Ta da!
Lilly strolled calmly beside me as I pushed Selene in the pram. There was a fragile sway to her body, as if it had trouble supporting her almost nonexistent weight. It hurt to see. I wanted to protect Lilly with the entirety of my being and that meant removing the one that caused her damage. The one that caused her constant stress and concern. The one that left her to care for Selene in solitude. Oliver.
To put it lightly, I wanted to kill the boy. He was a creature much worse than what I had imagined and wasn't fit to father a child. I knew I could report him and Lilly would be forced to move to a safer location – my house. I'd take care of her and Selene for as long as they'd let me. I'd buy them anything they wanted and I'd be the perfect provider. I was even capable of loving both Lilly and Selene in a way Oliver clearly couldn't. With him, it was about possessing Lilly, not sharing his life with her. But, no matter how much I longed to, I couldn't turn Oliver in. It was Lilly's decision to subject herself to Oliver's revolting behaviour. If she wanted to stay, I wouldn't make her leave. If she wanted Oliver around, then he would be around until the moment she changed her mind.
And it was now my life's mission to make her change her mind.
An excited giggle emitted from the pram and I escaped from my silent oaths to glance at Lilly. She was following her feet with her eyes, like she needed to make sure they were functioning correctly and the moment she stopped watching, they would make a mistake and she would be expose her weakness to me. Did she know my attention was pretty much always on her? I noticed everything about my best friend. The smallest change made the biggest difference to me and one of the many changes I noticed was Lilly's sudden interest in wearing long sleeved shirts in the middle of spring. It arose suspicion.
"What's on your mind, Lil?" I asked and the startled expression that flashed over Lilly's face for an instant was worrisome. Lilly had never been scared to tell me something before. She had never been scared of anything until Oliver started drinking and turning into a foul person. I stopped walking and extended a hand towards Lilly. She flinched, as if she thought I was going to hit her. And that's when it came to me.
I grabbed Lilly's arm and shoved up her sleeve, finding dark bruises marring her lovely skin, just as I feared. A blinding rage pulsed through me then and it took every ounce of restraint I had to keep my feet planted to the ground so I didn't hunt Oliver down and slit his throat. I met Lilly's gaze and the terror I saw soothed my fury momentarily and I covered one of the bruises with my hand.
"How long?" I asked furiously.
"He doesn't do it on purpose, Miley. He just grabs me to keep his balance," she explained.
"Why is he so close to you in the first place?"
"...Selene cries a lot. If he yelled at her, she'd only cry more, so I try to stop him from going near her. It's okay though. He doesn't mean any harm."
I couldn't believe her.
Why was Lilly defending him? She was in danger and all she cared about was protecting her daughter. It was sickening that Oliver would mistreat such a noble person just because he was a dumb fuck. Lilly withstood his pathetic ways for the sake of commitment as a parent, but Oliver only put a roof over her head that barely kept out the rain. He hardly had enough money for a decent meal and if it wasn't for me, Selene would starve and Lilly would be anorexic. I sighed and concluded that things would no longer be in Lilly's hands.
"Lilly, I'm not asking you to live with me anymore. I am telling you. You will go home, and you will pack up all of your things along with Selene's and I'll pick you up at seven. Do you understand?" There wasn't a possible answer she could give that would stop me from turning up at the apartment, storming in, punching Oliver and dragging her and Selene from the complex without a word.
"I understand," she conceded. I started pushing Selene again and tried to subdue my murderous thoughts, knowing that crippling Oliver wouldn't do any good. Even though it would make me feel good. He was out of my control now and the best thing for me to do was to take Lilly away and let him either rot in his own self-abuse, or make him realise what an idiot he was being. Both of which were possibilities in Lilly's absence.
I was surprised to find Lilly waiting outside of the apartment building with Selene and one suitcase. She'd left most of her clothes at my house when she moved out, making it feel like she was only going away for a short time. And it really was a short time. She lasted not even five months living with Oliver and now she was coming back to me. I wouldn't have to worry over her every night, wondering if she'd eaten, if Oliver was loving her or verbally assaulting her. I would know she was safe.
I pulled up by the curb and got out of the car to help place Selene in the baby seat I'd purchased before she was born. Selene giggled when she saw me and I poked her nose gently, then took her from Lilly's grasp as she walked away to deposit her suitcase into the trunk of my car. When Selene was secured I met Lilly by the passenger's door and folded her into my arms. She clung to me with a painful intensity.
"How'd he take it?" I whispered.
"I didn't tell him. I left a note while he was in the shower. Can we go?" She spoke in a haste, her words jumbled and her voice trembling. Her body trembling.
I nodded and detangled myself from Lilly, quickly going around to the driver's side so we could make our escape. A note wasn't a good idea. Oliver might be displeased with his findings and try to confront Lilly about her motives for her sudden disappearance. However, that wouldn't happen because there was no way I would let him get to Lilly. I would fight him off mercilessly if need be. He wouldn't hurt Lilly anymore and until he was capable of cleaning up his act, he wouldn't be allowed near his family. A beautiful family he didn't deserve to be a part of.
We spent the rest of the evening fretting. Oliver had undoubtedly read the note by now and Daddy was sitting in the armchair facing the front door, waiting for trouble. I knew he could easily take down Oliver, but I didn't want Lilly to witness any brutality, so I tried to distract her with a comedy movie showing on TV while Selene slept peacefully in the nursery. But I knew Lilly's attention wasn't on the screen. Her mind was elsewhere.
Time was moving, but there was no sign of Oliver. No call. No message. No break in. Not a thing.
Daddy sighed and stood from the chair, stretching. He released a yawn and moved towards Lilly and I sitting together on the couch.
"You two better get to bed. I don't think he's comin'," Daddy said, bending to kiss my forehead, then Lilly's, before retreating to his room.
We waited for the sound of Daddy's door to shut before Lilly faced me, giving me a very vivid view of her tired features. I knew she hadn't slept well in a long time. I knew she wasn't eating properly. I knew she was ill. Her face was colourless, thinner than what I remembered and I took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Come on, Lils. You can sleep in the nursery with Selene, if you want." Lilly nodded and I ushered her up the stairs, my heart constricting when I saw her stumble a few times. I supported her as much as I could and pulled the covers back from the single bed near Selene's crib. Lilly slipped out of her shoes and I laid her down, aware that she was far too exhausted to change into more comfortable clothes.
I tucked her in, whispered goodnight and turned to leave. But Lilly objected my retreat.
"I want you to stay with me," she said softly, sleepily. As her obedient best friend, I waited for her to slide over, so I could join her in the warm bed. As soon as I was beneath the blanket, Lilly's arm was thrown across my stomach and her face was buried in my neck.
I sighed and, much like Daddy had done, kissed Lilly's forehead before falling asleep.
Let me know if this was any good.
