Chapter 96: Stay The Night
Rhydian;
I help Bram to his room, and as he sits on his bed, he looks up at me with sad, nervous eyes.
"Is he ever going to like me?" He whispers, and I pause as I take his coat off him.
"Elián?" I question, and he nods.
I sigh before sitting beside him on his bed as my mind wanders back to him.
I stare down at my hands as I recall how sad he looked a few minutes ago. I should’nt have spoken to him like that.
He’s being territorial... and that’s understandable. It’s not new information that he doesn’t know how to control his emotions.
I shouldn’t have been so hard on him. He needs reassurance and I...
"If I were in his place, I’d hate me too." Bram’s voice breaks into my thoughts, and I turn to him.
"Elián doesn’t hate you." I counter and he pauses.
"I’m sorry he said such cruel things to you... But he’s just... Elián can be quite temperamental, and when he’s in a bad mood, he has no control over his mouth. I can assure you he didn’t mean any of the things he said." I explain, and Bram stares at me in silence for a while before forcing a smile.
"You seem to know him so well." He says, and I scoff before looking away.
I wish I truly knew him that well. If I did, I’d understand what goes on in his mind and how to pacify him.
"Alpha Rhydian?" Bram calls in a soft, unsure voice, and I turn to look at him.
He scoots closer to me and takes one of my hands.
"I... want to thank you for helping me so much. If... it weren’t for you... I don’t know what my fate would be." He whispers, and I smile at him.
His eyes twinkle in the dimly lit room, and despite all the cuts and bruises on his face, I can see the depth of his gratitude.
"No one has ever cared so much for me before... not even my parents. But here you are... doing all this for a misfit who isn’t even worth it." He adds, and I cup my hand over his mouth.
"You’re not a misfit, Bram. Now what my mother has done to you is a horrible, unfixable thing... but it doesn’t make you any less of a person. We’ll find you a place... I promise." I caution, and under my palm, I feel him smile.
He gently takes my hand away from his mouth and kisses the back of my hand.
"If you say so, Alpha." He whispers, and I blink at him in silence.
"Alright. You should go to bed. It’s way past midnight." I note as I stand up and he nods with a big smile that makes him look rather innocent.
How could my mother hurt someone like this??
And Elián... I need to find a way to let him see that Bram isn’t an enemy but a helpless person in desperate need of saving.
I turn around and just as I’m about to take a step, he speaks.
"Alpha Rhydian?"
I turn to him, and he nervously plays with the hem of his shirt.
"Can you... Please stay the night? It’s cold and... I’ve not been able to get a wink of sleep. With you here... I feel a bit safer and might actually be able to go to bed." He begs softly, and I stare at him.
My fingers curl into a fist as I weigh my choices.
Stay the night?
Why... would I do that?
Elian wouldn’t like it if he found out.
"I’m sorry, Bram. But I can not do that. There’s nothing between us. I wouldn’t want to give Elián the misconception that there is. There’s already enough friction between us as it is. I hope you understand." I reply, and his expression falls.
Something shifts in his eyes, but it only lasts a second before his smile wipes it off.
"Oh... It’s okay, then. I understand. I’ll just have to find a way to sleep through the nightmares." He replies, and I swallow.
He has nightmares?
"Goodnight, Alpha Rhydian." He adds as he kicks off his sandals and gets under the covers. I watch him adjust in the bed, and as he turns his back on me, guilt presses against my chest like a boulder.
"You have nightmares?" I question, and he remains silent for a few seconds.
"Yes. Nightmares about the period of the surgery and my healing... the Betas... even the corrections... my mind has become such a troubled place, I fear what I’d do to myself someday. But then... It’s not something I’m unused to. I’ll just wait a few more hours. When my body tires out, I’ll eventually drift into sleep." He explains, and my heart skips a beat.
He goes through all these things??
All because of the monster I call a mother!?
Light, I’m tired of her hurting innocent people! There’s no redemption for her. I’ve decided. As soon as Ishu gets me the evidence, I’ll report them to Father. She deserves to be punished.
But for now... I should fix the damage she’s caused in any way that I can.
One person at a time.
I will not turn my back on our people’s suffering like she does.
Besides... It’s only going to be a night. One night.
"I’ll stay the night," I inform, and Bram turns back to me with a shocked expression.
"What? Really? But you said Elián wouldn’t..." He begins, but I cut him off.
"I’ll make him understand," I reply, and he grins from ear to ear.
A happy smile. One, I’m glad I could give to him.
I walk over to the bed, take off my Sandals and lie with my back to him, arms crossed over my chest.
"Goodnight, Bram," I whisper.
"Goodnight, Alpha." He responds, and I let out a sigh as I shut my eyes.
It’s going to be quite uncomfortable sleeping here... but it’s for a good cause.
I’ll go see Elián tomorrow morning. I need to.
******
Elián;
"It’s Alpha Rhydian to you!" The words replay in my mind, as well as the disgust that was on his face when he stared at me.
I listen to the bird chirp in the morning’s silence as I wipe yet another tear with the back of my hand.
I hadn’t slept all night. How could I when the only thing I could think about was the brutal betrayal of the person I called my best friend for five years of my life?
Not only did he get me disowned. He tried to kill me. And now that I’m trying to build another life for myself here, he’s trying to take that from me...
I don’t even have anyone to talk to about this. The only person who knows I’m from another world and understands this entire mess is Elien.
But as soon as the moon went down, I stopped hearing him.
Everything’s just shit, and I don’t even know the way forward to anything anymore.
I’m so fucking tired of crying, but the tears keep coming.
My nose is stuffy, my head hurts, and I can feel the exhaustion burning in my veins. Still, I can’t bring myself to sleep!!
How could Rhydian talk to me like that!? He didn’t even ask for my side of the story. He just trusted Bram! Is that how deeply Bram has sunk his claws into him?
What do I do to free him?
And since when did Bram start liking men?
For fucks sake, what is going on!??
I hate this. I truly hate all of it!
I just want to be happy. I want to be accepted. Chosen. Treated like a person who truly matters.
Is that too much to ask for??
The door to my room suddenly opens and I look up expecting to see Alana, but to my shock... It’s Rhydian.
My heart skips a beat when I see him. I’m almost excited that he came to see me... but that excitement dies when a scent hits me.
A scent that has clung to him like a rotting sickness. Bram’s multilayered, suffocating scent.
Did he spend the night with Bram last night!?
******
Rhydian;
I pause as soon as I get into his room. I was expecting him to be fast asleep, but he’s curled up on his bed, knees hugged to his chest, and chin resting on his knees.
He raises his head as soon as he sees me, and I see a glimmer of light in his eyes, but it vanishes almost as quickly as it came.
He stares at me a bit longer, and only then do I notice the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes are puffy, and he looks exhausted. Hold on.
"Did you sleep at all?" I question, but he simply looks away from me.
Did he cry the whole night!?
Because of... me!?
"You spent the night with him?" His voice, which is now a small, almost inaudible croak, questions, and I freeze.
How does he know that!?