The nightmares woke her from her sleep and she began to stir, her body trembling from the far too realistic dream. She tried to stay still as she was wrapped tightly in Brick's arms, pressed against his chest, but he was already awake.
"What do you see?" He murmured, red irises gleaming in the darkness of the room.
It had been 4 days since Boomer attempted to kill her and he was more protective of her than she had ever seen. He was constantly at her side, always grabbing her and pulling her with him or holding onto her whenever his brothers were nearby. After traveling outside to Him's, she was now allowed to go anywhere in the house, as long as he was with her. It made her feel much better. She felt free and fresh, no longer trapped within a room. But having Brick next to her every second was not something she enjoyed. Especially at night, when he would pull her to him and not let her leave. Being so close, he woke every time she did and most of the time tears would be streaming down her face or she would be gasping for air. He quickly realized she was having nightmares, but this was the first time he had asked about them.
She felt his heart beat against her own chest and tried to focus on the sound, letting it soothe her back into a state of calm. "You know what I see."
He watched her eyelids flutter shut, her breathing steadied. "Yeah, but I want you to describe it."
She felt like crying. He always did this. He would pretend to care, he would be gentle and kind, and then he would twist her emotions around and stab her in the heart, bringing back the pain that he loved to watch her endure. She shuddered. "My sisters in the pit."
"More."
Her throat grew tight. "Blood everywhere, all over them. They aren't breathing. Their skin is pale and cold. They won't even open their eyes or smile."
"How do you feel, seeing them dead?"
She hated him.
"I feel like the entire world has crumbled on top of me and it's now weighing down on my chest while a thousand needles pierce my heart." She paused, opening her eyes to glare at him. "But I also feel rage."
He smirked. "Rage towards who? Who's fault was this?"
A tear streaked down her face. "Me, I did this." And it was true. Brick may have been the one to physically kill her sisters but he had also saved them. It was her who had allowed it to happen. Had she of just agreed to Brick's terms earlier and listened to his threats, her sisters lives never would have been jeopardized. The only person she could be mad at was herself.
"Maybe you are smart after all, Red." His voice was low in her ear.
She furrowed her brows. "Red?"
His fingers rested on her neck. "It's your new nickname." Then he molded his lips to hers and she unwillingly kissed back. You're supposed to feel fireworks and butterflies when you kiss someone, but all she felt was emptiness and her stomach sank deeper with every kiss.
Blossom sat beneath a large oak tree with her legs crossed beneath her, somewhat shaded from the bright sun. Her hair fell over her face and shimmered in the light as she bowed her head into a book. Brick had allowed for her to go outside today, although he was still only a few feet away from her. She took advantage of the opportunity and had spent the morning outside reading. Finding a library in the mansion was a beautiful surprise for her. Apparently, Brick hadn't been aware of the library until she stumbled upon it. She had scooped up a decent armful of books and brought them into the backyard with her, much to Brick's dismay seeing as he and his brothers hated books. Blossom had always loved them and not because she was a nerd. After middle school, she lost interest in school. She still got good grades but she didn't stress day and night over it. She was naturally smart, that was all. In no way was she a nerd. But a lot of people assumed she was because she so often had her face crammed into a book. She couldn't properly describe to anyone why she so deeply loved to read. It was something about the serenity it brought her and the way that she was able to transport to a different world, allow her mind to drift away and make all her worries disappear. At a time like this, a book was exactly what she needed.
"Whatchya reading?"
She glanced up and smiled lightly at seeing Butch. "Beneath the Stars."
He raised an eyebrow and sat across from her in the grass. "Never heard of it."
"It's about a girl that gets forced into going on a date every night with a guy she hates because he blackmailed her and they eventually fall in love, I think." She frowned, glancing at the back cover of the book. "Actually, I don't know if they fall in love. It's not supposed to be a romance novel."
He nodded, appearing fairly interested. "Is there a lot of action?"
"I would say so."
"How about violence."
"Yes."
His eyes lit up. "I'm reading that when you're done."
She blinked. "Wait what? A ruff...reading?"
Butch narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong with that?"
She shook her head quickly and averted her gaze. "Nothing, nothings wrong with it, sorry."
Butch's face softened. "You don't have to be scared of me."
She continued to stare at the ground. "I'm not scared of you but Brick said-" She looked to the side and saw her counterpart near the house, not paying any attention to them. She continued, "He told me not to talk to you like a friend."
He was silent for a moment. She looked up at him and he gave her a sad smile. "...well I don't want to get you into trouble."
Her chest ached as she watched Butch get to his feet and walk back to the house. She was actually enjoying talking to him about her book. But Brick always had to intervene.
When he saw Butch walk into the house, Brick turned around and caught Blossom's eye. He strode over to her.
"Why do you always have to watch me? I'm not going to run away." She murmured softly as he stopped in front of her.
He pulled her to her feet. "What did I say about asking questions?"
She huffed and followed him into the mansion. He led her to the kitchen where he motioned for her to take a seat.
"Hungry?" He questioned, opening the fridge to inspect it's contents.
"Kind of." She never really thought about food anymore. All she ever ate was frozen pizza or eggos, which Brick would insist on making for her because she apparently couldn't do anything herself. Her mind was always elsewhere. But at the sight of bacon her stomach rumbled. "You know how to cook?"
Brick laid a few strips of bacon into a pan and turned the heat up high. He cracked a couple of eggs into another pan before setting peppers and onions onto a chopping board. Blossom watched in amazement as he sliced the pepper in half and meticulously removed the seeds before dicing it. She slid out of her seat to get a closer look.
"Doesn't that burn your eyes?" She questioned as Brick chopped the onion.
He scoffed, "I shoot lasers out of my eyes and have X-ray vision, I don't think an onion is gonna bother me."
She leaned over the stove and flinched as the bacon popped and a fleck of oil landed on her. "So you and Boomer can both cook?"
"For the most part." He stated flatly. "He's better than me. I know the basics but only because I grew sick of eating pizza and burgers everyday. Boomers always loved cooking." He flipped the bacon. "Butch started a fire boiling water."
She giggled and shuffled back so that he could drop the onions and peppers into the egg. "Good thing he likes pizza so much."
Then it dawned on her. Brick was letting her have a normal conversation with her, without any threats or snide remarks. She paused. He actually made her laugh.
"You're thinking again."
She blinked and found Brick staring at her, one of his eyebrows arched. She bit her lip. "I know."
He folded the egg in on itself then set it on a plate. He placed three strips of bacon beside the omelette and handed it to her. She looked down at the food, still shocked by the fact that he could cook.
"Stop thinking about it and just eat." He ordered, a small smirk playing at his lips. She gave him a smile before sitting at the counter and digging in. It was delicious. Maybe she could find a way to enjoy living with Brick for the rest of her life after all...maybe.