Talk
twenty-one
Marlowe
Sleeping in Dexter’s room that night felt normal.
Once we all got settled, I immediately crawled into bed.
The guys stayed up longer, watching TV in the living room.
They asked me to join them, but I just wanted to sleep.
I wanted the thoughts of my sister out of my head.
Had she really let it go this far? She wouldn’t even let me help her.
Even when Dexter and Bunny stepped in, she wouldn’t have it. I had to get out of that house.
Finally, my thoughts had made my mind so tired that I finally fell asleep.
Bunny woke me up in the middle of the night.
“Marlowe,” he whispered. When I opened my eyes, his face was level with mine next to the bed.
Tears welled in his sweet brown eyes. I knew what he wanted before he said it.
Scooting over and lifting the blanket, Bunny got in bed and pulled me close to his chest. Soft sobs tore through him as I drew circles on his back.
Only a few moments later, his breathing leveled out, and he fell asleep. I followed soon after.
Light filtered in, the blinds open behind the grey curtains. My arm was draped across Dexter’s stomach as I lay on his chest.
“You awake?” He asked, gently brushing a hand down the back of my head.
“Mhmm.” I stretched before looking up at him. “Thanks for letting me crash here last night.”
He squeezed me tightly. “Anytime.”
Sitting up, I sat cross-legged and looked down at Dexter. He had one arm behind his head, the other wrapped around my back, tracing lightly above the waistband of my pajamas. “Can I ask you something, since Bunny’s in the shower?”
He nodded, his green eyes sparkling as the little bit of light that got in captured the brightest parts in the irises.
I bit my lips, nervous to bring up the topic. I wanted to talk to Bunny too, but I decided that talking to Dex would be a good idea as well. “What’s going on with Bunny? I’m not leaving without talking to him today.”
He stopped his movements on my back and sat up to look at me more directly. “Mar, Bunny has been through a lot, and when he gets like this. Well, he’s never been exactly like this before.”
“Dex,” I cupped his cheek in my hand. His face had completely dropped as soon as he started talking about the subject.
“I’m not asking you to tell me about his past; that’s up to him to tell me.
But I have to know what’s going on and where I fit in because whatever the fuck is happening, I can’t do this. ”
“He’s using,” Des said, looking me straight in the eye.
“I don’t know what, last time it was pills and alcohol, but he was mixing the shit bad.
He gets really good at hiding it from people…
until he doesn’t. He started getting careless.
And when his nightmares started again, I knew something was really wrong. ”
“So that’s probably what happened last night then. He had a nightmare.” This comment was more to myself than Dexter.
“Did he come in here?”
“Yeah,” I pointed over to the side. He crawled into bed with me. “He came in, looked like he had been crying, and crawled in next to me. He squeezed me so tight to his chest. I thought maybe he didn’t realize what he had done for a second, but he said my name to wake me up.”
Dexter nodded his head and wrapped a hand around the side of my neck. “I’m getting worried. He hasn’t had nightmares like this since we were teenagers.”
When the shower shut off in Bunny’s bathroom, Dexter and I broke apart. Standing, I called Dojo to follow me to the living room. Grabbing a blanket and covering my lap, Dojo jumped up, and we watched cartoons on the TV.
Bunny came into the living room and looked down at me and Dojo on the couch. “Where am I supposed to sit?”
Leaning forward slightly, I glanced around the room. "There's plenty of other places for you to sit,” I said with a smile, looking him in the eye.
He walked over wearing only a pair of grey sweatpants and no shirt. His hair was still dripping water from the shower. My gaze followed a water droplet down his chest. He caught my chin with his finger and tilted my head back up.
In one fluid motion, he squeezed in to sit behind me on the couch. “Bunny!” I shouted.
“Scoot down, I’m trying to get comfortable.” He put his hands on my hips and tried to shimmy me down with him. He wrapped his legs around mine and pulled me back against his chest. I felt the slight dampness of his skin against mine, and his body was so warm.
“Dexter said you wanted to talk. So let’s talk.”
Trying to pull out of his grip so I could look at him, he held me tighter. “I want to look at you and talk.”
