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Chapter Twenty-Four
Niko
Sunlight filtersthrough the sheer curtains blowing in the breeze. The sound of waves crashing the shore and gulls soaring overhead filters through the open patio door in the guest bedroom at my parents’ house. I look through the room from the pullout couch I slept on, noticing the bed is empty. In an instant, panic courses through me. Images of Doe wandering the streets of Florida, scared and alone, flash through my head. The creak of wood sounds from the open patio door. Moving into a sitting position, I lean that way and peer outside.
Doe leans against the railing, gazing out at the beach. For the first time, she looks somewhat peaceful. Her hair blows in the breeze, and her skirt billows behind her. If it weren’t for the serious expression on her face, I’d say she looks normal. Carefree. Instead, the smallest crease sits between her eyebrows, giving me the impression that she’s thinking. Deeply.
Not wanting to startle her, I give her some more time alone to work out her thoughts. I’m not trying to be creepy, but I think this is good for her. And I’m afraid if I try to leave the room, she’ll hear me and follow.
Not that I wouldn’t want her to, but I think she needs this. There’s a comfort here that she doesn’t have at home. Somewhere she’s never been—where she’s safe. Where the monster who hurt her can’t get to her. I think she feels that as much as I do.
I know she’s just standing outside on the patio with Betsy at her feet, but the accomplishment is huge. This is unfamiliar territory. Just like yesterday when she was scared and took comfort from Mom or when she went with me to say hi to Dad. He did nothing more than sleep while we were in there, but that’s okay. The fact he’s still here to take a nap is all that fucking matters to me. When Tori and Michael kicked everyone out to go home and sleep, Mom included, Doe was the one to grab my and Mom’s hand and lead us out. And when we got to the house, she helped Mom chop veggies for a salad so we all could eat a nice meal rather than takeout.
They’re menial tasks, but the fact she’s doing them without hesitation or being asked is a significant step in her recovery. Before I know it, she’ll be able to live on her own. If we can find out who she is, she could at least get a job to sustain and provide for herself.
I don’t know why, but the thought sours my gut a little. Her living with me wasn’t the most ideal situation, but I’ve grown to care for her, and I’ve grown to enjoy her company. A part of me might have realized just how alone I’ve been all these years. She’s grown into a friend. A companion of sorts.
On that thought, I push myself out of bed. As I walk toward the patio, I notice the bed Doe slept on is hardly messed; an indication she didn’t toss and turn all night like normal. Come to think of it, I slept soundly as well. All the driving we did yesterday must have worn us out.
She turns to me at the sound of my footsteps. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I greet back and take up a spot beside her at the railing. Leaning a hip against the wood, I turn her way. “How’d you sleep?”
“Good. You?”
“Same.”
She hums a response and looks back out at the ocean.
Mirroring her, I do the same but try not to stare at her as I do.
“Can I ask you something?” she asks timidly, her eyes flickering over to me.
“Of course.”
She worries her bottom lip with her teeth, before releasing it. Instead of speaking to me, she asks the ocean her question. “Was what your brother said about me that bad? I don’t know what his words meant, but by the fighting, I gathered that it was mean.”
“Yes,” I answer instantly, my hands curling into fists as his words echo around my head.
“Oh.” The tone of her voice turns to hurt.
“I’m sorry. Reece and I have been fighting for many years. He should have never taken that out on you.”
She cuts me off. “He said I’m your… something. I didn’t know what the words meant, but it didn’t seem so bad to be called something of yours. I feel like I am.”
My eyebrows pull together. “Like you are what?”
“Yours,” she answers without hesitation.
My stomach lurches. “No, Doe. No. You belong to you. Nobody owns you. Not now, not in the past, not ever,” I state vehemently. “First and foremost, you belong to you. That’s true for everybody.”
“Is it true for you? Do you belong to you?”
My thoughts turn harshly to Aislin. The thought that she owns a part of my soul in a way that it’s gone forever. In a way, I’ll never get it back. My gaze drifts to the bracelet around Doe’s wrist; a bracelet she stole but is as much hers as it was the previous owner’s. Because that previous owner is dead and never coming back to reclaim it. On that painful thought, I move my eyes up to her face. I find her openly staring at me, patience clear in her gaze.
And it’s the patience there that allows me to give her the only truth I can even if it is only a half-truth.
“Yeah. I belong to me.” And I do. But I also belong to Aislin. And I might hate to admit it, but I think a part of me belongs to Doe, too.
