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"Parker!" My mom called.

"Parker!"

"Parker!"

Moms urgent filled voice pulled me out of my sleep.

Three am my clock read. I swear the clock frowned at me, sensing how done I was.

I tiredly stumbled into her room. "Yes?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

Her eyes were red and puffy. She sucked in a sharp breath and clung onto me. "T-there was something outside."

Whining, I slowly pushed her off me. "Don't..." Took a deep breath. "It's probably just a raccoon or a stray cat?"

She looked unconvinced. "No it wasn't. It was a person."

Fear struck me, but I kept calm. "I doubt it."

"Parker, believe me," she begged.

"Mom!" I exasperated. "I don't know what to tell you. If it was a person and they happened to break in, God forbid, but we'd be okay." I wasn't sure how much I believed my statement but anything to get her asleep.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Fine. Go back to bed."

Rubbing my face tiredly I groaned, "I'm sorry. Do you want me to stay here? I can. We can talk about what the police said. I know they've followed up." I wanted nothing more than to go back to bed, but the better part of me told me to stay

She walked to her night stand and grabbed a tissue, blew her nose. "They, um, there was a pen in there too, no fingerprints left."

I took a deep breath. "Tyler? What about that? You know a Tyler?" I know she said she didn't, but she would lie.

Her body shook as she burst into another wave of tears. "I—" she paused. "I did." She lurched forward and hugged me tightly.

I didn't hold her back.

"Your dad," she whispered. "His middle name was Tyler. I called him that. That's how he introduced himself to me."

Are you serious?

"Mom," I lightly ran my fingertips down her back. "He's dead. But thanks for telling me that." Okay, so the criminals name was Tyler. I tried to keep calm for the sake of my mom.

If possible, her body buzzed harder from my comment.

-

"Hey, honey," Florencio purred.

We were laying on our backs in his room. His finger dragged lazily up and down my inner thigh.

I smiled and curled into his side. "Hi."

The light spilling into the room was radiating off his tan skin. I ran my hand up and down his exposed arms and chest.

I felt him pull a strand of my hair, breaking me out of my trance.

"Do wanna know something?" He asked, now playing with the end of my shirt.

I nodded.

"There's this girl," he began. "Really pretty." He slowly sat up and over me.

"Yeah?" A bubbly feeling erupted in me.

He kissed down the bridge of my nose and cheeks. "Yeah. She's like a magnet, can't get enough."

"What does she attract?" I responded, feeling silly. "Besides you."

He grinned and spread my hair out on the pillow. "Dumb shit."

I pinched his arm. "Shut up."

He laughed but his eyes were sad. "She's been through a lot."

I frowned. "Oh." Although his comment was odd, a part of me liked that he cared.

He bit my lip, licked my chin and my face scrunched up.

"Parker, look at me," he demanded.

"You could've gotten my attention any other way," I grumbled, wiping my face. My eyes stayed down, I wanted to be defiant after he licked me.

He bit my chin this time, shoving his hand up my shirt.

"Florencio!"

He laughed quietly and pressed his face into my chest, fingers against my ribs. I sighed.

"Honey, I love you."

Then everything blurred.

-

My eyes peeled open and I huffed at the weight on my chest.

"Mom!" I whispered harshly. "Get off me."

She mumbled a sorry and rolled to the other side of the bed.

Great. It was still the same day, I was on my moms bed, not Florencio's.

Florencio.

An involuntary smile spread on my face as I got out of the bed. I liked what Florencio said in my dream. A lot. It scared me but I'd do anything to hear him say it. The realization made this burning feeling start in my chest and to my toes.

I went back to my room and saw it was seven in the morning.

Maybe Florencio was awake.

Jumping into my bed, I pulled the covers over me, leaned over and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. I called him. My heart was pounding.

"Hello?" His voice was heavy with sleep.

I felt butterflies in my stomach that traveled to my chest.

"What are you doing?" I asked quietly.

He laughed. "I was sleeping. Was hoping to for longer. What's wrong?"

"Nothings really wrong." I gulped. I needed to hear him... "Do you... l-like my hair?"

"Do I like your hair?" He questioned thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I mean, should I cut it? Dye it? My mom has been wanting to dye it black."

"What do you want?"

For my dream to become a reality. I was sure of it.

"Florencio," I said sternly. "I'm asking you if you like my hair." Why couldn't he just answer the question?

He laughed, coughed a little too. "Honey, I love your hair."

My stomach flipped. "Oh, okay," I murmured. "Thanks."

I heard shuffling. "Is that why you called me? I think it's obvious I love your hair."

My mind flashed to all the times he's shoved his hands in my hair, held onto it like a rope.

Flustered, I didn't respond.

"My mom has been on the edge since the break in." I changed the subject to distract myself from my red face. "She swore there was someone outside her window."

A deep breath. "Think it's anything to be concerned about?"

I felt something sharp in my stomach. "No. I don't think so." My free hand wrung the blanket nervously. "Do you?"

"No," he said, voice light.

"Florencio," I hushed. "P-please don't mess with me right now. I'm trying to stay calm and it's hard when you're not taking me seriously."

"Honey." His voice was warm. "You trust me?"

I hummed, trying to stay sane.

"So trust me when I say there's nothing to worry about." Suddenly, his voice took a sinister turn. "I mean, I know the bad guys, right? Don't you think I'd keep you safe?"

A hot feeling settled in my chest once again and I was almost ashamed it traveled lower.

"I'm really tired," I made up quickly. "I need to go back to bed." I was so awkward. Florencio said one thing to catch me off guard and I shut down.

"Before you go!" Florencio rushed out. I pressed my phone back to my ear, ready to listen. "I had a dream about you. Liked it a lot. I'll have to tell you sometime."

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