Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 90: Courage

Emiko: Hey, Orion! I hope you're having a good weekend!

Emiko: Uranus, Amalthea and I are planning to go bowling tonight. You in? 

Emiko: No pressure though, I know you're kind of busy between work and therapy and stuff, we can all hang another time if that's the case.

Orion smiled as he read the recent texts on his phone. It was true that he was a pretty busy person. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his friends -- honestly, he missed the times when they had opportunities to be together. It was that he was often left both too physically and mentally drained to go out and have fun, even when he wasn't busy on the weekends. Fortunately, today was one of those rare days where he had absolutely nothing to do and extra energy to spend, so he quickly sent an eager reply.

Orion: Hey! I'm actually free tonight, I'd love to come! Just let me know the time.

As he waited for a response, his thumbs still hovered over the phone's keyboard. It didn't take long for his mind to begin piecing together a scenario: What if he invited Skylar along too? He'd never even so much as mentioned her to the others, so wasn't it about time they met? Once the concept manifested, he couldn't get it out of his head. But what if she didn't get along with his other friends? What if it ended up being a disaster? The thoughts were irrational, sure, but nothing about his mind wasn't. Regardless of his concerns, he decided to ask anyway.

Orion: Do you think it'd be okay if I invited a friend from work to come along too? If she has the time?

Emiko: Be there at 8pm tonight. Also, what friend from work? Whoever this is, you've never told us about her, so I guess you have to bring her now so we can meet her.

Of course, since it was their group text, a third person had to chime in.

Uranus: Wait, "she?"

Uranus: Is she hot? Don't tell me you've been hanging out with hot girls and not telling us about it!

Orion's face flushed at the teasing.

Orion: Stop it, Uranus, she's just a friend.

Emiko: Mhm, sure she is.

Orion: Not you too!

Before anyone could fluster him further, he quickly closed their text messages and opened Skylar's number. Somehow, despite knowing it was meant to be harmless, their teasing made him nervous. If they acted like this in front of Skylar, he'd be embarrassed for weeks. Maybe months. Years? Possibly.

Orion: Hi, Skylar, are you free tonight? Me and some friends are going bowling and I'd really love it if you'd come.

Orion: I promise my friends are cool and you'll have fun. Please? 🥺

Skylar had just managed to find a moment to collapse in her bed when her phone pinged. Despite it being a Sunday, the one day she expected to not have to do much of anything, it had been busy. With a sigh, she grabbed her phone from her pocket and read the text. At first, she smiled when she saw his offer. Going out for fun wasn't something she did very often, but right now, it sounded appealing...

...or at least it would be appealing if she wasn't busy.

Skylar: I'd love to come, but I'm busy today. I'm really sorry...

Skylar: Maybe we could do something next weekend? 

Orion couldn't make sense of his intense disappointment that she wasn't coming. Even if he didn't realize it, he'd already gotten his hopes up that she would, but he simply sighed heavily and forced a cheerful response. 

Orion: That's okay! Next weekend sounds great. I'll be looking forward to it. 

He put his phone down beside him on the couch and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling blankly. It just didn't seem like it would feel the same without her there too, but he'd have to try his best to have fun anyway, with or without Skylar, even as impossible as it sounded. When did his happiness start depending on her that much? He had no idea.

---

Orion's excitement, and disguise form, appeared the moment he got to the bowling alley. He hadn't seen his friends in person for far too long. Before his divorce from Tiffany, he never had the chance to meet up with them, whether it was because he didn't want them to see how much of a wreck he was or because she wouldn't allow him to. After that, spending time with them became a priority, but when each of them had their own chaotic life to manage, sometimes nights like this were few and far between. He was the last of the group to get there, and upon his arrival, they all greeted him as though it had been years since they last got together, smiling and laughing and enthusiastically exchanging hellos.

"I'm so glad to see you guys," Orion said, a little more loudly than his usual volume considering the noisy atmosphere. "How have you been?"

"Great!" Uranus replied as cheerfully as ever. "Honestly, I couldn't be better."

Amalthea nodded. "I'd have to agree. Life's been pretty good for us... even if Uranus drives me crazy sometimes."

"He drives us all crazy, I can't imagine living with him," Emiko playfully added.

