I’ll Reach For You

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 45

She is not broken
“I think I am gonna die.” I tell myself. I am home alone, mom and dad at work. He had to drive Hunt to school. I have been watching TV the whole day, wrapped in a blanket. Everything in my body aches; my head, throat and I can’t even walk to the bathroom without feeling exhausted. I have been ill for days, and poor Hunt. I kept her awake at night with my coughing, I told her to sleep in her own bed, but she refused. That doesn’t really surprise me, she and her stubbornness. She has done so much for me, bringing me stuff, went to the store with mom and picked out the things I needed, and every time I see her coming through that door, it makes me so happy.

I am so goddamn hungry, but I just can’t get out of the couch. Breakfast really wasn’t my best friend. I am too lazy to make, and my throat hurts too much. I close my eyes, but then seconds later the door opens up. My gaze finds Hunt with a sly smile on her face and a bag in her hand.

“What?” I ask weakly, and clear my throat. Goddammit I am so sick of being sick. Behind her comes dad.

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?” He asks, concerned.

“I don’t know, sometimes I am warm and then I am cold, it’s confusing.” I answer.

“I guess you are cold now.” Hunt says and I nod.

“Well, you are lucky, Hunter picked out warm chocolate and ice cream for you today.” If it wasn’t for that dad was here or that I feel like I am about to die, I would have jumped up and kissed her. She takes out a cup and sit down next to me. Then she hands it over, I take it into my cold hands. Dad steps into the kitchen with the rest of the stuff. I take a hold on Hunt’s hoodie, and drag her to me, then kiss her cheek.

“Thank you.” I tell her, and she smiles embarrassed. I take a sip, god it tastes so good.

Hunt moves further and further down in the couch. I turn to look at her, and she has her eyes closed. Hunt deserves to sleep. She must be exhausted after just five hours of sleep this night. She leans down on my arm, completely gone. I kiss her on the head before dad comes back in.

“What happened to her?” He asks and sit down next to me.

“Sleepless night, I guess.” I shrug and take a big sip of my cup. He takes the remote and shift the channel. I do not really care what I am watching; I am satisfied now that Hunt is here.

“When does mom come home?” I ask dad.

“She will be late; she had to take an extra shift.” He says looking for something to see.

“Okay.” I answer. Hunter shifts and her arms come over my stomach. Dad laughs, but I can’t keep my smile on my face away. She really knows how to find me.

“She really likes you.” He chuckles.

“First time I met her, she was … frightened.” I look up to dad, who looks at Hunt and me.

“I remember the look in her eyes, so wide, guarded and scared. She always had that scared look in her eyes when I saw her, but you,” He says and put his hand on my head, and I chuckle.

“You just took that look in her eyes right away.” He says, and I can’t but smile. He moves his hand away from my head, and Hunt slides down into my lap. Dad shakes his head and laugh again.

“I do not know what you have done to her; she couldn’t even shake my hand when I introduced myself. Now she is literally clinging on to you.” He says amazed.

“Was she really that bad?” I ask and notice that I am playing with her hair, so I stop.

“She was a scared kid, lived out on the street for a little while before she got picked up. The school was the one notifying us, she was gone for a couple of weeks. They called the parents, but they did not pick up the phone. Then we found her, clothes ripped and dirty. She was almost half dead when we found her.” I start playing with her hair again; I do not care if dad notice. Hunt didn’t tell me that part of her story.

“She was cold and starving. I have never had someone in that was as broken as she was.”

“She is not broken.” I say without thinking, and a tear goes down my cheek. I do not like when people say that, especially when Hunt says it. It hurts, because it is not true, she is perfect.

“I’m sorry.” I tell him, I didn’t mean to sound angry.

“No, it’s okay. That is how you should look at her, how we all should see her. If we look at her as she is broken, she will start to believe it too. You Skylar, you treated her the way she needed to. I do not know what you did to bring her back to life, but thank you Skylar. I tried to get her out of her shell for three years, and I couldn’t do it. You only needed a month, and I am so… fascinated.” He looks at me amazed, not understanding what I did to make her open up. I can’t really tell him that I love her, can I? That I tell her every day that I do and how much she means to me. I love her so much that it hurts every time she walks out that door without me, every time we have to split up at school. But goddamn my heart raises when I see her, and she set my whole body on fire when she touches me. I love that she wants to do so much for me, even though it made her end up sleepwalking with me last Friday. My eyes drift down to my sleeping beauty, my hands still playing with her hair.

“What did you do?” He asks, wondering. I look at him, and feel the battle in my head. I swallow hard, and then I open up my mouth, but close it again. Then I feel the tears coming down my cheeks.

“Skylar?” He says my name worried. I look back down at Hunt, the girl who stole my heart. In every way, she could possibly do. Maybe it is because I am ill that I am so emotional right now, or that I am so tired of not being around her the way I really want to. My eyes drift back to dad; he looks very concerned, but patient.

“I-I…” I stop, and then I look down at Hunt, and take a deep breath.

“I-I didn’t mean to.” I say and look back at him. He looks more confused. I take the tears on my cheeks away.

“What honey?” He asks. I push the hair away from Hunt’s face, and stroke her on the cheek.

“That feels nice.” I hear her whisper weak; I can’t but smile so bright that the tears in my eyes flow down my cheeks. I turn to look at dad again, who looks thoughtful.

“I can’t make it stop. I do not want it to stop.” My gaze drift down to Hunt, who has still her eyes closed and it seems like she has passed back to sleep. How is it possible to love someone so much?

“Stop what, Skylar?” He asks, my eyes go back to him. His gaze stuck with me, there is so much worry in them.

“I can’t stop loving her crooked smile and the way she looks at me with her blue eyes. I can’t stop loving her laugh that is like music to my ears, her smell that makes my knees weak. I can’t stop loving her teasing, but most of all I can’t stop loving her for the way she loves me.” I lean down and kiss her cheek.

“That is what happened, dad. I wanted her so much that leaving and giving her up was not, and is not an option. I love her so much, that it even scares me. Hunt scares me, the day she told me she loved me; she actually took my breath away. She does it so often that it frightens her.” I snort of the memories that pop up into my head. I can’t read dad’s face expression, it is so flat.

“I do not understand how you can just stop breathing.” I hear Hunt say. I look down at her, her blue staring at me. I just have to smile.

“And yes, it really scares me you know.” She says with widened eyes.

“I’m sorry.” I say softly, and stroke her cheek again. Then I remember that dad is still here. I turn to look at him, apologizing.

“I-I…”

“It’s fine.” He says with a smile.

“You are not going to throw her out are you?” I ask worried, I can’t lose her. Not ever. He looks at me with widened eyes.

“Of course not, but if this fails, I have to.” He has an apologizing look on his face.

“So just don’t break her heart.” He says, and I snort.

“Isn’t that what you are supposed to tell her?” I chuckle and so does Hunt. He points at her.

“Don’t break her heart.” He says and shakes his head.

“Okay, this is getting weird. I am going to make dinner.” Dad tells and go into the kitchen. Leaving, Hunt and me chuckling. Hunt takes my hand and put it in her hair.

“Don’t stop.” She says and close her eyes again. I start playing and stroking her in the hair. She deserves to be cuddle with after all the things she has done for me, and I like doing it.