“No, this is good.” He loosened his grip on me slightly.
Quietly, I ripped the Band-Aid off. “What are we doing, Bunny? I need an answer because this not knowing is driving me crazy. I think it’s pretty clear that things are very different now, but what does that mean?
I tried really hard to just leave it alone and pretend that things were back to how they were, but you two have made that impossible. ”
Bunny tilted my head backward and gently placed his lips on mine in a kiss.
“Can I just say that I like you way more than you probably realize? And I like seeing you with Dex even more than that.” He kissed me again, this time more intensely.
But I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t keep letting my attraction to him take control.
Reluctantly, I stopped the kiss. “I like you too, both of you. More than just friends like we were. But that means I’m really fucking worried about you, Bunny.
Dexter told me about the nightmares. The drugs.
” He turned his head away from me, so I turned away too.
“I’m not asking you to tell me anything you don’t want to, Bunny.
I’m just asking you to let me in, a little bit. When you’re ready.”
He let out a long sigh. “Telling you everything wouldn’t be possible. What I can tell you is that I was ready to kill that guy at your house last night. You can’t go back there. You can’t live there.”
“Trust me,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’m trying my best to get the fuck out.”
“You are out, Marlowe. You’re here.” Bunny’s words were final. I didn’t feel like I could argue with him.
Tossing my head back, I sighed. “Yeah, I’m here now.
But that was just last night. I’m trying to get out long term and find a new place to live.
Francesca is a mess, and I can’t get through to her.
If she’s not going to listen to me, then I need to get the fuck away.
I can’t see her throw her life away as our mom did.
End up pregnant by some worthless piece of shit and let her kids struggle like we did just to live. ”
Bunny squeezed me to his chest. “Your mom didn’t love you?”
I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know if she didn’t love us.
But she sure as hell wasn’t a mom. When our dad or her boyfriends would hit her, or she would cry, I would try to console her.
She never paid attention to me or would just shove me off.
We had to fend for ourselves most of the time.
Then she died when I was 18, and I had to raise my sister until she turned 18.
” My head fell back to Bunny’s shoulder.
“Then Francesca just fell off the deep end. She stopped listening to me after she graduated high school. Following right in our mom’s footsteps. ”
Bunny pushed me forward gently and moved out from behind me.
All of the movement on the couch had caused Dojo to jump down and lie on the floor.
When Bunny sat back down, he was sitting directly in front of me.
He reached out and pushed a few strands of hair from my face.
I took in his appearance. His bleach blonde hair was grown out a bit, and his dark roots showed.
It was a good look on him, though. The straight strands were tousled from his rough towel-dry after the shower.
He looked perfectly disheveled. He looked like a dream.
“Well, I’m telling you right now, Marlowe.
You aren’t going back there. You’re staying here.
No question.” Bunny cupped my cheek and lightly pressed his lips to mine.
“I don’t think I would have ever thought I would be in the position I’m in right now, but this thing,” he gestured between himself, me, and down the hallway.
“This is everything I ever dreamed of. I never want it to end. I like this that we have going on with Dexter, whatever it is. But I cannot let you live there. So you coming to stay with us just makes sense, right?”
Shaking my head in disbelief, my eyebrows pulled together. “Bunny, that’s too much. I can’t ask you guys to take me in.”
“You’re not asking us, Marlowe. I’m telling you. You’re staying here.” The look he gave me was serious. I didn’t feel like I could argue with him.
Licking my lips, I looked at him in his sweet brown eyes.
“Okay, but I’m paying you guys rent.” Bunny rolled his eyes and kissed me.
I pulled away. “And the moment I get in your way, I’m leaving.
You have to tell me if I need to leave! Dojo can be a menace sometimes.
He seems all cute, but he’s a pain in the ass.
Plus, I have quirks so…” he cut me off with another kiss.
“I’m serious, Bunny.” My tone was firm when I broke the kiss this time.
He nodded in understanding. “But no rent. Dex won’t agree to that either.” The smile that lit up his face sent butterflies to my stomach. Gripping his face, I kissed him with fierce passion before we settled back into the couch to watch TV until Dexter brought us coffee.