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I snapped my eyes open, flung myself off the sofa and to the small hallway, trying my hardest not to scare Chiara in the process. “Hey there,” I whispered, silently grateful that I wasn’t the only one awake now.
Her eyes widened so much I was sure they were going to pop out of her head. “Luna?” She shook her head as if she was seeing things. I grinned at her confused face.
“Hey.” I kneeled down in front of her and took her small hands in mine. “Mateo had to go to work for a little bit, so he asked me to watch you.”
She turned her head to look in her room. “Can you read me a story?”
“Sure.” I stood, not letting go of her hand and let her lead me into her bedroom. Cardo was still fast asleep, his one leg anchored up the wall and the other hanging over the edge of the other side of his twin bed.
His side of the room was a blue fest, and I couldn’t help but smile thinking about the day he told me to paint my apartment door blue. Whereas Chiara’s side was pink, the ultimate girly paradise.
She leaped back into her bed and I tucked her in with her unicorn comforter. I settled down next to her and cracked open the book that she handed me. She had a pile of six on her little nightstand, and I wondered how many times she’d had them read to her. I’d read the same book over and over again as a kid, and the more I read it, the more I found new things inside of the story. It was never the same each time I read it. That was the beauty of books.
I opened my mouth, reading the words scattered around the pictures, getting into the story of the unicorn who was best friends with a big fluffy black cat. Together they went on an adventure to find hidden treasure.
She yawned when I was halfway through the story and closed her little eyes, but she didn’t let go of my hand. She wanted to feel secure. I knew the feeling all too well even though I was about to turn nineteen. Feeling secure was more important than anyone realized, and when they did realize, normally it was because they didn’t feel safe anymore.
I wasn’t sure how long I lay there watching as she fell asleep, but I started to feel my eyelids drooping, and there was nothing I could do to stop them closing completely. For the first time since I’d moved here, I didn’t feel completely guarded. I didn’t have to try and listen to the sounds outside my room. I didn’t have to pile furniture in front of it so no one could come in.
I felt at peace. Something I wasn’t sure I’d ever truly felt. Not deep down. I was always on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But as I drifted off, my lips lifted into a small smile and my breaths came easier.
* * *
MATEO
I stood in the doorway to Cardo and Chiara’s room, not sure how long I’d been watching them. I hadn’t gotten home until three this morning, and it wasn’t until my alarm went off at six that I realized Luna was still here. She was hanging half off of Chiara’s bed, and I was counting down the seconds until she finally—
“Ow.” Her body smacked off the floor with a thump, her head slamming against the wooden frame of Chiara’s bed and I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her sprawled out like a newly birthed giraffe in the small space between the kids' beds. “What the—” She lifted her head and stared up at Chiara. Neither her nor Cardo had stirred at her falling out of the bed.
I watched as she closed her eyes, her chest lifting on a deep breath. She was gathering herself, not realizing that I was standing here, taking her in like she was a science project I couldn’t quite work out. I hadn’t even thought to go and see where she was when I got back. I’d passed out on the sofa, too exhausted to know what my name was.
But she’d stayed. She’d made sure the kids were still okay.
She stood, and I finally got a good look at her face. “Fuck,” I spat, causing her to jump, but I didn’t care because she had a trail of blood
trickling from her forehead and making a path down her cheek. “You’re bleeding.”
I didn’t think, I went into automatic mode and reached for her. My hand grasped her wrist, probably harder than I needed to, then I yanked her into the bathroom. It only took two steps to enter the still steamy room from when I’d had my shower.
“Mateo,” she whispered, pulling on my grip, but I didn’t let go. “What are you doing.”
I turned us so we were chest to chest. “I told you. You’re bleeding.”
She lifted her hand to her face, spreading the blood on her cheek. “It’s fine.” I didn’t answer, I simply grabbed her at the waist and placed her on the small counter where the sink was. The space was small, but enough for her to balance on.
“Wait here,” I demanded, brooking no room for argument. I’d watched her on the edge of Chiara’s small bed, and instead of intervening, I’d just stood there, waiting for her to wake up. I’d let her fall. Fuck. This was my fault. I should have woken her up and thanked her for staying. She’d been here all night, and there had been no way for me to contact her to let her know when I would be back.
I rifled through the cabinet, searching for the first aid kit, and when I put my hand on it, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Seriously,” she huffed out. “I’m fine.” Placing the kit on her lap, I then opened it, grabbing everything I needed. “Mateo.” The alcohol wipe was first, so I ripped it open and lifted my arm to press it to her face. But at my movement, she wrapped her small hand around my wrist, halting me. “Are you listening to me?”
“I hear you,” I grunted, meeting her stare. “But you’re bleeding.” It was explanation enough, but she didn’t seem to understand me. Her eyes glazed over, her hand on my arm letting up slightly. “Let me clean you up,” I murmured.
Luna didn’t look away, searching for something in my eyes. Whatever she was looking for, she must have found, because she finally let go of my arm and pushed her face closer to mine. She winced at the movement. I had no doubt she’d have a headache soon.
Her breath fanned across my face as I wiped the blood away. It was smaller than I initially thought, but it was still wide enough to need some Steri-Strips. I placed three over the cut and trailed the dried blood down her cheek with the alcohol wipe until it was clean.
Luna’s breath stuttered at the movement, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. We were so close in the small space; all it would take was one jerk of my body and we’d be flush against each other. Her blue eyes swirled, becoming darker the longer we stood there. But it was her squeezing her legs together that had me dropping the wipe.
