"My ex-boyfriend," Natalia whispered.
"Wait a minute," Mariana spoke. "You had an ex-boyfriend...who hit you?"
Natalia sighed. "I really didn't want to delve into this," she said.
"Yeah, well now you have to. So spill," Callie, ever the blatant one, said.
Natalia sighed. "There's not much to say; Jason was my ex, he used to hit me. It was my fault anyways," she shrugged. "I antagonized him." She looked up at the family. "I'm not effected about it now, I mean, clearly since I'm with Jesus and I have no bad memories of it."
The Foster family looked at each other.
"Honey, I think you did," Lena sat down next to her.
"Give me that bastard's number and I'll get him and Mitch a jail-mate that likes pretty boys," Stef crossed her legs.
"I'm fine," Natalia stressed the last word. "I've gone to therapy. I have a restraining order against Jason; I'm fine," she repeated, fidgeting with her nails.
Jesus narrowed his eyes. "No, you're not," he said. "You play with your nails when you're lying and/or nervous."
"No, I don't," she continued to play with her nails.
Jesus gave her an exasperated look.
"Okay, okay, fine," Natalia threw her hands up in defense. "Maybe I do do that, but honestly, I'm fine," she sat on her hands discreetly. "See? I'm not playing with my nails," she smiled with her lips.
"Nope," Jesus shook his head. "Natalia idiosyncrasy number two; you smile with your lips when you're faking something," he smiled at his accuracy.
Natalia rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I'm fine," she tried her best to look convincing.
"Honey, you look like you're dying," Mariana grabbed her hand. "Just tell us."
Natalia sighed. "Jason and I were dating for about a year and two months and six months into the relationship, he started beating me. He never hit my face because he knew people would be able to see the bruises. One day, I came over and I made him dinner. I guess it wasn't to his liking because he went crazy and beat me really bad," her eyes shut at the memories. "He threw me on the floor and kicked me everywhere, he literally fought me like I was a grown man. He kicked my face, stomped on my head. He kicked me in the stomach, in the back and then he would repeat it, going back up to my face again.
When his feet got tired, he used his fists to punch me and then the beating went on for two hours until I passed out. After that, I honestly don't know if he kept beating me or if he stopped. But anyways," she let out a shaky sigh. "When I woke up, it was 3AM and he was sleeping. I snuck out of his house and eventually made my way home and thankfully my mom was still at work. But she checked up on me later that morning and saw all the blood, bruises and cuts. She went ballistic, she called the cops, got us a court date and he spent two months in jail. When he got out, my mom helped me file a restraining order against him. I got therapy after that and I'm good." She finished.
"You're not, honey," Lena spoke. "You may not fear getting beat in a relationship anymore, but you still think that when you do get hit, you deserve it; which isn't true," she shook her head.
Natalia shrugged. "I guess. Can we please stop talking about it?" She asked the Foster family. "I don't really like to talk about it. I'll just get a restraining order against Mitch in the morning."
"That's fine, honey." Stef finally nodded.
"I'll walk you home," Jesus spoke, sensing that Natalia was uncomfortable.
Natalia was relived. She was grateful that Jesus knew her so well; enough to know that she wanted to go home. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thank you guys for everything," she said honestly. She took Jesus' outstretched hand.
"Jesus?" Stef said just as Jesus opened the door.
"Yeah, mom?" He asked.
"I would feel more comfortable if someone were there to take care of Natalia. If it's okay, can you and Mariana sleep over tonight? Just so I know she'll be okay?" Stef asked.
"Stef, I'll be fine," Natalia tried to argue.
"No honey," Lena said, standing up. "I agree. Usually we would never let Jesus sleep over, but I would feel safer if someone was there for you tonight. Just as long as Jesus sleeps in the spare room and Mariana sleeps with you in your room," she said sternly.
"Yeah, of course," Natalia nodded. "I'll wait while you guys pack up," she nodded towards the twins who were already on their way upstairs.
Callie walked up to Natalia. "If you ever want to talk about Jason or Mitch...come talk to me. You know my past with Liam and it could help if we vented to each other. I know I need someone I can relate too, if that's okay?"
Natalia smiled. "Yeah, it's fine," she gave Callie a hug. "Thank you. And I'll let you know if I need to talk. And I'll be here when you want to talk," she let go of her.
"Ditto," Callie smiled and walked upstairs.
"Brandon, wait," Natalia grabbed Brandon's arm before he went upstairs.
"What's up, Nat?" He asked.
"I just want to say thank you," she looked down. "If you hadn't stepped in when you did, Mitch would've hit me again. So thanks. It really meant a lot." She looked up back at Brandon.
"Anytime, Nat," he leaned down and gave her a hug and a brotherly kiss on the head.