He responded with an exaggerated pout. "Hey, that's mean! For once, you guys should focus less on making fun of me and more on finding out about Orion's invisible girlfriend."

"I already told you, she and I are just--"

"As much as I'd love to tease him," Emiko interrupted, "just because she's his girl friend doesn't mean she's his girlfriend, so don't get too carried away."

"Exactly," Orion sighed. "Anyway, she said she couldn't make it. She's busy today, so you guys will have to meet her another time..." 

"Aww, okay. You can tell us about her anyway, though," Uranus said. 

Emiko smiled. "I'd love to know what she's like ahead of time. What's her name?"

Orion hesitated at first. Certainly if he rambled on about her, he'd give them the wrong impression -- or at least he'd give Uranus more reasons to poke at him. "Well, um, her name is Skylar. Several months ago, we became coworkers, and I started mentoring her in... astronaut stuff." There was an awkward pause. "We've been getting really close since then. She lives in the apartment complex right across the street from me, so it's easy for us to hang out and spend time together after work. She's... really kind, and caring, and sweet... I-I love her a lot, and I know you guys will too."

The others exchanged suspicious glances and raised eyebrows, and finally, Uranus broke the silence with a snicker. "Look, I know you really want me to drop the subject, but you literally confessed your love for her."

Orion's cheeks must have flushed twenty different shades of pink. "I-I... I tell you guys I love you all the time...! I-It's no different, okay?

Uranus grinned. "Yeah, but you don't say it like that. It was different. Like, you had goo-goo eyes and everything!"

"He's right. You definitely had goo-goo eyes." Amalthea nodded in agreement.

Emiko rested a hand on her hip and smirked. She couldn't resist chiming in this time. "They do have a point, Orion..."

"Y-You're all crazy! Don't we have something better to do? Such as bowling?" Orion quickly looked away from them and hoped they didn't notice how flustered he was becoming. "Or is today National Torture Orion Day? Tell me if that's a thing."

"Maybe it is." Emiko laughed and started walking toward the lanes. "Unfortunately, we did come here to bowl, not to torture you, so I guess we'll get to that."

Uranus's attention span quickly shifted to the topic of bowling. "Hey, we should split up into teams and make it a competition. Whoever loses has to buy snacks!"

"Does everything have to be a competition for you?" Orion shook his head. "Why can't we just--"

"Oh, you're on," Emiko cut in. "If I get you on my team, I know I'll lose, so I'm calling Amalthea. Guess it's boys versus girls."

"That's-- that's discrimination!" Uranus whined. "You can't just make me be on Orion's team! He's so tiny he'll drop the ball on himself and get crushed to death!"

Orion was almost offended. "Excuse me, I'm not--"

Emiko snorted. "I'm even tinier than he is! And at least he's got enough muscles to hold the ball. What's your point?"

"You just insulted your own muscles. But maybe you're right. You're gonna lose harder than you've ever lost anything before, Emi."

"Don't call me that."

"You can't make me not call you that--"

"Guys, c'mon, let's just play!" Amalthea nudged Emiko forward. "Ladies first, right?"

Emiko gave her a smug half-smile. "Right. Let's show the boys how it's done."

Confidently, she marched to the lane and grabbed a bowling ball, only struggling slightly from the weight of it, then assumed several different awkward stances, searching for the one that, if her calculations were correct, was just right to knock all the pins down. 

Amalthea snickered. "What the heck are you doing?" 

"Looks kinda like yoga," Uranus remarked.

"Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate," Emiko murmured. Her eyes were locked onto her target. She drew her arm back and lunged it forward, releasing the ball and nearly tripping over in the process. There were a few more muffled snickers as she regained her balance, but the ball was barreling toward the center pin, just as she'd hoped.

Amalthea's eyes were the size of saucers. "It's gonna be a strike!" 

"No!" Uranus's jaw dropped. "It can't be a strike! It's rigged! She's cheating!"

Much to Emiko's dismay, the ball gave a sudden swerve as it reached the pins and knocked down only one of them. To worsen the blow, a sad-sounding but comical sound effect played loudly from the machine -- but it wasn't as loud as Uranus's laughter.

"Hahaha! I can't believe you only knocked down one measly pin, Emi!" He was in hysterics. "Beating you is gonna be a piece of cake!"

