Jaylen^

Kylan Had Been Out Of The Hospital For A Few Weeks And Besides Her Mom, I Had Been Helping Her While She Healed From Her Injuries. Her Mom Called And Explained To Her Job What Had Happened To Her And Would Help Her Bathe And Whatnot And I Would Cook For Her Sometimes And Help Her Change Her Bandages. Her Original Injuries Were A Busted Lip, Two Black Eyes, A Very Bruised Neck, Four Of Her Ribs Were Also Bruised. She Had Multiple Bruises All Over Her Body That Healed Within The First 2 Weeks. The Only Remaining Injury Is Her Bruised Ribs But They Were Healing More By The Day. I Don't Know The Guy Well But I Hate Jaylen For What He Put This Beautiful Broken Girl Through And He Was Gonna Pay One Way Or Another.

The Only Good Thing That Came Out Of All Of This Was The Fact That We Were Able To Spend More Time Together And I Got To Know Her Better.

"Genesis??" She called for me
I Was In The Kitchen Finishing Making Us Dinner.
I Made A Small Chicken Alfredo In A Roasting Pan And The Garlic Knots Were Browning In The Oven.

"Yes gorgeous ??" I peeked around the corner

She Blushed And Her Eyes Fell Into Her Lap. She Twirled Her Thumbs Around Each Other, Refusing To Look At Me.

"What is it??" I asked throwing the kitchen towel over my right shoulder

I Took A Seat On The Recliner That Faced Her. There Was Only 6 Feet Of Distance Between Us.

"I-I just wanted to thank you for helping me. Helping me that night and helping me heal these past weeks. You're a really great friend" she said finally looking at me

My Heart Clenched A Little And I Winced Inwardly At The Term "friend" But Quickly Recovered. I Had To Be Okay With Being Her Friend For Now Because I Know She's Been Through A Lot. I Was Raised And Taught To Respect Women No Matter The Circumstances. This Case Was No Different.

"Of course, I'm just glad that you are okay. Honestly, when I walked into the room and saw you lying there in a pool of blood, I lost my shit." I shivered thinking about that day

"I thought you were gone..." I half whispered

Her Face Was A Mix Of Emotions But The Only Two I Could Make Out Was Fear And Appreciation.

"How did I let it get so bad ??" She asked herself

I Rushed To Take The Garlic Knots Out Of The Oven As I Could Smell Them Now. They Looked So Good. I Turned Off The Oven And Went Back Into The Living Room.

"Listen Kylan"
I Took Her Hands Into Mine.

"What he did to you was not your fault. Any of it was never your fault. I understand that you loved and thought that you could trust him, but baby girl love isn't abusive. Love is kind and gentle. Love is passionate and safe." I explained to her

She Was In Tears. I Hugged Her Close To Me And Kissed Her Temple. So Beautiful Yet So Broken.

She Calmed Down After 5 Minutes And Spoke.

"I just thought that he loved me, we had been through a lot together. I thought that he would eventually change. I thought that he would realize what he was doing to me." She sniffed

I Still Held Her Close.

"All I'm saying babygirl, is that you can do better" I said

I Pulled Away And She Frowned A Little.

"Are you ready to eat??" I asked her standing

"Yes. I'll fix my own plate" she said and started to stand

"No need. I'm starving myself, I'll dish us up some"
I Waved At Her To Sit Back Down And Made My Way Back To The Kitchen.

I Fixed Both Us A Bowl Of Alfredo And Lay The Garlic Knots On The Side.

I Handed Her A Dish And Sat Mine Down On The Coffee Table As I Found Us A Good Movie To Watch While We Ate. I Put On "The Equalizer" And We Just Enjoyed Each Other's Company As We Ate. My Arm Was Thrown Onto The Back Of The Couch And She Snuggled Up Against Me. This Had Become Our Routine. She Would Always Fall Asleep And I Would Carry Her Upstairs, Tuck Her In And Then Lock Up Before I Leave. This Time Was Different. She Fell Asleep With Her Arms Wrapped In A Semi-tight Embrace Around My Waist. I Looked Down At Her And Smiled. Time For Bed. I Moved To Stand But Her Grip Tightened. And Then She Spoke In A Whisper.

"You don't have to go tonight. You could stay here if you'd like." She mumbled into my side

I Was Taken Aback But Then I Thought About It. Sure. Why Not ?? Less Energy Needed For Me To Drive Home.

"Okay" I replied scooping her up into my arms

I Carry Her Upstairs To Her Bedroom And Tuck Her In As Usual. I Kissed Her Forehead And Bid Her Goodnight.

"Goodnight handsome" she whispers before falling back to sleep

I Smile To Myself And Go Back Downstairs To Put The Food Away And To Double Check The Locks On The House Before I Lay Down On The Couch. I Doze Off At The End Of The Movie, Letting Sleep Consume Me.