I knocked on his door with a reheated plate of food a few minutes after he had left.

A meek "come in," sounded from the other side.

I gently pushed the door open, making sure to keep it open, as I slowly made my way to the side of the bed Blue was on.

"West I-I'm not hungry," he sounded like he was pleading with me as he stared up at me with sad, begging eyes.

I kneeled at his bedside, "I know, but you need to eat a little bit, bud."

He shook his head.

"How about this, you eat at least half of it and I'll go get one of those blueberry scones and whatever tea you want from the bakery?"

His entire face changed as his eyes lit up and he nodded sheepishly, propping himself up on the bed. I handed him the plate and he started eating slowly, almost reluctantly. I got comfortable on the floor beside him and started rambling about any topic I could think of. He laughed at all the stories of my cat, who was currently at my parent's house. Soon he had finished his entire plate, most likely without noticing. Before he could realize, I eased the dish out of his hand and placed it out of his view, "you ready for a blueberry scone," I smiled pulling him out of his bed.

He nodded, looking excited for a minute before he suddenly planted his feet on the floor with a shy look on his face.

I stared at him in confusion making him look away as he softly responded to my silent question, "my hair is messy and I'm still in pajamas though," he blushed.

I laughed at the innocent explanation. "So? I'm in pajamas too. And look!" He looked up at me as I roughly rubbed my hands in my curly hair, messing it up until the defined curls became a frizzy blob.

Blue gasped and laughed at my antics. His laugh was beautifully contagious and I found myself all giggly too as I pulled him along with me downstairs and into the elevator.

I crossed my arms and posed dramatically smug against the metal wall, "between you and me, I think we are the most attractive people in the world right now," I pretended to fluff my tangled blob of hair making him giggle again.

And then I got him his blueberry scone looking like a complete idiot while he stayed in the car. Usually I'd be embarrassed but I found myself thinking how much I couldn't be happier. Being a child actor I never got to mess around and do stupid shit like this with my other actor friends. Even throughout my teen years, everyone was painfully professional and annoyingly obsessed with themselves. So, it's nice having someone around who doesn't care too much about that stuff. Especially after nineteen years of having friends that only liked me because I was popular, even in kindergarten.

🌊🌊🌊

The picture was posted all over the internet by the afternoon and I've been called a clown by at least fifty fake news sites. Luckily no one even noticed Blue.

It didn't bother me. The internet witnessed my awkward teen stage and there's nothing worse than that dumpster fire. Thick black squared glasses, afro, and buck teeth landed me plenty of comedic relief side character roles.

Briana had called to tease me about the photo and I ended up telling her the story behind it.

"You're totally whipped for him," Bri laughed.

"I am not! We're friends. I just want to make him happy."

"Alright, alright," her laughter died down. "How did this morning go? Any progress?"

"Besides the issue with not eating enough for breakfast there have been no more hiccups. I got him to leave the apartment for a bit and take a shower and I did his hair. He still doesn't talk much but he listens when I talk."

"That's good. You'll know he's getting better when he starts to care about himself and his environment more. Try to encourage curiosity and help him develop some interests. Remember, sirens are a lot like dolphins. They're super playful and curious, it's in their nature. He's been out of touch with his kind for a while, it'll take time for him to get back in touch with himself. Be patient."

"Gotchu. Thank you, Bri."

"Aren't you glad I went to school for supernatural phycology and psychotherapy."

"And then somehow became a pop star," I teased.

"Hey at least when I'm old I'll have a back up job as a really hot and talented therapist. All you've got going is your looks."

"I'd be offended if my ego wasn't so big."

"At least you're self-aware. Oh! One more thing. What you've been mentioning about Blue's eating habits is starting to concern me a little bit. He's been through a lot so it's normal to have a loss of appetite but still, keep an eye on him while he eats and what he does after eating."

"Like what?" I picked up a pen from my desk to write down what she said.

"Something like pushing his food around or going to the bathroom after every meal."

"Okay thanks, Bri."

"Hey, I'd love to talk to him sometime in the future," Bri said warmly.

"Yeah, I'll see if he's up for it once he adjusts a little more."

"Alright, cya Wes!"

"Byeee Briiii."

I hung up, heading back to the movie room. I had turned on some cute romance movie for Blue and he was entranced by it. Laughing at all the right parts and aweing at the others. I've noticed that his reactions are super animated, probably to make up for his lack of speech at times.

"What'd I miss?" I asked, walking through the open door.

"All the girl's love letters got sent to all her crushes and then she- and they-" he broke off, getting distracted by the movie.