Orion had to force himself not to laugh. "Yeah, um... that was a rather... unfortunate attempt." 

"W-What!? That's not even fair! My throw was perfect!"

Uranus rolled his eyes. "Sure it was."

"I'm serious! Something's fishy here, that one didn't count!"

"Just admit that you're both gonna lose."

Uranus approached the two of them, leaving Orion behind to continue his mockery. Orion knew better than to put himself in the middle of the chaos and watched from the sidelines, unsure of whether to be amused or annoyed by their antics. He ended up being a little bit of both. 

"If we get another bad score like that, Uranus will beat us and I can't live with that!" Amalthea brought her hands up to her face in a poorly acted display. 

"Wow, that's some way to talk about your own husband." Uranus pouted. 

"Sorry, I'm competitive and Emiko sucks at this, so I have the right to whine about it."

Emiko's agitation was increasing. "I'd like to see you bowl better than me." 

Uranus grinned. "Yeah, Thea, why don't you show us how great you are?" 

"...Well, uh, I..."

Orion grew increasingly anxious as their conversation went on. It couldn't have been their bickering that had him on edge; he was used to that by now, but his heart was pounding and his lungs struggled for air, like the atmosphere itself was beginning to weigh down on him. Every muscle in his body was screaming for him to run without a single explanation as to why. Cautiously, he glanced at his busy surroundings. Nothing seemed threatening or unusual about the people around him, so why did he feel like prey out in the open, just waiting to be attacked? 

The sound of the entrance door shutting was just loud enough to hear over the commotion. The looming fear grew larger. He felt the familiar sensation of eyes burning into him from behind, slowly getting stronger as heeled footsteps clicked on the tile floor, drawing closer...

A feeling of complete and utter dread overcame him when he finally turned to see who it was.

"Orion?" Tiffany scowled. "What are you doing here?"

He was frozen in place, unable to form words or even simple thoughts. The only thing he could process now was the crippling fear of the woman standing in front of him. He wasn't prepared to ever see her again, and all the stability that he'd been slowly building over the past few months was crumbling to pieces as the realization set in that he had no choice but to face his deepest fear. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide -- he couldn't give into weakness. Not this time.

The sound of Tiffany's voice was a sound that Emiko would never forget. As soon as it hit her ears, she looked over at the situation and curled her upper lip disgust. "Oh, great. Look what the cat dragged in."

"...who's that?" Amalthea worriedly crossed her arms. "And why is she bothering Orion?"

 "That's his trashy ex," Emiko said.

"W-Wait, Tiffany's here?" Uranus tensed up, too afraid to look behind him.

"Huh, you aren't usually one to give people the silent treatment." Tiffany took a few steps closer, eyes narrowing as she looked him up and down. "You look just as awful as ever. Maybe even worse now that you got rid of me -- a terrible choice, in my humble opinion."

Orion finally mustered enough courage to speak. "L-Leave me alone... I don't want to talk to you."

"Well, like it or not, I'm sticking around," she said. "I'm not very good at minding my own business, so I'm sorry to say that I don't plan on leaving you alone. After all, it's been so long since we've seen each other! We have some catching up to do..."

His gaze fell to the floor. He should have known that eventually he'd encounter her somewhere and be forced to endure her harassment, but today wasn't the day he wanted to deal with it. Then again, it was unlikely there would ever be a day he wanted to see her. Internally, there was a desperate struggle to find the right words, a way to put his foot down and make it clear that she wasn't welcome anywhere near him, but the only thing he found was silence. He felt utterly powerless against her and she knew it.

"He said to leave him alone!"

He tensed as Emiko angrily stormed up to Tiffany, evidently looking for a fight that she couldn't win.

Emiko glowered up at her. "Don't you think you've caused him enough trouble already? Get out of here. I bet you can't even bowl."

"By the looks of it, I doubt you can either," Tiffany condescendingly stated. "I have the right to be here. You can't make me leave."

"Oh, I can't? You won't be saying that when I kick your--"

"Emiko," Orion quietly interrupted, "just stop, it isn't worth it..."

