Twenty-Nine

It was month seven of me being with him and I woke up to him next to me. I just started sleeping in the bed. I took him up on his offer of sleeping in his room with him but started off on the floor but I was still waking up at night with nightmares so I eventually gave up. He became a drug to me when it came to sleep. I felt like I could only sleep when he was next to me or even touching my arm. I started sleeping better and felt more rested and he did too. I could tell or I at least hoped he did.

Someone knocks on his door and I start to get up to go in the bathroom so I didn't get stared at while he had company but his arm shot out and held me back. "It's just my cousin Ray. He knows you've been sleeping in here."

"Okay." I said quietly and lay back down and cover up. I even covered my hed and curled into a ball.

"Come in Ray." Ryan sits up rubbing his face then flattening his hair down. He looks at me with one eyebrow raised in humor. He looks back up when the door opens.

"They're letting him out today. We got to go get him."

"Ray.. that's your dad. Athea is still here." Ryan says stating the obvious. I smirk.

"Speaking of..."Ray trails off for a second. "Is she awake?"

"Yeah. She's hiding from you." Ryan chuckles as he sees my angry face. "We'll go talk some more in the office." Ryan gets out of bed and I sit up and watch him quietly as he pulls on a pair of jeans and a shirt. I look away as he turns back towards the bed and see that Ray was watching me. My face heats with embarrassment and I look down at my hands.

"Athea?" Ryan says staring at me. I give him a small smile and he grins. "Don't go through my room."

I roll my eyes and look back to my hands.

"Wait.. she's gone through your room?"

"Yeah. She saw where I was keeping track of how long she was healing and the ransom." Ryan lied to him. Does he not want Ray to know how desperate he was? It wasn't my business anyways.

"I won't Ryan." I said quietly shocking both him and his cousin. They walk out the room and I hear Ray ask Ryan, "So she does talk when I'm around?"

It got quiet again so I grabbed the remote for the television and turned it on. I may as well enjoy this because I never get to watch what I want when he's around. Harry Potter was on but I couldn't tell which movie and laid back on my pillows and enjoyed it.

The movie was almost over when Ryan came back upstairs and looked at me. "Comfortable?"

"Yeah. So are you going to get your uncle?"

"Um..no. Ray is going to get him while I stay here with you. In fact I need your help?"

"What?"

"Help me set up this coming home party?"

"Wow. You must really like me if you're asking for my help in decorating." I said feigning shock.

"Okay fine. Don't help." I sit up and throw my feet off the edge of the bed.

"Come on. I need to bake a cake since your idea of party food is pretzels and pizza and beer. We need a cake for a welcoming home party. Alcohol too but you're so un-cultural about it. I need some metal ice buckets and lots of ice."

"Athea I want you to know that Uncle Chris knows you think he is innocent. He's mad at your dad though so if he gives you any problems you let me know."

"I don't think he'll give me any problems because if he does I'll shove his face in his cake then throw it away."

"Um..."

"Yeah I know probably not the best thing but if I go off on him then it's his fault not mine." I say and we finish putting up the decorations and I put the cake together with icing. Buttercream icing I handmade so it tasted right.

"You didn't have to go through all that trouble. He doesn't really care but that's his favorite icing along with strawberry cake mix. You even put fresh strawberries into it."

"Well yeah. He's coming home. He's innocent and it's the least I can do considering that my father put him there. "

"Is it done though?"

"Yeah." I say put the icing bowl down. I lick the icing off my fingers and look at him. "What?"

"Go shower." He gives me a funny look. I can't tell though if it's because he thinks it's weird I'm so helpful or because of the icing. We walk upstairs together and I automatically head into his room. "Um.."

"Oh shit sorry."

"No it's good. Shower. I'll use the guest bathroom." He waves his hand in front of him like it wasn't a big deal.

"Um.. I won't take long. You can talk to me though if you want."

"Sure I enjoy our talks." He says making my face flush red. I shake my head and shut the bathroom door. I hurriedly get the water started and get undressed jumping in the cold water.

"Shit, fuck. That's cold." I exclaim dancing back and forth. I lean as far as I dared to the side and turned some more hot water on. I hear the bathroom door open and can see him sitting against the wall next to the door.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I didn't turn any hot water on. " I said in a matter of factly tone.

"Okay?"

"Are you okay?" I ask as I lather some soap onto a washcloth.

"Yeah. I'm just really anxious about tonight because I don't want you in any danger but I don't want my Uncle thinking I'm hiding you rom him either." I was washing my hair at this point and smile. He seemed genuinely worried or maybe it was because he didn't want my father to arrest him and take back all the money by liquidating his family's business.

A couple hours later Ryan has me dressed nicely but locked in his bedroom. Okay, I wasn't really locked in but I was told to stay in just to be safe. The party had been going strong for two hours when I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. The door opens and I remember him being Ryans' Uncle.

"Are you Athea?" He asks. The tone he used was more like a "you better answer or else" than a question.

"Yes sir."

"Ryan told me you set this party up. Also, that you baked the cake."

"Yes."

He's standing just inside the room staring at me and I'm watching him in case I have to run to the bathroom in case he tries to kill me.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for my father putting you in jail. I didn't agree with his sentencing because to me it seemed as if the police picked you as the suspect and then made the evidence fit."

"Ryan told me you said that when you were drunk."

"He told you I got drunk?"

"Yeah he came to visit me every week and told me that at the first party you almost got raped and then you got drunk on a very old very expensive bottle of wine and old him that you thought I was innocent. I appreciate you having faith in a stranger."

"Yeah no problem." I say shrugging it off.

"Come on and enjoy the party. Especially that delicious cake you hand made from scratch."

"How did you know I made it from scratch?" I asked shocked.

"That's not a bakery made cake. They use coloring and flavoring."

"Well thank you."

"I think my nephew may be sweet on you. Considering he kept you up here away from me."

"No offense and not trying to be disrespectful but you're wrong. I kind of bothered him about you and said if you were rude to me I would shove your face in the cake and then throw the cake away." I said. I look behind Uncle Chris and see Ryan standing there. His face was one of shock and embarrassment.

"Uncle Chris. She doesn't mean that."

"Oh she did Ryan. It's okay though. Considering that if I was in her shoes and she was rude to me I'd probably do the same thing." He was chuckling and Ryan's face regains some color.

I look at his Uncle and he shrugs. I take that as he doesn't care if I stand up.

"Ryan are you sweet on me?" I say while moving next to him. I was teasing him and honestly was looking forward to a drunken kiss. We hadn't had one in a while.

"Athea. Not appropriate."

"Ryan. I don't care what ya'll do. Listen she had more faith in a stranger and seems to enjoy helping you when she has no reason too. Now I am going downstairs and I'm expecting a dance with her after my wife. "