I nodded as I tried to hold back the tears.
I hadn’t had many people tell me those words in my life. Not for any of the work I ever did or anything else back at the camp. But here was Mouse telling me them simply for being me. For being here for him. For caring about him even though it wasn’t something I could help.
“So how does this friend thing go?” he asked as he sat down on the bed beside me, leaving enough room to be respectful. “We can start there, right? I haven’t messed that up, have I?”
“We will always be friends Mouse. First and foremost, we will always be friends.” I truly meant those words. No matter what direction life took us, whether it be together or not, we would always be friends first.
His body seemed to visibly relax hearing that.
“Can I clean your face?” I asked because it was clear that he hadn’t done much other than wipe the blood away at some point. There were still a few spots that had dried flecks clinging on for dear life.
“Is it that bad?” he asked with a little humor in his voice. My face must have said it all because he lightly chuckled, then quickly sucked in a breath like it had hurt him to do so. “Yeah. I’ll take all the help I can get right now.”
At seeing the tiny smile on his face, my lips tipped up with one in return.
I cleaned him up, finding everything once he told me where it was all at. He didn’t wince too much and I had to give him credit for that. I imagined that it had to hurt really badly.
After I was done and he found out that Chry was downstairs, we left his room. I had no idea why I had been so nervous about being alone with him. I should have known, I was always safe with him.
I laughed when Chry saw Mouse and instantly ran over to him. I laughed again when Chry pointed to Mouse’s face and said ‘ouchie’ with a scrunched up expression. Mouse played it off well and I was happy that it was soon forgotten. It wasn’t something I wanted Chry to get used to seeing, that was for sure. And I hoped this would be the last time Ky and Mouse would get into it, though I had a feeling the tension would be there for a while. That was just Ky. I had to learn to accept his overly protective big brother ways. That didn’t mean that I had to put up with it when he went crazy.
We stayed for a little bit and hung out. It was nice and I remembered why I’d missed this place so much. Everyone here was so wonderful and open. So accepting and loving in their own ways. I felt like I fit here without having to be someone different.
“So, friends?” Mouse asked once he had Chry buckled up in his car seat. I barely looked to make sure he’d done it right this time. I knew that he had but I still couldn’t help it. Maybe one day, I would be able to let go and trust the world enough to know that I didn’t have to hold everything on my shoulders.
“Friends,” I repeated with a nod and a smile.
“Okay.” His smile was blinding and it wrapped around me like a warm blanket. “I’ll see you soon. Let me know if you need help watching the little guy. I really would like to.”
“Yes. Um, I have a shift tomorrow afternoon. Does that work?”
“Any time you need me, I’m here,” he said and there was this intensity in his eyes that almost made me shiver. I felt the heaviness in his words, I knew the underlying meaning, and I couldn’t say that I hated it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told him feeling a bit flustered. I couldn’t think of anything better to say.
“Tomorrow.”
He smiled as he held the driver’s side door open for me. After I was settled in, he closed the door again.
I drove away feeling something. Only I couldn’t explain what it was. It felt like it had before, only now it was stronger. I kind of wasn’t afraid of it though. In fact, I wanted to run toward it as fast as I could.
Time and patience.
There was no need to rush it.
After all, good things come to those who wait.
Or so I had heard before.
