He struggles with touch. She struggles with trust. How could these two, afraid of necessities of love, ever come to need each other?
* * *
Ulyssa Miller, a proud college student in psychology, strives to become the best therapist she can be in o...
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♛ ♛ ♛
"Atta girl! Gimme five!"
I jumped as high as I could to meet my father's palm with my own.
"Ready to go again?" I heard him ask, but he was suddenly nowhere in sight before I could even respond.
I stood alone in the softball field, hugging my pitcher glove to my chest worriedly. "D-daddy?"
Laughter from behind my back startled me, and I turned around to see those bullies from my school.
I tried to make a run for it, but tripped onto the auburn dirt. "Daddy!" I cried, as he appeared from nowhere at the gates, closing them so I couldn't escape as he casually walked away.
"Daddy!!" I called out again, and my ankles were grabbed. My entire body was slowly being dragged. There was no one to save me, so why did I keep screaming for that man? He left, and I was about to meet my end.
"Crybaby!" the students started to chant as I covered my ears, shaking my head.
"Daddy!"
I jolted up out of my dream, screaming and sweating as if I had battled a monster.
Vincent rushed to my side. "I'm here baby, it's alright."
He had been up all night, seeing me toss and turn. I was so hard to wake from my nightmares. It almost worried him. I felt bad he had to witness this.
"Daddy..." I shook and cried.
Vincent pulled me onto his lap and kept his arms stiffened around me as he rocked my trembling body. "Repeat after me."
I sobbed, "N-no..."
His heart ached for me. He already believed he was responsible for my safety and emotions so deeply that anything I went through, he felt too. It was almost the same way for me.
I sometimes wondered how I got so lucky?
"Baby..." he whispered and wiped my tears with the back of his hand, "what was your dream about?"
He sighed when I didn't answer and stood with me in his arms, keeping the blanket fastened around my shaking torso.
He was going to save me. Somehow.
• • •
Vincent kicked the door open to his room and hurried over to his bed. No one's been in it before. Just him, and now...me.
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