Chereads / Aimless Wander / Chapter 13 - Trust

Chapter 13 - Trust

May 23rd,

I didn't wake up to the sweet smell of maple and cinnamon that day. Instead, I woke up to the stench of rotting flesh and dried up blood. I forgot that I had fallen asleep in that disgusting mess after finishing my brutal beating.

I still felt tired mentally, so I was a little slow to get up. The sun wasn't peaking out to shine its golden glow upon me. Instead, I was met with an overcast sky with a distinct smell gliding with the wind.

"Looks like it'll rain soon." I said to myself.

I walked back to the car. The back window was still smashed to pieces and Emily was still laying down on her back in the backseat. Her face was still covered and she was still shaking. She never said a single word.

It looked like she didn't sleep at all last night. I tapped her shoulder.

"Hey, Emily," I said to her. "Can you take your hands off your face now."

She didn't move. She stayed like that for hours. I sat down next to the car and waited for her to move and speak again.

After the night sky came back to us, Emily finally said something.

"Alex?" She said.

"Yeah, it's me." I said turning to face her.

Emily looked like she had just woke up from a trance. She had dark and heavy bags under her bloodshot eyes. She was still shaking violently and her breathing was still rapid.

I cursed myself for falling asleep.

"Are you ok?" I asked her.

"I-I'm ok." She said.

"You're lying."

"Why did you ask me then?"

Emily slowly crawled out of the car and lay her head on my lap.

"I'm so tired." She said.

"Are you sure that you want to sleep here," I asked her. "I can carry you back to my side."

"No, I don't want you to move," she said. "I'm too tired...haaaa...and this lap I too comfortable."

Emily let out a cute little yawn and started drifting to sleep.

"I've really spoiled you." I chuckled.

"I know. But isn't that...haaa...expected from a father figure?"

She kinda had a point.

...

Wait, a father figure?

"You know, I wish you were my real father," Emily continued. "Haaa...but I guess blood relation doesn't really matter. Even though we barely knew each other, you still treated me nicely. Like I was someone you wanted to protect. That made me really...happy."

"I trust you...Alex."

With those final words, Emily fell asleep right on my lap. I rested my hand on her head and looked up at the bland night sky.

"I miss the stars." I said to myself.

Now I'm worried that Cole will want to break up with me after I get back home with Emily. We've only dated for a day and a half, so I'm not sure if he's ready to have a kid yet.