~Andrew~

I fell to the floor immediately after penetrating the security of this stranger's home. My knees hit the hard surface of the floor catching my upper body, my brain not even being able to fully acknowledge any pain as my eyes roamed farther into the home than my physical self.

The boy whose name I still didn't know quickly wrapped his strong arms under my flimsy ones hoisting me up by my armpits as if I was a sack of nothing. We rocked for a second to help me find my balance again before my brown orbs could really adjust to the personality of the home.

It was full of warm tones. 

My view from the front door allowed me to see a glimpse into the living room and all of the dining room. The walls in the living room were maroon with a stand-alone grey wall in the back where the tv hung from the wall. In the dining room, all the walls were grey with the exception of one being a forest green, making the stand-alone wall complement itself against the light contrast of the grey. All around the walls hung pictures. Both pieces of art and photos of what I'm guessing were family and friends.

"Keaton Jones? Is my son home?" I heard from a far-off room on the other side of the wall next to me. As the footsteps quickly approached I felt my anxiety pick up, my heart going into a slight panic. The taller boy next to me, who I now know as Keaton, must have sensed my anxiety because his hold on my side tightened for a brief moment. Enough to let me know not to fear whatever was waiting on the other side of the wall.

I pushed my fear away momentarily when I saw a scrawny, short woman with the same piercing green orbs as Keaton, come to face my own. The same brown hair her son had but longer, the curls neatly laying on both of her shoulders. She had the same tan her son Inherited from her, earning her bragging rights in the 'beautifully aged' department. Her eyes had smile creases making her look naturally happy even in an easygoing state.

The once smile on her face left her soul as she looked over at me. My eyes fell to my feet to hide the oncoming tears forming due to the burning. My teeth picked at the inside of my cheek.

That's it. It's over. She can tell and she's going to kick me out just like-

"Oh my goodness," My eyes picked up immediately at the contact of her fragile fingers on my boney shoulder. She had formed tears in her eyes to match my own. "Oh, dear lord my boy what happened to you-" She covered her mouth before looking at Keaton and demanding right away that he bring her the first aid kit.

I have no idea what she saw. I haven't seen the exterior of my physical self for almost 3 going on 4 days now. But I'm guessing that spending 3 nights in a forest crying, is going to leave you looking a little shitty. Keaton was back in a heartbeat handing whom I'm now guessing was his mother the first aid kit.

The tiny woman placed her hand in mine pulling me further into the living room veering to the right of the home where I could now see a sofa and a flight of stairs leading to the second floor of the home.

She set the aid kit on the table that sat in the middle of the room and let go of my hand telling me to take a seat on her sofa.

I couldn't sit. I mean I could but I'm not really sure I could. I was wet and intruding in her home. Any feelings I had about taking advantage of the warmth of this home were long gone when I realized that these people weren't the strangers. I was.

It was safe to say I should leave.

I took a step back from the woman looking around, feeling my heartbeat tighten at the thought that I only knew of one exit so far and I wasn't sure if I'd make it out before she'd get mad at me for running and react the same way Keaton had in the woods.

I turned to face the only exit I knew of to find Keaton leaning against the wall right in the way of my escape through the foyer. The door behind him looked farther than it really was now that he obscured my view.

My teeth started picking at my bottom lip as I looked between him and the little woman sitting on the table fooling with medical tissues and creams. His eyes focused on mine as the feeling of being trapped and suffocated started to surface. I mentally pleaded with him to move, his eyes softening with a shake of the head. With sincere eyes, he motioned his head towards whom I guessed was his mother.

He knew I thought about leaving and I'm not really sure I take comfort in the idea that these people might not let me leave. The dreading feeling of betrayal after hoping for some food and maybe a second out of the cold turning into a possible trap twisted in me like a hot knife. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself and overthinking it but what else am I supposed to think. That's been my whole life.

"Hey, honey you don't have to worry," My head snapped in the direction of the little lady already sitting on the sofa looking at me with soft cautious eyes.

"Just let me clean you up a bit. You're safe here and welcome to stay as long as you need love or you can choose to leave." She began dabbing the wrap on some sort of ointment that could have been poison. "You're not a prisoner I promise." She chuckled looking up at me expectantly before patting the sofa cushion in front of her, motioning for me to take a seat.

"Maybe we could even get you to tell us a little about yourself and how it is that Keaton brought you home."

Home.

