This Is War, Baby - K Webster Page 0,72

so sorry. You both must have been so devastated.”

He climbs to his feet and then tugs me up too. We embrace and I bury my face into the warmth of his chest. I wish I could do more to help them.

“Come on,” he says finally, “let’s get you back inside before you freeze. Besides, War looks like he’s about three seconds from breaking from his cage to come fetch you himself. That boy likes you.”

The fondness that he speaks of his son with warms me. It’s easy to forget my problems after hearing Land’s story.

“What am I going to do?” I ask as we walk to the house. “I can’t stay here forever. Once my mom gets the help she needs, I’ll need to leave to be with her. Or worse yet, if Gabe figures out where War lives, he’ll come for me. Either way, War will be hurt.”

Land remains calm for a short while. “Just give him a chance to love you. Even if it is only for a short while. Then, when it comes time for you to leave on your own free will, I will be here for him to pick up the pieces once again. He deserves a sliver of, albeit brief, happiness in his dark world. And you’re just the right person to give him that.”

“What happens if my choice is taken from me? If Gabe finds me?” I shiver as I remember the terror of being chased in his woods and the things he did to me after.

“War and I will protect you. I swear it on every penny I own in this world.”

A beeping wakes me up and I stretch. It’s been over a week and a half since Land came to visit and my feelings for War have intensified. I can no longer hardly keep my hands to myself. On more than one occasion, I’ve had to physically refrain from touching him. After learning about what happened to his mother and sister, I crave to comfort him. To understand him. Land had given me insight into the issues that plagued War.

PTSD.

Depression.

Anxiety.

OCD.

A delusional disorder.

I’ve been a witness to his issues for over a month now. When I’m not trying to make contact with my dad, I’m researching all of his conditions until the late hours of the night. I want to understand him. I need to fix him.

Now that I’m getting to know him well, I watch for his non-verbal cues to better understand what he won’t tell me. Sometimes I ask him to tell me stories of his childhood or the beach—times I knew he’d been happier. We’ve played chess every night, and every day we laugh until it hurts. He’s funny, flirty, and incredibly good looking. I’m completely crushing over this flawed man.

And I know the feeling is mutual.

The intense desire he feels for me is evident every time our eyes meet and it thrills me to no end knowing he wants me. I just wish there was a way we could break through his mental barrier so it could happen.

Dad went silent which has upset me. No more replies. No more scathing demands for me to come home. Nothing. Despite my attempts to reach out to him or Mom, I’m met with silence. Thankfully, as promised, War has continued to wire money to them each day. Dad may have his reasons for cutting off contact with me but Mom deserves all the help she can get. And I know my parents, my father would die if anything ever happened to her. He will do everything in his power to save her.

I push the button on my watch to silence the beeping and can’t help the smile that plays at my lips. After that day Land took me to the beach, War surprised me with a watch. He’d told me he wanted rose gold because it reminded him of me—a sweet notion in itself—but then decided it should be bold, pink, and waterproof. He revealed that it fit me better because I was brave and indestructible. A shiver runs through me again at the memory of his sweet words.

“Bay,” he says softly and enters my bedroom, interrupting my thoughts that are all over the place this morning. “I have something I want to give you.”

I sit up in bed and push the hair out of my eyes. His gaze falls to the T-shirt I’d slept in for a brief moment before he smiles at me.

“I have fresh coffee waiting for you