; I intended to stay with Kaitlyn and Anthony, but part of me wanted to be with Gabe. They didn’t question my choice; they understood. I need to wake up before him tomorrow to hide the marks on my face. No one has seen them yet, and I want to keep it that way. I plan to stay hidden until they fade. I don’t want anyone looking at me differently, like I’m broken. I’d hate that. I also prefer none of them to end up in jail for killing Max or assaulting him. Gabe is the one who might end up behind bars. He’s always been so protective of me and took care of me, which made it even worse when he ended things. I didn’t understand.
I look up at him, though it's hard to see much in the dark. “You shouldn’t be my safe place anymore, Gabe,” I whisper.
I shake my head and gently remove his arm from around me, then get out of bed and head to the kitchen for some water. I plan to return soon, but I need a moment. With my glass in hand, I go to the living room to sit on the sofa and sigh quietly. It’s probably best for me to leave, but I don’t want to. A part of me wants to ask if I can stay here until I’m ready to go home. He would definitely say yes. It's not that I don’t want to be with Kaitlyn and Anthony—I do—but I feel like I’m in the way. They should still be enjoying married life. Having a third wheel around is way too soon. The best option might be a hotel, but that would mean being alone—and I don’t want that right now. I don’t mind being alone, but not when I feel like this.
I need to buy new clothes or go home to get some, as I didn’t bring anything with me. I can borrow Kaitlyn’s clothes, but I still need to buy underwear. I'll take care of that tomorrow morning. I drink my water and sit for ten minutes, trying to persuade myself to climb back into bed with Gabe. I could sleep on the sofa, but if he wakes up, he'll come looking for me and persuade me to return to bed.
I curl my knees to my chest and hold them, taking a moment to enjoy the darkness before letting my mind wander.
“Peyton, are you okay?”
Gabe’s voice from behind pulls me out of my thoughts. I had hoped for a little more time before he woke up and noticed I wasn’t beside him.
“Yes, I needed a drink. I will be back through soon.”
“Or you can come back through now. It is late and cold, please come back to bed.”
He switches the light on and appears in front of me. I glance up at him, hoping the foundation hasn’t worn off enough on my face for him to notice the bruises. Gabe reaches out his hand to me. He must not have noticed. He would have said something. I take his hand, and he helps me to my feet.
“I am sorry if I woke you.”
He shakes his head and interlocks our fingers. “No, I got up to use the restroom and saw you weren’t there.”
I nod, and he leads me back to his bedroom.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to sleep in the spare room? You might be more comfortable without me next to you.”
“No, I would feel more at ease with you beside me, Gabe.”
I am sure he knows that but doesn’t want to say it aloud. He slips back in next to me, reaches for me and brings me to him. I snuggle into him once again.
“Do you think you will get back to sleep? Or do you want to take a walk or have some hot chocolate?”
“All I want is to stay here like this and hope sleep takes over me again.”
He kisses the top of my head. “We can do that.”
He makes sure I am covered up and strokes my hair.
“Gabe, can I stay here with you for a few days?” I ask nervously.
“You can stay here for as long as you need. What is wrong with your apartment? What about your work?”
I need to watch what I say. I can’t tell him I'm afraid to go back home because he'll realize there's more to the story than I've shared.
“I don’t want to be alone. I will call my work tomorrow and tell them I need some personal time. If they don’t accept it, I will quit and find something else when I am ready. I have some savings.”
I have enough money put by to last at least a couple of months. I really don’t want to quit, but I am in no mood to go in.
“You are welcome here for as long as you need, beautiful. If you need anything, ask.”
“Thank you. I promise I won’t stay too long."
“You can stay here for as long as you need. I have the entire weekend free, so if you want to hide out here, we can. We don’t need to leave at all.”
Hiding out all weekend sounds like a good idea, but I am sure he has better things to do. “I am sure you have things to do rather than stay in to take care of me.”
“No, I would rather be here with you than anywhere else. Try to sleep.”
I can only not, not knowing what else to say. I close my eyes and wait for sleep to overtake me again. I can only hope tomorrow is a better day. It can’t be any worse than today was. It doesn’t matter either way, because here I have nothing to worry about, nothing to fear. I am safe here, and what is going on outside this apartment doesn’t matter because it can’t get to me.