"Jude, c'mere," Natalia gestured for the small boy to come to her. "I want to thank you for taking my side on the Stef situation. And if you ever need help with your...nail polish," she winked at him, hoping he knew what she was implying. "I have tons of colors that would look nice on you," she smiled.
Jude beamed and hugged her tightly. "Thanks for understanding. And if I have any questions about my...nail polish," he said, referring to his sexuality and his confusion about it. "I'll come to you." He squeezed her one more time and let go. "Bye Nat," he smiled and skipped upstairs.
"Ready to go?" Mariana locked arms with Natalia.
"Yup," she smiled back at the female twin. They walked out of the front door with Jesus trailing behind them. She stopped in front of Lena and hugged her.
"Thank you for being so reasonable about today and for defending me," Natalia told her, speaking on her shoulder.
"Sweetie, we'll always be here to protect you," Lena whispered in her hair and released her from her hold.
Stef hugged Natalia next. "I really want to hunt Mitch and Jason down but I won't for you," she leaned back and held Natalia's shoulders. "I just decided this, but starting soon, I'm enrolling you and the other girls in self-defense classes," she looked over at her other daughter, Mariana. "I'm not gonna let anything else happen to any of you," she promised.
Natalia smiled. "Thanks Stef. That's a great idea," she stepped aside to let Jesus and Mariana say their goodbyes to their moms.
"You sure you okay, Nati?" Mariana asked as they walked towards Natalia's house.
"Honestly yeah," Natalia nodded. "The past is in the past for a reason, right? I'm over what happened with Jason. And with Mitch? I'll just be glad when I get that restraining order against him. I heard he's getting expelled," she said.
"He is," Jesus spoke. "Mom said that this isn't the first time Mitch has hit someone. He has a history of assaulting people in school so they're going to expel him because they're worried he might be a threat to the school."
"That's good," Mariana nodded.
"I hope that slap you gave him left a bruise," Natalia giggled at the memory of little Mariana slapping huge Mitch.
The twins laughed.
"I couldn't let him get away with punching my best friend," Mariana laughed.
"I don't know, maybe you don't even need the self-defense classes," Natalia punched the air. "Miss Mayweather," she winked as they got to her front door. She grabbed her key and unlocked the door.
"Can we order some Chinese? I'm starving," Jesus rubbed his grumbling stomach.
"Yeah, get our usual but get me a side of chicken wings, pleaaaaase?" Natalia smiled up at her boyfriend.
"Yes, baby," he smiled, leaning in and giving her a peck on the lips.
"Tank ju," Natalia said in a funny accent, walking into her kitchen and searching for some painkillers.
"If you want Jesus to sleep with you in your room, I won't mind," Mariana said, following her there.
"No, I'd rather sleep with you," Natalia popped a pill into her mouth and swallowed it dry.
Mariana raised a playful eyebrow. "I mean, if you want me, Cortez, just say it," she winked at her.
Natalia laughed. "You know what I meant," she pushed her friend's shoulder playfully.
Mariana giggled. "I know."
A few hours later, the three teenagers were eating some ice cream that Natalia had in her freezer, their Chinese food all finished.
Mariana collected their bowls. "After I do the dishes, I'm gonna go upstairs to shower, is that okay?" She said, holding the bowls.
"Yeah, but let us do the dishes. You just shower," Natalia offered.
"Can I use your shampoo and conditioner?" Mariana asked, holding on to the railing.
"Yeah, go ahead," Natalia's eyes focused on the television in front of her.
Mariana nodded as she hopped upstairs.
"Honey," Natalia started.
"Yes?" Jesus turned to face her.
"Why are you scared to touch me?" She asked him. She noticed that he would only hug her hand. It seemed like he was afraid to even hug her since today. "Is it because I revealed my past with Jason and you're scared to bring back that pain in me?" She knew she was right by the way Jesus looked away.
"No-"
"Jesus, don't lie to me."
Jesus sighed. "Fine," he faced her again. "I just don't want to trigger anything," he grabbed her hand and interlaced their fingers. "I don't want to hurt you," he looked away again.
Natalia stood up and sat on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. "First, I need you to look at me," she grabbed his face and turned it so that it was facing hers. "And baby, I know you won't hurt me. You could never hurt someone intentionally unless you're protecting your family," she laid her head down on her chest. "I trust you. I trust you not to hurt me, not to touch me in anyway that I don't want. I trust you completely," she lifted her head to look him in the eyes.
Jesus stared into her dark brown eyes. He believed her; that she trusted him not to hurt her. He felt his heart swell with emotion. "And I trust you completely as well," he grabbed her chin with his index finger and connected their lips. He moved his hand to the back of her head and turned his head, gaining more access to Natalia's lips.
Natalia brought their bodies closer, her hands wrapping themselves in his brown locks. She felt his tongue poke between her lips and she opened her mouth to grant him access. As their tongues roped around each other, Natalia dropped one of her hands to his shirt, grasping it in her hands, trying to lift it off of his body.
