“Yeah. Of course,” Eden nodded, looking away. She’d always gone for a tough appearance and she felt ridiculous standing there in an extremely oversized hoodie despite how comfortable it felt. Even when it was wet. “Once you’re done, give me your wet clothes. I’ll put them in the dryer.”
Sterling nodded once. “Sure. Thanks again for this,” he murmured as he made his way toward the bathroom door. Before he slipped inside, he turned back to her with a small smirk/smile. “You look cute in my hoodie, by the way.” And with that last sentence, he was gone.
You look cute in my hoodie, by the way.
Eden stared after him, standing there for a good few minutes. Her cheeks began to flare, eyes widening. What… did he just say? Did he just—with that smirk? Was he making fun of her, or was it just his flirting?
Or was he truly being genuine?
And what was she doing, letting his words get to her so deeply? Why was she behaving like this?
“Mreow,” Razor mewled from his position on the couch, licking his paw. Eden glared at him.
“Right. Whatever,” she shook her head before walking to her own room, snatching a shirt and trousers to wear before walking into the bathroom.
The red on her cheeks didn’t decrease. She hated it.
Sterling leaned back against the door as soon as he was inside the confines of the bathroom. He shook his head, letting his smile melt into a softer, more genuine one than what he had given her.
She really had looked adorable in his hoodie, and she hadn’t reacted too badly. Not yet, at least. For now, though, he was still here, she hadn’t kicked him out or yelled or threatened him at all. That alone was a surprise in itself.
He pushed himself off the door to finally get dressed. After stripping down to his underwear, he used the towel to dry himself off, then pulled on the clothes Eden had given him. They weren’t quite the right size, but they would work, anyway.
When he had finished, he stepped out and looked around for Eden. So far, nothing…
Eden pulled her sopping wet shirt off of herself, squeezing it in the shower to get the remaining water out. She did the same for the pants she’d been wearing, as well as her socks and undergarments. She sniffled, sneezing twice.
She pulled on her underwear and bra and slipped on a comfortable shirt. Eden had settled for a black t-shirt with a jacket on top and gray pants. She brushed her hair, grimacing when water dripped out when she did, so she dried it off a little more with the towel before brushing it again, throwing it over her back neatly.
Finally, Eden stepped out of her room, another sneeze escaping her. Her eyes caught Sterling, who was dressed in her brother’s clothing. Though they didn’t fit properly, he looked okay. How did he manage to look attractive even in clothing that was short for him? Eden briskly walked up to him and took his wet clothes from him, not sparing him any eye contact. She moved quickly to the laundry room, tossed their clothes inside and turned turned the dryer on. She walked out when she was done. It was then that Razor jumped in her arms. She finally looked at Sterling.
“Anything to drink?”
Sterling watched Eden as she moved about, leaning against the wall with his hands in his front pockets. She didn’t even look at him when she took his clothes… Maybe she wasn’t warming up to him like he had thought. For all he knew, this could be part of some plan to ruin him. But he really didn’t think that it was.
“No, I’m fine, thank you,” he murmured back, pushing himself off the wall. He nodded toward the couch before trying to catch her eye. “Mind if I sit?”
Eden was running her fingers through her cat’s fur, rubbing him under his chin, keeping her eyes on the furry animal.
“Yeah, go ahead,” she murmured before walking into the kitchen. She sniffled, covering her mouth and nose with her arm before she sneezed. Razor jumped down from her arms and disappeared outside, as if to tell her he didn’t want to get sick. She shook her head, taking out a pot from a cabinet and set it on the counter. Just as she moved to get milk from the refrigerator, a bright light flashed from the window, followed by a loud crack in the sky.
Intense fear gripped Eden and she slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a scream that threatened to erupt from her throat. She leaned against the counter, shaking, eyes squeezed shut.
This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
Sterling had moved to sit down on the couch, and he was getting settled when the lightning struck and thunder boomed. A muffled sound came from the kitchen, where Eden was, and he quickly looked over there. He immediately stood when he saw her shaking, her eyes squeezed shut and her hand pressed over her mouth tightly.
“Eden… Hey, hey… Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, making his way over. He stopped a few feet away from her, not wanting to get too close in case she lashed out like a caged animal.
Eden’s breathing became heavy, coming out in pants. She trembled, crouching on the floor, strength leaving her legs. Her hand, the one that wasn’t covering her mouth, reached over to her touch her shut eyes. Blindfold—no. There wasn’t a blindfold. She was okay. She was okay. She had just closed her eyes. Her arms were unbound. She wasn’t tied up. She was okay. She faintly heard Sterling calling out for her gently, but she couldn’t hear him.
Another light flashed and Eden plugged her fingers in her ears, a whimper escaping her lips. Her heartbeat quickened, nausea gnawing in her throat. She didn’t like this. She didn’t like this at all.
And when thunder boomed again, Eden found herself going two years back to her most vulnerable moments.
Crap… What was he supposed to do now? How could he help her? Would she let him wrap her arms around her? Maybe he would just have to talk, soft and gentle words.
“Eden, hey, it’s okay,” he murmured, making his way over and kneeling beside her. “It’s okay, you’re safe. There’s nothing here that can hurt you. You’re in your kitchen, okay? The only people here are you and me. It’s just thunder and lightning. They can’t hurt you.”
Eden shook her head, trying to regain her composure. She couldn’t act like this. Not with Sterling around. Not when he could see she wasn’t as fearless, as strong, as tough as she always made herself to be.