Tiffany sneered. "You won't be kicking anything of mine. I'd snap you like a twig, four-eyes. And if you don't get out of my way in the next five seconds, I'm gonna demonstrate my ability to." She stepped threateningly closer to her, fangs slightly bared as though she was ready to strike -- though there was no telling if she was genuinely foolish enough to do that in public. Emiko didn't back down, but her hands trembled slightly in fear that she'd never admit to. Perhaps she could teach Tiffany a lesson with magic, but here, where they had to act no different than normal humans? It would be a physical brawl, not a mystical one, and she knew she was no match for her.

Something sparked inside of Orion. His fear was strong, but a far stronger anger was slowly rising to a boil and threatening to bubble over. For years, he suffered in silence, too terrified to take the opportunity to defend himself. He always believed her when she said he was weak, worthless, a coward; there was definitely no mistaking him for a courageous person. But in that moment, standing there and watching her barge into his life to try and ruin him again, he realized something he hadn't before: courage wasn't the lack of fear, courage was the strength to face your fears. Bravery surged through his veins, invigorating him just enough to send him rushing forward with confidence. He wedged himself between the two, hardly even processing his words as they poured from his mouth.

"If you think you can just walk in here, cause trouble and threaten my friends, you're sadly mistaken." He pointed his finger for emphasis. "Back off. That's your last warning." 

Emiko stared in slack-jawed shock.

"Warning?" Tiffany rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You can't do anything to me, and I don't know what got you suddenly thinking you're tough, but I can fix that attitude fast."

His brows furrowed. "Was that a threat?" 

"You'll find out if you don't get lost."

Emiko cautiously tried to butt in. "Orion--"

"Y-You're the one that needs to get lost! I'm tired of putting up with your crap!" His hand was beginning to tremble. "I mean it!"

Tiffany averted her gaze and waved her hand around nonchalantly. "Jeez, shut up. You're making people stare, and they're going to notice you're an idiot. I know your bark is worse than your bite, so you can whine all you want." 

He locked his eyes onto hers, and for once, he felt strong. "...I won't shut up. You don't control me anymore, Tiffany. I'm not the same person I was before."

For a moment, she was dumbfounded. This wasn't just a side of Orion that she'd never seen: this was a side of him that simply didn't exist, or if it had, it was buried so far deep inside of him that it had never shown itself until now. The fact that she was stumbling over her own words in an attempt to find a way to intimidate him infuriated her. If he wanted to challenge her, he'd get more than he bargained for.

Tiffany harshly grabbed his wrist and held him firmly in place, growling lowly.  "You are the same person you were before, or else you wouldn't be in the state that you are right now. You're a mental and emotional wreck, Orion. Are you forgetting that not so long ago you were balancing on the rails of a balcony and threatening to jump? Is that what strong people do? Become such cowards that they try to escape their own life instead of living it, all because they think they're being "abused" or whatever?"

Think that they're being abused. Her words only further heated the flame inside him. There was no thinking when it came to what she'd done to him; it was impossible for her to deny horribly she'd abused him, yet she tried to anyway. Orion closed his eyes tightly, trying to remain calm despite the familiar and unpleasant sensation of her touch. "...let me go."

"Even now, you're trying to run away." Her grip only tightened more. "You've always been a coward and you always will be. That's just who you are: a pathetic, worthless coward. And, if you want my opinion," she continued, her voice dropping to a low whisper to ensure no one else could hear exactly what she was saying -- although the busy building full of distracted people was enough to drown her words out anyway, "you should have died that day."

He ripped his arm away from her grip in one swift, desperate motion. Tears formed in his eyes, sliding down his cheeks as he took a few heaving breaths in an attempt to get air, but it felt as though he couldn't get air no matter how hard he tried, like the weight of the whole world was on his chest. The anxiety, the pain, the absolute misery that she'd caused him was all building up: he couldn't take any more. He had reached a breaking point.

