Patience is the key to a lot of closed doors, do wait with me. You are free to blow me away with your comments.

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Loyal Ak
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He was still wearing his clothes. My eyes zoomed in around his eyes and nose; it was so obvious, that he was crying. Who or what could have troubled such an angel? "I want you to tell me what's wrong, okay baby?" I push his hair behind his ears.

"I don't want to stay with Aunt Mary anymore."

Oh my god, what is not this?

I crushed him to my chest, feeling the dirty water soaking my nightgown; I remembered he was wet."Come on little man, you are going to shower and tell me everything, okay?"After turning on all the lights in the house. I held onto his hands and brought him to the bathroom.

"Can you bathe by yourself? or do you want me to bathe you?" I asked removing soap from a cupboard.

"I can bathe myself," He mumbled, and I turned around to see him sitting naked, knees to his chest shyly. He looked at me, waiting for the soap.

"Here you go," I gave him the soap and turned on the shower." This is how you turn it off, are you looking?" I  pressed a button to show him and walked out of there. I quickly remove my socks and the wet nightgown. I pulled on a long black dress draping around my ankles.

When things happen in your life, most times, it doesn't concern you; it has nothing to do with you, but whatever happened ends up wrapping around you like a gumball. Most times you don't even know what to do about it.

I walked back to my room and started to search for a notebook; a notebook I kept every number in. Finding what I wanted, I removed my personal phone from my handbag.

I turned on my phone and saw twelve missed calls from no other than Brie. I ignored them and called Her.

"Hello, goodni—" But I interrupt her as I've never interrupted anyone before.

"Cut the crap, where the hell is Rollins? Huh?!" I shout into the phone, and I quickly clap my palm over my mouth,, wondering if Rollins heard. I lowered my voice and spoke as if speaking to a child, letting all my anger out.

"You think you can leave a child like that? He could have been killed."

"Excuse me ?" I heard the panic in her voice and I felt my heart drop.

What if he had run away?

"I leave Rollins in his room, am sure of it. Rollins?! Sweetheart?! Oh my God, Benjamin! Checks the cameras!"

"He is where I am, at my house," and I slowly hang up, feeling all the strength leave my body, and I slide down against my door. He had run away from home.

"Jess," He said, and my heart squeezed even though he hardly talked. That was his unique way of calling me. I turn around to see him wrapped in my towel, long it was trailing behind him. He struggled to keep it at his waist and I smiled despite wanting to shout and tear at my hair.

"I'll get a much lighter one for you. I'm not a boy, and I don't have any little brother or cousins coming over to visit Rollins, where am I going to get clothes for you?"

"I'll wear a towel but am not going back, Jess. She never gives me any attention when I want it. All she does is tell me stories and lock the room, leaving me in there all by myself without TV and no toys!" He shouted, his cheeks burning hot with the color red. His little hand squeezed the towel, and he angrily stamped away. The towel fell off his waist, showing his little bottom, and I heard him cry out in anger.

"Ha-ha-ha-haha!" I laughed out unable to hold it any longer."Are you sure you are six?" I turned my voice a little high and I started to look for a new shirt.

"I don't know, that's what she said but I feel much older. I think am eight."

"Okay, you are six. I know that for certain because I saw a birth certificate. You know what that is?"

"I think so."

"It's an important piece of paper that holds information, simple information about you; come for this shirt, " I said, closing the drawer and removing a black shirt I'd bought to sleep in.

"That's a girl—"

"I don't see the letter G marks on it; next time when you are running away, bring your clothes."

Shit, why did I just say that?

"Y—"

"Shh, forget I said that; go on, put it on, and give me the towel," I sighed, took the towel from him, and went into the bathroom. I gathered his things into a bag, knowing for sure his Aunt would be sitting on my doorbell in the next couple of minutes.

I felt a feeling of love, trust, and comfort that I hadn't felt before, and I knew it was coming from him. The emotions of having a kid lean on you are the greatest feeling. He had traveled and soaked himself in the rain just to come to me, anything could have happened to him.

"Rollins," I shook away the thoughts and walked out of the bathroom with his things. "Are you hungry? I know you haven't eaten all your sandwiches today."

"I didn't like it. Aunt Mary put jelly on it, and I don't like jelly."

"You want me to make a peanut butter sandwich for you then?"

"Yes, but my dad said I shouldn't eat from anyone except my aunt or family."

"You want to make it yourself since am not family?" I held onto his hand and pulled him to the kitchen. I designed it myself, with Justin Bieber as my high school crush. Justin Bieber was all over my wallpaper. Except that it was only in my kitchen.

"Dad said I shouldn't use a knife. He said I'll cut off all my fingers and he'll have to give me away because his heart would bleed. Is that true?" I grinned at him and stretched to remove the bread, knife, and butter from the cupboard.

"I will do it, don't worry, you can watch. Your dad sounds like a great dad."

At least he doesn't sound controlling.

"He is the best dad in the whole world," I smiled at him and broke the sandwich in half, sharing it. I sat down next to him, pulling my feet to my chest.

"I like your toes."

"Aw, thank you," Glancing down at them, they were painted in a light sky blue, looking as if I paid someone to do them when I did it myself.

With the sandwich halfway to his mouth; I heard my doorbell ringing and the thumping of a heavy fist on my door.

"Rollins?" I heard a woman called out.

We glanced at each other, and I took a bite and jumped off the sofa.

"Who is it?" I asked, pulling the door, but was pushed aside roughly as a man brushed against me, without a shirt. I glimpse tattoos. I swallowed the bread. I smelled the fresh scent of rain, and I saw a frightened Mary standing there in her nightgown. Her hair was wet across her face.

"Mary—?"

"He didn't even carry me in his car; I had to run all the way here," Her voice trembled, and I pulled her inside and slammed the door, squeezing the Sandwich into a lump in my hand.

"You think you can just barge into my house, Mr?"

"Who gives the fuck about your house? Where is my son?" The voice asked, and I walked past him straight into the kitchen, just in time to see a happy face, Rollins, running past me and into the man's arms.

A man can care so much?

He stood up and I came face to face with the intruder.

"Trev—?"

"Jessica?"

I felt the sandwich drop from my nervous fingers, and my breath caught in my throat. Without a shirt, his tattooed muscles, broad chest, and awesome black wet hair. He points between Mary and me.

"I thought you knew it was her, Trevor—" Mary said, and she hiccuped. "I thought you knew."

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