“I can’t…” she found herself whimpering, her breathing coming out in pants. If she opened her eyes, she knew she was going to break down. But if she kept them closed, her fear was going to increase. “I can’t—make it stop… please…”
Where was Lucas? Why wasn’t he here? This was one of the moments where she let him baby her without pushing him away. She needed him. She needed this storm to pass.
“Eden, hey, it’s okay. The storm will pass soon. Just take deep breaths, okay? Just breathe,” Sterling murmured, moving slightly closer. “Is it okay if I touch you? Can I put my arms around you? Hold your hand? Whatever you need, I’m here for you, okay?”
Eden didn’t respond. She simply leaned towards him, craving his touch. Had she not known him better, she would have lashed out. But at this moment, she just wanted some comfort. She wanted him to hold her—just not tightly. Intense fear gnawed in her stomach, fear she never wanted to show.
Sterling immediately wrapped his arms around her when she leaned toward him. He ran his fingers through her hair, slow, gentle motions.
“It’s okay, E… You’re going to be okay,” he murmured, holding her gently.
Eden immediately collapsed in his arms, burying her face in his chest. Her fingers gripping his shirt tightly, jumping when another thunder rang in her ears. He held her so gently, running soothing fingers through her hair as if she was something precious.
“Make it stop… please…” she found herself whispering instead, holding him close to herself. “I hate this. Make it stop…”
Sterling tightened his arms around her, wanting nothing more than to be able to help her through this. “Shh… It’s okay. You’re okay. Nothing can hurt you here. Nothing will hurt you here. You’re okay, Eden. You’re here and you’re safe. I’m here for you,” he said softly, instinctively pressing a kiss to her forehead. He flinched when he realized what he’d done, but maybe it wouldn’t matter so much, maybe she wouldn’t care. “Everything is going to be okay…”
Her eyes snapped open when she felt his lips on her forehead. He kissed her. Granted, it was on the forehead, but he kissed her. What was he doing? Why? And he flinched afterward, as if the mere action disgusted him. But of course it did. She was an animal. Why would he want to willingly touch an animal?
But he was so gentle, so careful with her. Why would anyone go so far to humiliate someone? No, it had happened before. Worse than what Sterling had done. Worse than what he was doing.
She didn’t even want to pull away. When another thunder cracked, she buried herself deeper in his warm embrace, tears leaking from her eyes.
“Safe…” she repeated breathlessly. Was she? Safe, that is. Could she ever be? Here for you… “Why…?”
She didn’t react to the kiss, other than opening her eyes. That may have just been out of surprise, though. Maybe she was okay with it…
“Safe…” she had whispered. And then, “Why…?”
“Why” what? he wondered. Why… Why was he doing this, maybe?
“Because I don’t like seeing people scared or in pain, and you looked like you were both. And… I don’t want to see you scared or hurting. It makes me want to punch something,” he murmured back, rubbing gebtle circles into her back.
I don’t want to see you scared or hurting.
It makes me want to punch something.
What? He didn’t want to see her in pain or scared? What was with that? Was he being serious, or was he just being this way because she was Crystal? She wanted him to be serious.
And then he began to rub gentle circles on her back and God forbid, she slightly leaned into his touch. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting in such a way? What was she doing, really?
“Why?” She asked again, clinging to him tighter as a smaller sound filled her ears.
Sterling closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. Why, again… Why did he care so much? She barely even looked at him, and he just wanted her saw and happy. Why in the world did he care so much?
Did it really matter, though?
“Because, Eden… Just— Just because,” he whispered, sighing. If he told her his real reason, she might not take it very well… Especially if she hated him.
(Sterling, love, if she hated you, do you really think she would let you kiss her forehead, much less let you touch her?)
Just because. Why? Why was he behaving like this? Why with her? There were so many other girls in this school, ones with a better past than her. Ones who aren’t such a burden. So why her?
“Not a proper reason…” she murmured, holding onto him tighter. “Can you—just once, please keep holding on to me.”
I’m scared. Scared of being alone right now. I can’t do this. I hate thunder. I feel like I’m drowning. Please hold on to me.
(Sterling: Yeah, but she still doesn’t act like she likes me, even as a friend or acquaintance.)
Sterling sighed, nodding slowly. “Of course. I’ll hold you as long as you need me to, Eden,” he promised softly. “For as long as you want.”
(Well… fair enough.)
"Thank you…" she whispered, breathing him in again. Why did he smell so good, even now? "Sterling–" another roar of thunder interrupted her, this time louder, and she dug her face in the crook of his neck, his skin muffling the scream that slipped out. She trembled again, wanting it to stop. She hated this weakness. She hated it so much.
Sterling jumped at the sudden crack of thunder, his arms tightening around Eden when she buried herself further into him. He shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged and pulled her into his lap, hugging her close.
“It’s okay, E… It’s going to be okay. You’re safe. You’re safe here with me,” he whispered, pressing his mouth to the side of her head. “You’re okay. It’s just thunder. Just a sound. It can’t hurt you.”
Sterling shifted, pulling her into his lap and tightening his hold on her, hugging her close. The contact, the shift in their position didn't seem to bother her as much as it normally would have. She found comfort in the gesture. She felt comfortable in his hold. It was a sick feeling, one she didn't think she hated having.
And then his mouth was on the side of her head and Eden was suddenly extremely aware of their close contact. She did not want to move away. She merely pressed herself harder against him, his words ringing in her head.
You're safe here with me.
"I know it can't hurt me," she said barely in a whisper. "I can't help it. I'm terrified."