This was their home and Keaton brought me here. How? Because I let him after a false alarm of what I thought was going to turn into a beating. When really he was just irritated at the fact that I clearly needed help and didn't want it. Or maybe I was just scared to want it. I don't know.

I tore my eyes away from the lady to see Keaton giving me a smile, the same one he's held since we got inside. That's not the first impression I had of him. He was cold and seemed annoyed at first, unalarmed by my being in the woods soaking wet. Or at least that's what I thought.

I slowly placed myself on the sofa finding the eyes of Keaton's mom on me. Her eyes were a little brighter than his. As warm and humble as she seemed, her eyes gave off something different. Something strong and protective.

"My name is Andrew," I spoke softly to her. I didn't want to give my last name away in case one thing led to the other and I'd be back where I started in that horrible place I escaped.

"Well, Andrew my name is Dana Jones, and that gremlin over there is my son, Keaton." She informed me of more as she cleaned up my face but not before showing me what my face looked like before she started cleaning.

I looked beat. Literally. I didn't realize I left looking like that. I had cuts and bruises up and down; left to right, and a cut ran along the side of my neck. No wonder Ms.Jones was crying when she saw me. I don't blame her.

As we spoke I found out where I was. I was actually two towns away from where I fled, in a place north called Hamilton. It was a smaller town with a relatively big school that Keaton attended. Keaton and his mother were not the only ones living in the home. Keaton had two younger sisters and a younger brother. His dad worked for a company in town dealing with hunting gear. 

After a while of chatting, I realized that Keaton had situated himself next to me on the sofa relatively close and despite the distrust, I felt before getting to know my surroundings, I felt my face heat up at the close proximity of warmth wafting from the surface of his skin.

"Hon you look a little feverish," Ms.Jones slowly and cautiously placed the warmth of the sun in her hands on my cheeks, causing my face to heat up a little more. "I'm going to run to the kitchen to bring you a towel with a bucket of ice," she stood up and reached down to pick up the first aid kit, putting everything she pulled out back in its original spot.

I noticed as I watched her walk out of the living room across the hall in front of the door that Keaton was watching me. I coughed in embarrassment realizing he might have seen my reaction to his body being so close.

"You okay?" His elbow nudged my side in what I hoped was by all means a friendly manner.

"Yeah," I said quietly, minding myself this time around with our second conversation between one another seeming a little safer. I should thank him for going out of his way to help me. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"I couldn't just leave dumbass." I shook at the harsh word used in my direction, Keaton seems to sense it. "Sorry I didn't mean it like that-" He scooted a bit away from me leaving the left side of my body shivering at the sudden loss of contact and warmth.

"No it's totally ok it's not your fault I'm sorry-" He cut me off.

"Why?" He was looking me in the eyes with the same crease in his brows that he had in the woods. "Why are you sorry I mean?"

"Because, I- " I honestly didn't know why. All I knew was that I was. I was sorry he found me. I was sorry he felt obligated to bring me here. A total stranger. I was sorry. "You should have left me where you found me," I said under my breath. Keaton stilled next to me making me think he might have heard me.

"Why were you out there anyway?" I asked him this time, genuinely curious about how come he was almost two fucking miles away from home in the middle of the woods doing nothing productive but staring at me in my pained sleep with a cig in his mouth.

He slowly came from whatever was stilling him and found my eyes with a smile in my growing confidence to speak to him and ask questions.

"I like the walk." He was lying because there is no fucking way he was just up and walking around because he "liked it".

"Sure," I said with a hint of sarcasm coming back to my usual self. "And I tripped in a puddle." He chuckled. I watched as his adam's apple rose and fell in his throat, earning a blush from me.

"So really tell me, why were you out there? Alone," He asked me with a face that said I was open to not answering him if I didn't want to.

"You first,"

"Well aren't you just getting confident," He chucked again. I'm glad I could make him laugh. "I needed space. I needed some time to myself because things can get overwhelming," He looked up at me and back down at his hands, messing with his fingers. He seemed kind of uneasy. "I guess, I was just trying to escape." He looked at me and I felt my mouth close from the O shape it was making. I looked down to stop myself from staring into those green forest orbs I'm finding myself more and more attracted to by the minute.

"We both were," I whispered, slightly shaking my head. We were there for the same reason. Maybe not the exact same. But close enough.

"We might be more alike than I thought huh." 

Maybe.