"B-But I didn't die that day!" Orion yelled. "No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't get rid of me! Maybe you think I'm a coward, but for years, I kept holding on when I had nothing left to hold onto! You ruined my life, you broke me into a million pieces that I will never be able to put back together again as long as I live, you caused me so much trauma that... t-that I sleep with a light on, terrified you're lurking in the dark! I'm plagued by so many nightmares that I couldn't even begin to keep track of them! All the things you did play over and over in my head like a movie and I can't turn them off, and maybe I'll never be able to! But... I'm still here." His voice shook with every word. He was crying too hard to speak much above a whisper at this point, and strangers were silently staring at the situation all around him. "I'm still here because I'm meant to be. I...I have a purpose. I was given a second chance that day for a reason, and I believe that with all of my heart, s-so I'm not going to take it for granted by letting you come back just to break me apart again! You can insult me, you can call me names and say or do whatever you want, but all along, the truth was that the real coward is you! You can't hurt me anymore, and that makes you more powerless and weak than I ever was!" He felt lighter after finally letting out all of the pent up feelings he'd been holding in for so long, even though it wasn't the best idea in public, but at the same time he was completely overwhelmed. It hurt for him to even look at her, much less to face her; it was too much for his mental state to handle, causing him to break down completely into a bawling mess. The only thing he could think of now is how much he wanted to get out of here, away from Tiffany, before the situation escalated to something worse.

Tiffany didn't know what to say. There were no words, no snarky comebacks, no insults. Her brain had completely blanked of all its contents, leaving only a sense of astonishment at his boldness, and if she hadn't known better she may have been the slightest bit intimidated by it all, but what she really felt was an unprecedented rage toward him. No one spoke for a long moment until finally, she opened her mouth, preparing to unleash her worst --

-- only for Orion to turn away and start heading for the door, each step gradually becoming faster. Maybe he did look weak and scared, and maybe he really was, but no one could be strong all the time. The pain outweighed his will to stay strong, so he did the only thing he knew how to: he ran, drowning out the calls of his friends as he left.

---

There was no telling how long Orion had been laying in a crumpled up heap on his bed, crying so hard that he was sick to his stomach and ignoring the continuous pings of his phone. He was certain it was his friends trying to make sure he was okay, but he was far from okay and didn't have the energy to respond. Because of just one simple encounter with Tiffany, his emotions were on a downward spiral into a deep darkness that he hadn't felt in months, one that he couldn't see his way out of. Every painful memory was coming alive vividly, as though they'd just happened yesterday. There was no calming down from a mental breakdown this intense -- the kind that makes you feel helpless and hopeless, where you can't breathe, you can't think, you can't function, the only thing you can do is wish that you could end it all. He'd made that same wish before, on a night illuminated by city lights the same as the ones shining through his window, and he wished he wasn't wishing it again. He had been so proud of the progress he made since that night, and now it felt completely lost. There was nothing he hated more than the thought that he'd really become so fragile.

His phone pinged yet again. This time, he checked it, hoping to distract himself from his misery. There were more new texts than he could count, so he quickly scanned his eyes over a few of them and tried to focus his vision, which was blurred by tears.

[9:57pm]
Emiko: Orion, I'm so sorry Tiffany came and ruined everything. You were really brave to stand up to her, but... are you okay?

[10:01pm]
Uranus: Hey, is everything okay? I know seeing Tiffany must have been really hard for you, but I'm here if you need me. I hope you can cheer up soon!

[10:23pm]
Emiko: I'm worried about you. Please tell me you're okay.

[10:49pm]
Emiko: Orion?

[10:55pm]
Uranus: Emiko said she can't get in touch with you. I really hope you're okay, even if you don't feel like talking...

Orion sighed and glanced at the time: 11:08pm. It felt like it should have been much later than that. He debated responding to their texts, but before he could, a new one came in from a number he didn't recognize. Hesitantly, he opened the message.

Unknown Number: do you really think you can get away from me? you can run, but you can't hide.

Unknown Number: you'll never be safe. i'll always be here when you least expect it to break you down again. your life will never be worth living, orion.

Unknown Number: maybe you really should end it this time. 

By the time he reached the end of the texts, his tears were only falling harder and his hand was shaking so much he could barely keep a grip on the phone. It couldn't have been anyone but Tiffany. After their divorce, he changed his number; she shouldn't know it, or anything else about his personal life, so the realization that she obviously did sent him into a full-on panic attack. He never wanted to be at rock bottom again, but this was it. What was the rest of his life going to be like if she refused to give up on tormenting him? Would she show up when he was all alone to hurt him like she used to? Would she drive the people he cared about away with rumors or, even worse, threats? No matter the tactics she used, he was certain that her goal was to leave him completely hopeless and desolate, and drive him to a point he couldn't return from. To make the rest of his life a living hell, just as she always promised.

