Understanding

The small get-together last night made me more tired than I realized. I have been lying on my bed for the last half an hour, thankful to the gods above that today is a Sunday and that I don't need to get to work. We were all up till at least 2 a.m. after dinner yesterday, watching movies and catching up. Then after everyone left Tobias and I got to work, cleaning up the apartment.

Tobias.

I smile thinking about how he disclosed a small part of himself to me yesterday.

I force myself to get up from bed and go to eat something to satisfy my grumbling stomach. I brush my teeth and walk outside to see Tobias standing in the kitchen shirtless and I suddenly can't tear my eyes away. I force myself to look away, probably blushing like a tomato and clear my throat. Tobias scrambles to put on a shirt while my feet carry me to the kitchen towards the amazing smell of pancakes. I make two cups of coffee and settle down on the stools with some of that amazing pancakes. Tobias soon walks in and helps himself a plate of pancakes with syrup and a mug of the coffee I made.

I stuff some of the food in my mouth, trying to stop the uncontrollable hunger I am feeling and let out an involuntary moan from the taste. Tobias starts laughing at me and I can't help myself either. Soon we both catch our breaths and look up at each other.

It looks like Tobias is contemplating something and wants to tell me something so I take his hand "you can tell me whatever you want to".

"I know" he says before standing up and taking both of our plates to the sink.

He takes my hand and leads me to the couch, sitting next to me, facing towards me. "I want to tell you about my mother" he says. I motion for him to continue.

"M-my mother was amazing, I wish you could meet her" tells me playing with my fingers, not quite looking at me "she was an incredible mother, she loved me a lot but she loved her husband more I guess."

"My father, Marcus was not the best father" he angrily spits the word father "my parents were soul mates. Marcus, well he was a good person for the first thirty seconds after their marriage but then he showed his true colors."

His next few words are shaky, "he-he abused my mother." I take a sharp breath, I didn't expect that. I squeeze his hands, showing my support for him.

"Did he ever abuse you?" I ask, cutting in because I need to know. Wanting to know but also dreading if the answer was in positive.

"No, he never really did anything to me except for some verbal abuse and locking me in the closet or making me watch him torture my mother. My mother did everything to protect me. She tried to run away several times from home but their soul bond always brought them back together and she never could truly escape. I wasn't until I turned nine when the soul bond broke off but it was too late. The day the bond broke off was also the day she died because of one of the beatings she received from Marcus. I was friends with Zeke back then too and my mother dying was the last straw and that was when I told Zeke everything. He told everything to Hana, and she immediately reported Marcus and took me in."

As he says this there are a lot of emotions I feel, my heart aches for that little boy whose father did such torturous things to his own wife and made him watch, I am angry at Marcus and grateful that Tobias had Zeke as a friend and Hana who eventually helped him out and understanding about why Tobias was so reluctant about even the idea of soul mates.

I squeeze his hand again reassuringly, silently communicating that he is safe now and that I understand.

He looks up now for the first time since starting this story and stares right into my eyes. "You are the strongest person I know" I tell him.

He looks confused, "You endured so much in your childhood, you saw what I wish no child should ever have to see and are still this amazing person now who loves his friends and is so thoughtful. If you aren't strong then I don't know who is."

He laughs, "and you're the best person on earth" he tells me. Now I must look confused because he continues "what I just told you about my childhood, about Marcus and instead of looking at me like I am a kicked-puppy you are telling me that I am strong. If you aren't the best then I don't know who is" he says, echoing my words from before.

I know he is nowhere ready for a relationship right now but I am content just being near him for now.