Jesus moved his hands down to her butt and grabbed it, groaning as he did. He felt Natalia tugging at his shirt again and he reluctantly pulled away as he peeled off his shirt. He lifted up Natalia's shirt up to the bottom of her breasts, kissing her again as he grasped her middle, trying to feel as much of her skin as possible.
Natalia took the hint and took off her shirt as well, throwing it on the ground with Jesus' shirt. She moaned as she felt Jesus' lips on her neck. "Jay," she moaned again.
Jesus continued to nibble on her neck, kissing down her neck and towards her shoulder, his hand moving her bra strap lower and lower until it was hanging on her forearm. He did the same to the other side as he kept sucking on her neck.
Natalia grabbed his head and brought him back to her lips, her tongue making it's way back to the familiar territory of Jesus' mouth. Her hips involuntarily rolling against his. Her moan echoed his groan as she continued to do it over and over again, feeling her pleasure rise.
"Natalia," he groaned, holding on to her hips so she can keep moving. He groaned as she went faster, his pleasure rising along with hers. "Oh God," he groaned, almost at his peak. He heard the shower stop as he groaned, but this time in frustration. "Natalia, baby, stop," he tried to stop her hips.
"Jesus," she moaned as she tried to move his hands away. She felt him grip tighter as he planted his feet on the ground. She reluctantly stopped. "Why are you stopping?" She gasped, her energy draining as her adrenaline drained with it.
"The shower just stopped, that's why," he held her waist with one arm as he leaned down and grabbed their shirts with his other hand. "Put your shirt back on," he gave her shirt to his as he threw his on. "We can continue this other time," he kissed her lips.
Natalia put her shirt back on as she got off of his lap. "We always seem to have to continue things another time," she grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Jesus chuckled as he kissed the top of her head. "We will, baby, we will," he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Mariana came downstairs, ruffling her hair as she towel-dried her hair. "The shower is all yours-" she laughed as she saw Natalia and Jesus' ruffled hair. "You guys are so obvious," she laughed again as she saw their confused faces. "Nati, your shirt is inside out," she pointed to her shirt's tag sticking out from her chest. "And backwards," she shook her head, smiling.
"I'll use the downstairs shower," Jesus jumped up.
"I'll shower upstairs," Natalia stood up too.
"Wouldn't someone have to have cold water because both showers can't both use hot water?" Mariana asked.
"Uh," Jesus rubbed the back of his neck. "I kinda need a cold shower anyways," he said.
"Ew, I didn't need to know that," Mariana grimaced. "I'll do the dishes that you guys clearly didn't do," she rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen.
After their showers, Natalia and Jesus were in their pajamas and currently in Natalia's room, watching television, laying down. Jesus was in the middle, his arm protectively around his sister's shoulder and his other arm around Natalia's waist as she laid on his chest.
Natalia yawned as her hand reached up to cover her mouth as she tried to hide it.
"I saw that; that means it's time for bed," Jesus poked her nose as he shifted, gently dropping his sister's and girlfriend's body on the bed. He tucked them in as he smiled down on them. He walked over to Mariana's side of the bed and kissed her forehead. "Night sis," he smiled.
"Night Jesus," she smiled back at him.
Jesus walked over to Natalia's side, smiling as he saw her drifting asleep. "Good night, baby," he kissed her lips.
"G'night, Jesus," she reached her arms up for a hug. She slightly smiled as he hugged her. "Love you," she mumbled as she felt sleep overtake her.
"Love you too," Jesus said as he walked out of the room, turning off the bedroom light as he did.
Mariana was sleeping when she slowly woke up, hearing a voice speaking. She looked at the digital clock that read 4AM. She pretended not to be awake as she heard the voice speak.
"I want you to leave me the hell alone, Jason," Natalia hissed into her cell phone. "I'm finally happy now. Just leave me alone. You can't get near me; you'll get arrested,"
Mariana heard a husky voice chuckle darkly through the phone as she gaped.
"When your mom died, that restraining order was gone. I can come near you anytime I want now," the voice chuckled again. "I can't wait to see you again, baby. I'll probably have to knock some sense into you again since you've seemed to find another boy to replace me. Or should I just beat him this time?"
"You leave my boyfriend out of this. Stop calling me or I'll call the cops and get another restraining order," Natalia's voice was shaky; she was scared.
"You have a nice house, Natalia," the male voice said. "I'm sure I'll be able to see inside very soon. I'll see you later, love." He hung up.
Natalia sighed as tears fell from her eyes. She tried to lay back down without making any movement possible.
Mariana was shaking on the inside. How the hell does he know her number? He knows where Nati lives, where her house is! Oh my God. Mariana's thoughts were everywhere. What the hell do I do? She thought.
