CHAPTER 12
Her father.
She was only happy for a minute, before remembering that she didn't really have a father anymore. The man that used to tuck her in and check under her bed for monsters, had disowned her because she was in love with someone he thought wasn't good enough. She thought their relationship meant more to him than that.
She used to look up to her father. Now she didn't see him the way she used to. He wasn't the man that could do no wrong. He was the man that done only wrong. When she was growing up, she wanted to be just like him. Now, she wanted to be anyone else.
"I'm...I'm tired," she croaked, blinking back tears once more.
"Here I'll take you to your room," he said standing up.
"No, I just, I wanna be alone," she said and ran up the staircase, not taking one glance back at the worry on Fred's face.
She closed the door behind her, turned off the light and crawled into the bed.
She fell asleep, but she had dreamt of her parents. It was like they'd disowned her all over again. She looked at the clock on the wall and it was 1:04am. She knew everyone would be asleep, but she couldn't stop the tears falling faster. She bit down hard on her knuckles to muffle the sounds of her sobs.
Her father hated. He disowned her. And her mother, she just stood by and watched it happen. What kind of parents were they?
Maybe the right question was; what kind of daughter was she? She'd abandoned centuries of tradition for a boy.
Just a boy.
A boy who made her forget everything with a kiss. Who filled her body with warmth with a touch. Who made her feel like only she mattered with a single look. Who made her day better with a smile. Who made her feel loved at the mention of his name.
Fred wasn't just a boy. He was Fred. She just wished her father had understood that.
She felt a sharp pain jolt through her hand, but ignored it. She was crying uncontrollably and she couldn't breathe. She felt as if there was a baby troll sitting on her rib cage. Her chest was heaving up and down.
She saw a stream of dim light creep into her room. There was a tall, broad shouldered, redheaded boy standing in her doorway, wearing only a pair of boxers. Lily wiped her face frantically as he walked closer to her. He lied on the covers behind her and slid his arms tightly around her waist.
"Couldn't stay away could you?" she tried to joke.
"Lily," she felt Fred's grip tighten, "shut up," he said and she could hear the love in his velvet voice, "I know you've been crying. I heard you,"
"Y-you did?"
"Yes. I've already told you, you don't have to be strong around me. I'll be strong for both of us. You can let down your walls and cry if you need to cry. Don't pretend you're okay. It hurts me to see you bottle up your feelings, love,"
That was all she needed. She broke down in tears and Fred didn't try to stop her. He didn't even try to make her feel better, he knew it wouldn't help. He just held her and listened.
"My mum and dad got rid of me. They hate me. I'm such a prat," she whispered to herself.
"Careful," he breathed against her neck, "you've started talking like me,"
She uttered a laugh and snuggled into Fred. She felt safe with him. One of his hands slid down from her waist and he ran it up and down her thigh soothingly. For a moment she forgot all about her father. All she knew was that she wanted to be with him forever.
She turned around so they were face to face. She slinked her hands around his neck and hugged his bare chest. He kissed her sweetly on the cheek, before sneaking one on her lips. She leaned back into him for another kiss. Fred deepened the kiss, his lips melting into hers.
Fred felt the fire in his stomach again. He slid his hand down her back and his fingers lingered on the hem of her singlet. She removed her lips from his, earning a sharp intake of breath from the red haired boy. She curled up to him, burying her head into his torso.
"Fred," she whispered into his chest.
"Mmm?" he murmured in response.
"Please..." she took a deep breath "please don't leave me,"
"Lil, I love you. I'm never gonna leave you,"
"Promise?" she whispered.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head and whispered, "I promise,"