Page 16

“Creek?”

“Yes?”

“Will you hold me?”

He fell naked into my bed after our shower and was practically asleep upon impact. His eye lids scarcely lift as he asks this of me.

For the first time in my life, I feel compelled to comply as if there is no other option. He's the magnet and I'm the iron, powerless as he pulls me in.

After I settle in behind him and tuck his body close into mine, my mind won't turn off of all the reasons this is wrong.

“Harlyn?”

“Yes, Flower?”

“Did you come to Array for a reason?”

He doesn't answer for a long time and just as I'm about to close my eyes and settle in he speaks up.

“Yes.”

He replies carefully.

My heart pounds because I fucking knew it.

Please don’t be something bad.

“... Are you going to tell me why?”

I wait with bated breath for his answer that he seems to ponder cautiously.

“I cannot. I promised someone very dear to me that I would not say. To break that promise would be to shred my soul.”

Disappointment clouds me and I close my eyes with this revelation. He seems to pick up on my sudden discomfort and shifts closer to me as if that will stop the inevitable.

“I swear to you, Creek, that it is without the intent to harm, and purely genuine.”

He could tell me that until he’s blue in the face, but the fact is that he's inserted himself into the lives of my family and refuses to disclose why.

“Then you understand why this can't happen again.”

A statement, not a question.

I feel his body tighten as if he’s trying to sink into himself and put some distance between us. It's probably for the best. I've seen the guy rip someone apart with his teeth which is not normal. I can't willingly throw myself in with someone I know nothing about and isn’t willing to meet me halfway.

Not to mention I've never even been in a relationship before, and I'm pretty sure the stars in his eyes indicate that’s what he's looking for. I won't be able to offer him that or anything else, but this night.

He doesn't say anything else after that. Eventually his breathing steady’s and I close my eyes to follow him to sleep.

∞∞∞

He's gone when I wake up. Unsurprisingly.

After I shower and dress for the day, I head to the kitchen. Ressyn’s drinking coffee when I open the fridge effectively ignoring the question in his eyes.

“I seen Harlyn on his way out and invited him for dinner like we discussed.”

I sigh because of course he did. “You know, like you were supposed to? Only he didn’t know what I was talking about when I brought it up.”

I close the fridge a bit forcefully, suddenly losing my appetite.

“He admitted to me that he came here for a reason, but refused to tell me why. He needs to go Res. I've been telling you since the beginning that somethings up with him and nobody will listen. He obviously has some sort of mental damage going on with that psychotic break and vulgar display he put on yesterday. Are we really going to wait around here for the other shoe to drop with this guy? Because I guarantee you it will.”

“Oh okay. So that’s why you fucked him last night?”

Res deadpans.

“What? Fuck you, I did not!”

“Riiiight, so the loud sex happening was coming from someone else’s room, when no one besides you had a guest?”

His head cocks because he's a dick. He needs to sip his coffee and shut the fuck up.

Harlyn had been extremely verbal though. I've never been with someone as expressive as he is. It's a complete contradiction to how he is 100% of the time. When I touch him he melts into a puddle for me.

“I fucked around with him a bit, sue me. It doesn't change the facts though.”

“Let’s see how things go at dinner. If anything crazy comes to light, I'll make a decision.”