I chuckled, settling down on the other side of the couch.

The thought of having to leave tonight plagued my thoughts all day. I decided I couldn't leave him here all alone. It might be good for him to escape this town for a while and experience a few days in the city.

When the movie finished I shut the TV off.

"Lunch time!" I announced, "I also have something I need to speak with you about."

Blue nodded and followed shyly behind me as we made our way to the kitchen.

I rummaged through the fridge as I spoke, taking a drawn out approach to ease him into the idea of taking a trip into the city for my work. "So, as you may have already sort of guessed, I'm an actor." I spoke nervously, peaking over my shoulder to gage his reaction.

Blue nodded, "you have a lot of your movie posters up."

West laughed, "yeah, this is kind of the backup house where I store all this stuff and throw watch parties with friends. I used to be a child star but as I got older and hit my awkward puberty stage people started hiring me less. I only got small side character roles. And then I came out as pansexual and that got a ton of backlash."

I looked over at Blue to see he had a surprised frown on his face. He didn't speak up so I continued.

"I disappeared from the public eye for a year as I worked on myself and my image. The comments about me being ugly really got to me back then."

"That's really mean," Blue muttered.

I smiled, "It's okay I've gotten over it. Anyway, six months ago I got caught up in a scandal with a famous model. We were photographed drunkenly making out outside of a gay bar in Malibu. I didn't know he was married with two kids. Being called a homewrecker wasn't fun but the other guy was more of a target for the publics rage. My glow up ended up going viral and suddenly I scored a role in an adult romance movie that secured my image as an adult and not the child star people have always associated me with. Now it seems I'm destined for spicy romance movies. I have one coming up called High Tide. It's set in Hawaii and I'm playing this surfer athlete. That's what the surfing practice is for." I rambled.

Blue nodded, taking my words in but having no big reactions to it. I couldn't tell what he was thinking and that made me nervous.

I sighed "I'm telling you all this now to say I have a few things I need to do early tomorrow morning. I'll be leaving tonight to head back into the city for the next two days."

🌊🌊🌊

I wasn't surprised he was an actor. I had guessed it the second I walked into this place.

I just didn't take into consideration that he might actually need to leave to work. For some reason, in my head, I just thought I wouldn't ever need to be alone here. Especially so soon.

I fought the urge to ask him not to leave and simply nodded my head.

West smiled at me, "if you don't mind actually, I'd like if you came with me."

I couldn't hide the way my face immediately brightened. I nodded enthusiastically feeling the excitement rush through me. I've never been to the city before. Well, not for anything good.

"It's settled then. It'll be fun! Like a mini vacation. It'll be nice to get out of this stuffy house." West said as he finally decided on what ingredients he'd need for lunch.

I grimaced at the ground turkey meat, red sauce, and.... pasta.

Sure I had cups of ramen but that would be the only thing I ate in a day or two. I didn't really gain weight from it despite the 350 calories in a single cup. But today I've had breakfast, a scone, and now pasta.

This is too much.

No, this is getting you back on track to an average weight. He's not here. You don't need to impress him anymore.

This thought still didn't stop me from digging my short nails into my knees as I watched West boil the pasta.

"I'm still full from breakfast," I blurted. But truly nothing but dread filled my stomach.

West hummed in acknowledgement, "that's okay, eat however much you want. I'll pack it as leftovers for you for dinner."

"I'll just have it all as dinner," I said.

"You sure?" He glanced over his shoulder.

I nodded.

While West waited for the pasta, I watched as he typed on his phone until it suddenly chimed.

West glanced at the notification for only a second before he slid it across the counter to me, "special message for Blue."

I picked it up and saw a text from Belle.

Belle: Good Afternoon, Blue! I'm reaching out to update you on your case and the actions the detective and police have chosen to take. This team wants to make sure Mr. Valentine receives the punishment he deserves so, they've decided to investigate further. This could potentially delay his arrest. Rest assured that your safety is their upmost concern and the fact that Reid will not be notified or be allowed near you still stands. If you have any questions or just want to talk please don't hesitate to contact me!

My stomach twisted at the news but I had no choice but to trust her words. If I didn't, I'd spiral out of control. They were probably tailing him and looking more into what happens within the club.

"Everything okay?" West asked as he served himself a mountain of spaghetti.

I nodded, "she just said the police are going to investigate more so... his arrest might be delayed."

West frowned shook his head and sighed, "I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. Plus we're leaving tonight so you can forget about him for the next few days."

I smiled and nodded.

But deep down a horrible feeling started to sprout in my gut.