Maybe he really should end it.

His mind wandered to the antidepressants in the nightstand drawer. His therapist was right in assuming they'd help stabilize his mental state, but if he swallowed the whole bottle, they could just as well be his downfall. It seemed like an appealing option now that his ability to form rational thoughts was long gone. He pondered for minutes about it, never being quite brave enough to give into the temptation yet never being brave enough to push the concept out of his mind entirely. In the darkest moments he'd had in a long time, something else crept into his conscious. He grasped onto the thought as though it was the last bit of sanity he had left: Skylar.

Orion willed himself to dial her number with trembling hands. He didn't even know what he planned to say, or why he bothered calling her in a state like this, but hearing her voice on the receiver was his only lifeline.

"Hello?"

Choking back a sob, he desperately attempted to steady his voice as he spoke. "S-Skylar... I'm really sorry to bother you so late, b-but I..." His voice trailed off with a heaving breath. 

"...Orion?" Skylar sounded concerned. "Is something wrong? You sound really upset..."

He paused for a long moment. Calling her was an absolutely terrible idea. He couldn't just dump all of his emotional burdens on her in the middle of the night, especially when she knew nothing about Tiffany or his mountain of trauma-induced issues. "I... no, I'm fine," he lied. "I'm just... not feeling well. C-Could you tell the boss I'm taking a sick day tomorrow? I don't think I'll be able to make it to work..."

There was cause for immediate suspicion. As long as she'd known Orion, he'd never missed a single day at work. For him to suddenly do so must have meant something was much more wrong than he was letting on. "Oh, um... I'm really sorry to hear that. If you're not feeling well, I'll come over and do anything I can to help. You sound awful..."

"N-No!" Orion protested. "I... I don't know if it's something contagious, l-like a virus... I don't want to get you sick. P-Please don't come here..."

At this point, Skylar wasn't sure she could believe him. She had a gut feeling telling her otherwise. "Are you sure? If you need me, I really do want to help you."

"I'm sure. I just need to get some sleep, okay?" He tried to sound reassuring. "I... I'll talk to you in the morning. I'm sure I'll be feeling better then. Goodnight, Skylar." Before she could respond, he hung up and allowed himself to unravel again. In his current mindset, he wasn't even sure he would still be here in the morning, yet he couldn't bring himself to reach for the bottle of pills.

Skylar couldn't take no for an answer this time. When he hung up, she took a moment to think about the situation and quickly decided to listen to her gut, then headed out her front door with a spare key to his apartment; something he'd thankfully entrusted her with, and if there was any time she felt the need to use it, it was now. A quick jog across the street and an elevator ride was all it took to reach his door. 

Hesitantly, she unlocked it. She didn't want Orion to be angry with her for barging into his house unannounced at nearly midnight, but she was worrying herself sick about him. When the door swung open, the apartment was dark and eerily quiet -- too quiet, aside from the low hum of the refrigerator and a dripping faucet in the nearby bathroom. There was an air of sadness that seemed to engulf the room when she stepped inside. Her footsteps treaded lightly across the floor as she glanced around, looking for any sign of him, and finally, she detected the sound of soft sobs coming from his bedroom. The door was wide open when she got there, but she didn't get any further than the doorway before a floorboard creaked and he jolted up, startled by the sudden intrusion.

"...I told you not to come here," Orion said, unable to meet her gaze as she entered the room. The tears were still warm on his cheeks, so he knew there was no hiding the wreck he was in. 

Skylar edged closer to him, concern filling her voice. "I was worried about you. You're lying about being sick... clearly something else is wrong," she said softly. "Please tell me what's going on..."

He was completely silent in response. The thought of telling her how he was really feeling, that he was so deep into a mental breakdown he'd just been genuinely considering suicide for not the first, but the second time in his life, was completely unbearable. She didn't deserve to have to listen to his years-long sob story. Yet, at the same time, he was so desperate for someone to cling to and a shoulder to cry on. To be comforted by her was more than he would ever ask for, even if he needed it, even if it felt like his life depended on it. All he could do at this point was cry harder, unsure of what he could say to her that was neither the full truth or a flat-out lie.

