She shuffled her feet and pulled her blanket over her shoulders until she was only a few feet away from the edge of the bed.
Todd, in the meantime, hadn’t had a moment’s peace since he arrived home. It was nice in its own special way, but there was a peace in being at his apartment that couldn’t be achieved at home. Still, it was great to be back. He heard about his siblings’ classes and teachers as well as the woes of being young. His parents were keenly interested in whether he had met anyone new worth mentioning – to which he said no.
There was, of course, Shay, but he wasn’t going to bring her up. He had promised to keep a secret and had worked so long to earn her trust. Besides, he liked having his shared secret with the handheld girl. He found himself distracted during conversation thinking about his small friend and how she was fairing with her family. Was she alright? She seemed pretty shaken about the whole circumstance. Was she afraid? Surely not.
Then again… he remembered her fear when they first met. He could only image how a conversation with his parents would go if he confessed that he’d broken some very important rules and basically lived with a giant who wasn’t supposed to know about him. It didn’t go well. He hoped she was okay and that he’d get to talk to her again soon.
They kept talking for hours until bedtime, where the siblings eventually went off to their rooms and fell asleep. He finally had a minute to breathe and think in the quiet. The side lamp was on and he just finished sending a couple of messages to his project members when he heard a very small and familiar sound – shuffling.
Todd dared himself to glance up and couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face when he saw his small companion standing only a few feet from the edge of his bed. A blanket of sorts was wrapped around her shoulders, and she practically had to bend backwards just to look up at him. She too had a smile on her face.
“Shay, hey!” Todd kept his voice low so his siblings wouldn’t overhear. He knew he was looming slightly, but that couldn’t be helped at the moment. He set his phone on the bedside table and readjusted himself on the bed so he was more comfortable. “I didn’t think I’d see you tonight. Everything okay? How’s your family?” The first thing Todd didn’t want to do was bombard her with questions, but he couldn’t help it. They all just spilled out of him.
Shay giggled, muffling it with the edge of her blanket. She could see Todd was curious when he didn’t mean to be. It was funny to her. The Borrower teen thought about the questions for a moment, now feeling partially disheartened at the answers. It was no way to end a night – to be sad. The smile returned as she looked into her human friend’s eyes.
“They’re doing really good. They were surprised to see me and tackled me when I came through the door,” she said. Todd could already see that something was bugging her. It was a gut feeling, but it wasn’t worth pressing just yet. He instinctually lowered his hand to the ground and she climbed on in response without a second thought, leaning into the warmth and natural curl of his fingers.
“I’m glad to hear it. I’m sure they were worried sick about you,” said Todd while carefully maneuvering his hand off of the ground and up onto the bed. I’m really going to miss this said a small voice in the back of his head as Shay leaned into his fingers and began tracing the lines on his palm mindlessly.
“Yeah, they were really worried. They… well… anyway… what about your family?” asked Shay, obviously looking to redirect the focus onto something else. Happily, Todd obliged.
“Yeah, they were super happy to see me. It’s weird being back but it’s not at the same time if that makes any sense. Like, I’m glad to be home but I’ll also be… okay… when I go back. Does that make any sense?” asked Todd, to which Shay nodded.
“Yeah, that does make sense,” she replied. “I’m really glad they’re happy you’re back.” The smile the Borrower teen gave was genuine, but that hint of sadness lingered in the corners of her lips. She obviously wanted to talk about it, but wasn’t sure how to bring it up.
“Yeah, it’s definitely nice being back. Um… Shay? What were you… trying to say a second ago?” asked Todd. Odd silence of the resting house crept through. “Shay? Do you… are you… okay?”
Why was it that question – that one question – that always seemed to send everything tumbling out of place? Every thought and emotion could be kept at bay; however, after that question was asked it was all over.
Shay gave a noncommittal shrug before feeling her bottom lip quiver and her eyes start to burn again. Todd was definitely pulling on the right threads.
“They… don’t like that I know, do they? About you, I mean.” The way he phrased it – “do they” – indicated he already knew the answer was a resounding no. Shay didn’t want to cry anymore. There had already been enough tears for one day, but it didn’t stop them from spilling over the rims of those exhausted eyes and down the already tear streaked cheeks. She tried shaking her head, but that only made things worse. She sucked in a breath which came in spurts and stutters.
“They… don’t want us to talk or see each other again, huh?” he asked, which sent Shay into a sniffling spasm. She wanted nothing more than to stop the conversation, to go back with him or pretend that it never happened; but it was happening. Todd, obviously disheartened, sighed and brought his other hand up so he could use one of his fingers to brush her shoulder.
“Hey… it’s okay. Don’t cry,” soothed Todd.
“I… know… why… they’re af-f-raid, b-bu-t if they-they could just me-eet you they-y’d see,” said Shay as she tried to calm her breathing in between words so she could speak clearly. It was working, but just barely. Todd gave a soft shushing sound as he rubbed her arm and back with his index finger.
Yes, he was sad – heartbroken even. Still, he suspected something like this would probably happen and secretly had been mentally preparing himself for it. He didn’t want to leave his little friend behind, but taking her wasn’t right either. She had a family and if they were going to trust him like Shay trusted him, he had to take a leap of faith and know that he had to do the hardest thing he’d done since moving out; he had to let her go and hope she would come back.
“Shay,” started Todd, but he stopped himself. Telling her something like this now would ruin the reunion with her parents. He didn’t want that for her; not in a million years. Instead, he took a different approach. “Look, I remember what it was like when we first met. You remember, right?”
Shay sniffled and nodded.
“Your parents probably thought they’d never see you again. They’re relieved to have you back and are probably just shocked at hearing about us being friends. Yeah? It’s a lot to take in for one day,” encouraged Todd. The engineering student could see his building argument taking root in Shay’s head. It was already comforting her.
“We have time, I guess, is what I’m saying. Give them some time to enjoy the fact they have you back safe and sound before doing anything too crazy. Let’s face it, I don’t think I’m ready to meet your parents. They sound intimidating,” finished Todd with a smile. At this, Shay actually managed a small laugh. “At the very least, let’s let them sleep on it. It’s been a long day, so let’s get some rest. Yeah?”
Shay nodded and pulled her blanket closer to her chin. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was starting to feel drowsy already feeling the warmth of Todd’s hand and feeling the gentle pulse in his fingertips.
“Yeah,” she mumbled sleepily. “Todd? Can I stay here? With you? Please?” Todd had to think about the question quickly. He wanted nothing more than for Shay to stay, but he had his siblings to think about and the last thing he wanted to do was get her in trouble, giving her parents even less reason to trust him.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Shay,” said Todd unsurely. “I could walk you closer to your home, so you don’t have to walk as far though.” Shay was saddened by this, but she understood enough. At any rate, the offer was tempting and she decided to accept.
Todd tiptoed his way through the house to a piece of trim that had been loose for years and set Shay onto the ground after she hugged him and thanked him so much for all he had done. Todd watched the Borrower teen slip into the walls and waited to make sure everything was okay before heading back to his room.
Shay slipped back under her covers and began dozing off immediately. Todd was right. Her parents just needed time and needed to see that Todd was a good person – a good human. Letting the fading warmth of his hand soak into her bed, she silently vowed she would do whatever it took to make her parents see Todd the way she did.
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