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After Tyson left, I didn't wake up again and slept for two days straight. Both my body and my mind had needed to rest in order to recover.
I woke up groggy and with a body that didn't want to quite work right. I struggled to sit up in bed as I blinked, looking around my bedroom with narrowed eyes. The sun shone brightly through the open curtains at the windows, and I lifted a hand up in front of my face to block out the light. It felt like forever and a day had gone by since I'd seen the sunshine. It immediately made me feel better, like the dark stain on my soul could somehow now be washed away if I spent enough time in the sunlight. Impossible, I know, but still, a girl could hope and dream.
Binx jumped up on the end of the bed, coming from nowhere and making me jerk in surprise at his sudden appearance. I still didn't know how to act around the little guy now that I knew where he'd come from and his purpose in Dash's life. What would happen to him now that Romero was back? And was there some way to give him his magic back without hurting the cat?
Eh, fuck it.
As strange as it was going to sound, the cat had somehow become my friend and I needed him right now. I needed to be around someone who wouldn't judge me or ask about what had happened. I didn't want to talk about it and I didn't even want to have to think about it anymore. Though, I knew it would never be far from my mind again.
"Here kitty, kitty." I made kissy noises at Binx and he blinked his eyes lazily at me. Slowly, like he had all the time in the world, he strutted across the comforter and plopped down in my lap. I stroked his fur and scratched under his chin. Immediately, he began to purr and he curled up in my lap.
"That cat is in love with you," Quinton spoke from the doorway, and my head jerked up. I found him watching me with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles with his shoulder against the doorframe. "The little fucker hates practically everyone else besides you and Dash. Occasionally, he will allow a different human to pet him, but he could turn on them at any second. But never you and never Dash. Now that we know why he's really here, I think it's because he knows how much Dash loves you and he feels the same."
I continued to pet Binx as I thought about what Quinton had said. Maybe he was right, maybe he wasn't. We'd never know, though, because obviously the cat wasn't going to tell us. But that hadn't really been the point behind Quinton bringing up Dash loving me, now had it? I think whether Binx had been in here or not, Quinton would have found a way to weave Dash into the conversation.
Our family was at odds, and Quinton was here to set things to rights again.
He could be so annoying without even trying.
"How long have I been asleep for?" I demanded.
"About two days. Your body needed the rest. I imagine your mind did as well. The twins wanted to wake you up yesterday, but I wouldn't let them. I had to ban them from your room altogether until you woke up. You know how impatient they can be, and it's gotten worse since you left for the motel. They both just want to be around you to make sure you're really here. This is going to fuck with their heads for a while, and they'll probably stick to you like glue, but I'm sure you can handle it. They aren't mad at you though, so don't even think that."
I had expected this and he was right, I could definitely handle them needing to be close to me. I wanted to be close to them too.
But they weren't the person I really wanted to know about and we both knew it. Why did he bring him up just to talk about someone else immediately? Whatever game Quinton was playing was already starting to piss me off.
I sank back into the bed and curled up on my side. The move had Binx falling off my lap, and he let out an angry little mewl before prancing down to the foot of the bed and gracefully hopping off. He strutted toward the door, and Quinton quickly stepped inside the room and moved out of the cat's path. Binx paused mid-step right before the door and turned his fluffy little head to the side so he could stare down Quinton.
"Don't even think about it, you little prick. I'll toss your ass outside so fast no one will ever know where you went, because something bigger than you will come out the woods to eat you. Try me."
I glared at Quinton as Binx arched his back and hissed angrily at the man, like he understood every word spoken and didn't like the threat one little bit. Couldn't say I blamed him, because I was right there with him.
"How dare you," I muttered angrily, as Binx hissed one more time before strutting lazily out of the bedroom.
"Forget about the cat," Quinton said. He reached over and gripped the edge of the door with his fingers. He swung the door closed and wasted no time prowling toward me. He looked determined, angry, and compassionate all at the same time.
He must have decided the time for talking was now, and I wasn't going to get a say in the matter.
Oh hell to the no.
"I need to take a shower and eat something," I blurted. "And pee. I need to pee."
Shit.
My face heated instantly as a blush stole across my cheeks. Had I really just told Quinton I needed to pee? He didn't need to know about that kind of business.
Quinton's face softened and little crinkles appeared around his eyes as he smiled sweetly at me. He knew what I was trying to do, but probably wouldn't let me get away with it.
"Baby," he said in a voice I'd never heard from him before. A voice filled with so much sadness and love I felt like my ears were going to start bleeding with each word out of his mouth. "You know he loves you, right? That'll never change. I know he's sorry for what he said to you, and you need to give him the time to tell you just how much. You also need to give him and Romero some of your time with just the three of you. Romero has been asking about you nonstop since you brought him home, and the more time he goes without actually seeing you, the more agitated he gets. The more agitated he gets, the more upset Dash gets. This situation is fucked up and we knew it would be difficult, but I swear it's only going to get worse unless you go to them. And soon. They need to see that you're okay. Romero has formed some kind of attachment to you, and Dash is pissed because he treated you like shit and it's eating him up from the inside. They need you, Ariel, andIneed you to be brave for me and give them what they need."
Fuck. Him.
Hadn't I been brave enough already?
Quinton crawled onto the bed and came right at me. He cupped my cheek and his burning brown eyes stared right into my dull green ones. The fight had gone out of me, there wasn't anything left.
"He loves you more than anything else in this whole world."
