~BEXLEY POV~

I closed the door and let the fake smile fall from my face. I leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, pulling my knees close to me and wrapping my arms around them. It was a position I hadn't been in since I was sixteen years old. I could remember sitting on the bathroom floor, feeling afraid and more alone than ever. My father cursed me on the other side of the door, telling me things that no child should ever hear from their father, as I nursed the fresh bruises that were coming up on my ribs and face, comparing them to the now faded ones on my arms.

I remembered closing my eyes, not to drown out reality or to try to escape to another world. I wondered why my father was alive and my grandmother wasn't. She'd been gone six years by this time and I missed her as much now as I did the day she died.

I opened my eyes and brought myself to reality and put a hand over my heart, the familiar ache seemed to fill the space in my lungs. I took a deep breath and thought of the situation that had just unfolded.

I couldn't believe I'd fucked up and said something about my abuse. There was a difference in him knowing and me giving hints. I slammed my head against the door and a second thought occurred to me. I reached up and turned the latch to lock the door and then stood to put the chain on it.

I was conflicted about him worrying about me but I didn't want him breaking into my apartment again. I had told him a lie when I said he could come in if he thought I was in actual danger but only to ease his worries. In turn, my own had made themselves much more apparent in the fact that these apartments weren't difficult to break into.

I walked over to the bed where I'd been thrashing as I slept and forced myself not to go back to my dream. I knew my father's abuse would haunt me and I knew that he was looking for me now but he couldn't have tracked me so quickly from New York. That was the only comfort I had at the time but I knew it wouldn't be long before he started to get close.

I sat on my bed and debated whether or not to leave tonight and not look back but the thought of leaving Eleanor was almost too much to bear. I never thought anyone could have snuck their way into my heart and made me care for them but Eleanor had done so. I could see so much of my grandmother in her that it almost felt like she was still there sometime.

It was also this reason that I felt more compelled to leave. The thought of Eleanor getting hurt because my father had come back to seek his revenge for me leaving sent chills all over me. I knew that as much as I meant to her she would do anything she could to protect me and that was something I'd never wanted.

I didn't want to be protected. I didn't want to always have to look over my shoulder. I didn't want to live in fear of him anymore. As long as he was breathing and as long as I had the money that my grandmother left me, I was going to see him again.

It had been two weeks before I was finally able to leave that I'd found out about the bit of money that my grandmother had left me but I could only access it once I hadn't seen my father for six months. Something he knew nothing about.

I'd promised myself that I would pay Eleanor back for all her kindness as soon as I could and the only thing I could think of that would really pay her back was to keep her safe. She had no children and I knew that losing me would hurt her but I'd rather her live with not knowing where I was than being killed trying to keep my father away from me.

I looked to the box that had recently been emptied and thought about packing it up again. I didn't own much and it wouldn't take long. I wouldn't stay here until I couldn't anymore, but until I felt that I was certain it was time for me to leave. After all, if I left in the middle of the night without saying anything to anyone then they could be honest when they said they didn't know where I was.

I looked away from the box and to the floor, where I saw Romeo & Juliet lying at my feet. I felt a sad smile spread across my face and leaned down to pick the book up. It was the first thing I'd actually owned and was also the very first thing that Eleanor had given me on that long ride from New York.

I would miss her desperately and that was the only reason that kept me here when I knew I should leave. My own selfish want to hold onto her a little while longer. I sat the book on my bed and looked up at the ceiling before hearing the sound of running water not far from me.

I looked to the clock on my nightstand and saw that it was almost five in the morning. I assumed that my neighbor was getting ready for work now. I looked back to the front door and after seeing it still locked, I returned my eyes to the ceiling.

He'd asked me to trust him and had told me he was one I could trust on several different occasions but I had to keep myself from laughing every time I heard this. I trusted Eleanor for the most part and it was still a mystery to me why I'd been able to. Then again, I didn't trust her fully. She knew so little about me but was one of those people who once they are in your life; you don't want them to leave.

She reminded me so much of the one person I had ever loved that I would miss her every day once I left. I'd think often of how we met and everything she did for me. I'd think of the time we'd spent together in the coffee shop and how she'd proven me wrong when I thought I'd never laugh again.

I would miss her but that wouldn't be the case for Spencer. I wasn't going to stay long enough to give myself a reason to miss him.

***So I hope you guys are enjoying the story still and I will be trying to update as much as possible. R&R and thank you for reading.