Eric woke the next day feeling more relaxed than he was expecting to. It was little after nine in the morning and, as expected, Kayden’s bed was empty.

He let out a quiet sigh as he pushed himself into a sitting position and stretched. His body felt stiff and he was still extremely sore all over. It felt like he was never going to feel better again.

His thoughts wandered back to when Kayden told him Rick wasn’t going to be a problem anymore.

He truly wanted to believe Kayden and he was more than curious as to how Kayden had managed something like that but he figured it was best not to ask any questions.

Eric let out a big yawn before rising and changing into some workout clothes. Despite the soreness in his body, he was determined to go for a morning walk.

He was surprised to see Kayden sitting at his office desk while typing away at something. 

“Morning, sleepy,” Kayden greeted as his typing ceased for the moment.

“Good morning,” Eric greeted around another yawn.

“Going for a walk?” Kayden arched his eyebrow as he took in Eric’s appearance.

Rolling his eyes, Eric said he was. 

Kayden frowned to himself for a moment before saying, “I should be finished by one if you’d like to get lunch with me later.” 

Eric felt his spirits soar and he did his best to ignore that. “Sure. I should be back by then.”

Kayden waved goodbye as he turned his attention back to his computer.

Eric laugher to himself as he gave Kayden a parting glance before leaving the office and heading downstairs to the kitchen.

There he found Susan cutting up some apples and making a large pitcher of tea. 

“Good morning, Susan.” Eric said as he grabbed a banana off the counter. 

“Good morning, Eric,” Susan greeted in a warmer voice than he usually got from her. “Are you going out?”

Eric forced himself not to roll his eyes. “Yeah. I’m going for a walk around the neighborhood.”

Susan nodded as she chopped up another red apple. “There’s a large park not too far from here if you’re looking for a place to run regularly.”

“I know,” Eric said and quickly added, “I’ve been there before. Thank you.”

Susan gave him a brief smile right before Angela dashed into the kitchen.

“Apples!” She screamed in delight.

Eric heard Sam’s happy yell from somewhere in the hallway. 

Smiling to himself, he quickly ate his banana and grabbed a water bottle before heading outside. 

The weather was nice and crisp for early September and the sun was high in the sky, not a cloud in sight. 

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Eric started his slow walk around the neighborhood. He didn’t feel good at all, not by a long shot. It was a miracle he didn’t have another break down. The shower had been scary enough.

He was embarrassed that Kayden saw him in that position but it couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t exactly experienced in controlling his breakdowns, no matter how hard he tried to. 

Eric let himself wander mindlessly for about twenty minutes before he found his feet had taken him to the park. There he saw Abby sitting beneath a tree while reading some kind of thick book. 

He assumed it was a classic but he couldn’t tell from where he was standing. 

Just as he was debating about leaving, Abby suddenly looked up and waved at him, a kind smile breaking across her face.

“Eric!” She shouted while closing her book.

Eric quickly returned her wave and slowly made his way over. But Abby’s eyes were too quick and she noticed his slight limp. 

“Are you okay?” Her voice was gentle yet demanding as Eric gingerly sat down across from her.

He frowned to himself, not sure if he should trust Abby with his secrets. “I didn’t have the best first week of school.” His voice came out harsher than he intended.

Abby’s clear brown eyes narrowed as she looked Eric over. “You look like shit. No offense.”

Eric let out a laugh. “None taken.”

“Are you okay?” Abby asked again. “If you want to tell me I won’t say anything to anyone, I promise.”

Eric met her earnest gaze for a moment before quickly looking down. All kinds of emotions rushed through him—shame, guilt, embarrassment—he knew what happened to him wasn’t his fault. But it was so difficult to accept that and move on.

“What happened to me isn’t a pleasant story,” Eric finally said after nearly ten minutes had passed.

Abby frowned in concern. “It’s okay, Eric. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

It was like a plug was released from Eric as tears fell from his eyes and he told Abby everything—from what happened when he was a child up until what happened to him last week. He didn’t know why he started but he found he couldn’t stop until he told her everything...well, everything except the most personal things.

Abby patiently sat through it all and listened to Eric. When he finished, she didn’t say anything. She just pulled him into a hug until he was able to stop his tears. 

“Thank you,” Eric whispered as he wiped his eyes. “I don’t know what came over me. I just couldn’t stop.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Abby replied in a soft voice. “I’m so sorry for what you went through. I know you’ve probably heard that a thousand times...”

Eric let out a sudden laugh and the atmosphere suddenly became more relaxed. “You have no idea. Thank you for listening. I know it was probably a lot to take in.” 

“Not too much,” Abby replied with a laugh.

“Sorry for missing the movies. I just didn’t have the energy to go.” Eric said sometime later.

“It’s okay,” Abby replied before glancing at her phone. “Don’t feel bad. There’s always next time.”

“Thanks,” Eric said with more energy in his voice.

Abby offered him another smile as she rose to her feet. “My mom wants me to come home and help clean.” She made a face and pretended to shudder. 

Eric laughed and also got to his feet. “No problem. See you at school. And...thank you, again.”

“Anytime.” Abby smiled as she turned the opposite way from Eric. 

He watched her leave, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He knew Abby wouldn’t say anything and he was glad that someone just listened to him without offering him any kind of advice.

Smiling to himself, Eric moved further in the park and let his mind and feet wander. 

He didn’t let himself think about anything and only paid attention to his surroundings when he checked the time.

A bright smile found its way on his face when he saw it was almost one. Glancing around, he was pleased to see that he had unconsciously been headed back home. 

It didn’t take him long to reach home and just as he entered, he heard Kayden on the stairs.