Skylar knelt down in front of him and wrapped an arm around him, then carefully pried his trembling hand away from his face in an attempt to meet his gaze. "H-Hey, I know whatever's going on must be a lot for you to handle, and maybe it's hard to talk about, but... I'm here for you." Her voice was soothing. "You aren't alone, even if it feels that way..."

Her touch sent shockwaves of mixed feelings through his body. Did he want to melt into it or run away from it? He couldn't decide. "...Y-You can't help me. You wouldn't understand," he sobbed. "I-It's... a long story, and it's complicated, a-and... you'd probably just find something to judge me about..."

"I have all night if you need that long." She rubbed his back in a comforting motion. "I'll try my absolute best to understand. Even if I don't understand everything, I'll listen, and I'm not going to judge you."

Orion's hesitance was wavering. "...promise me."

"I promise."

Finally, he caved in and started from the beginning -- all those years ago when he ran away from home and met Tiffany, and the downhill spiral that followed. He recalled some events in every graphic detail, and others he remembered just as vividly but could barely bring himself to describe them. It was at least an hour that he spent pouring out his deepest traumas and insecurities before he finally reached the point of explaining what happened earlier that day. 

Skylar was beyond shocked as she listened. She'd already gotten the impression that whoever his ex-wife was couldn't have been a very nice person, but never in a million years did she expect the sickening levels of abuse Tiffany had subjected him to. "I... I don't know what to say... I'm so sorry you've went through all this."

"I feel like I can't take it anymore," he said quietly. "For a little while, I had hope that I could move on with my life and find a way to be happy. B-But... I'm too broken to ever be able to put myself back together. She was right about me... I would be better off dead. It hurts to say it, but it's true..."

"Orion, look at me." Skylar gently placed her hand underneath his chin and lifted his head. His teary eyes met her sincere ones. "It's not true. You're the most wonderful person I've ever met, and I'm so grateful that I got the privilege to get to know you. I know that she destroyed so much of your life, and I know that it seems impossible to come back from a deep darkness like the one she pulled you into... but there's always a light in the darkness. You can't give up on yourself. I won't give up on you."

"...how do I really know there is a light for me?" He tried to blink back his tears. "I've waited so long for something to give me a sign that all of this is really worth it, Skylar..."

"I used to think like that too, you know. When I was younger, my parents made sure to keep me miserable. I wasn't able to be who I really was, so I focused all my energy on defying the fate they set for me. I've always been a loner at heart, but even if I'd wanted friends, I was pretty much a social outcast at school because all I ever did was study. That was the only place my parents couldn't stop me from chasing my dreams. Later, in college, I was the same way. Always focused on working hard and never taking time for anything else. But... no matter how much progress I made toward living my life the way I wanted to, I never felt complete. Something was always... missing," she said. "I felt like a puzzle without the last piece. Before I knew it, it was as though life was passing me by. For so many years, I thought I'd be happy if I focused on my education and pursued the career of my dreams, so I didn't understand why I wasn't. I looked for the last piece of my puzzle for a while -- my light in the darkness. And I found it. It made me realize that there was more to life than that. Life isn't meant to be spent alone, locked within your own walls. You'll never find happiness without other people that make you happy. I'd never realized the reason I felt so incomplete was because I was so lonely up until then..." 

"What was it?" Orion asked. "Your light in the darkness, I mean...?"

"...It was you."

He gave her a perplexed expression. "M-Me? But I'm not anything special..." 

She shifted her position to sit on the bed beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "You're special to me..."

Orion looked away, sniffling as his tears began to dry. It was difficult for him to believe that he truly meant something to someone, yet when she said it, he believed her and he didn't know why. Calmness washed over him for the first time that night. Her presence was his only source of comfort, and he dreaded the thought of her leaving, as selfish as it seemed. "I... can I... ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied. "Anything."

"...would you stay with me?" His voice had a sense of shyness to it. "Please? I... I'm scared of being alone..."

"Of course..." Skylar nodded and laid down, holding an arm out to him. "Come here, you should get some rest. I'll stay right here with you, okay?"

He didn't hesitate to accept her invitation and laid down next to her. "Thank you," he sighed, snuggling as close as he could. The feeling of being held like this was completely foreign to him, but the moment he had a taste of it, he was addicted and completely melted into her arms. "...Skylar?"

"Yeah?"

Despite his lingering sadness, he smiled. "You're really special to me too..."