Sam created a rescue party of one, after the weird paralysis of damn near everyone else took over and he realized that something was more off than previously thought.
Something's always off with Caleb. Caleb's always angled for a better purchase on something he wants. This ring erodes the steadfastness of my army. It gives him a foot in the door and now it's wedged open again whereas before it was firmly closed. He brought the ring back over and put it on my finger, glowering when I pointed out that finger is for wedding rings and also that finger is far too small for that ring so he settled for my middle finger, right beside my other rings, Ben's wedding band and Lochlan's heart-shaped diamond wedding set.
That's not comfortable, I complain, moving it to the middle finger of my right hand. He rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything and probably twenty minutes after I leave he'll discover I left it in the bottom of my drink again. Ice with ice. I'm so done with this. If he won't have reduced to its value and put it back in the bank I'm going to have to.
Sam is not all that worried, fresh off Easter faith and on holidays for a couple of weeks, ready to dive back into the exploded ruins of my memory and sort it all out again. He tries to keep up with me but it's hard and for all of his organizing and filing I have a tendency to pull drawers out and dump them all over the floor the moment he leaves, looking for the things I need, not knowing where he put them.
He reassures me that he'll stay with us to help find everything that's been lost and we spend the whole night talking. Sometimes I fall asleep while he and Lochlan talk. Sam has his arm around Lochlan's shoulder. Sometimes they listen to me when I wake up enough to participate in the conversation, and sometimes I leave Lochlan's other side to push into the centre, between them. I put my hands up to Lochlan's face and ask him what Caleb threatened him with and he finally says that it wasn't anything specific, that Caleb reminded him of what happens when I get too far from him, that I turn inwards and start tearing myself and those around me apart and he thinks everything needs to be left the way it is. He assured him of the ring's meaning to prove that he wants it left the way it is and for whatever reason, be it childhood loyalties, exhaustion or naivité Lochlan believes him and told him that he's going to hold Caleb to that promise. Caleb told him he just wants me to be happy.
Sam believes that too.
I still don't know if I do but Ben shows up and takes Sam's other side and all the arms are wrapped around everyone and I fall asleep in the sweetest, safest group hug and I don't hold my breath. I don't clench my teeth. I don't even dream.
Something's always off with Caleb. Caleb's always angled for a better purchase on something he wants. This ring erodes the steadfastness of my army. It gives him a foot in the door and now it's wedged open again whereas before it was firmly closed. He brought the ring back over and put it on my finger, glowering when I pointed out that finger is for wedding rings and also that finger is far too small for that ring so he settled for my middle finger, right beside my other rings, Ben's wedding band and Lochlan's heart-shaped diamond wedding set.
That's not comfortable, I complain, moving it to the middle finger of my right hand. He rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything and probably twenty minutes after I leave he'll discover I left it in the bottom of my drink again. Ice with ice. I'm so done with this. If he won't have reduced to its value and put it back in the bank I'm going to have to.
Sam is not all that worried, fresh off Easter faith and on holidays for a couple of weeks, ready to dive back into the exploded ruins of my memory and sort it all out again. He tries to keep up with me but it's hard and for all of his organizing and filing I have a tendency to pull drawers out and dump them all over the floor the moment he leaves, looking for the things I need, not knowing where he put them.
He reassures me that he'll stay with us to help find everything that's been lost and we spend the whole night talking. Sometimes I fall asleep while he and Lochlan talk. Sam has his arm around Lochlan's shoulder. Sometimes they listen to me when I wake up enough to participate in the conversation, and sometimes I leave Lochlan's other side to push into the centre, between them. I put my hands up to Lochlan's face and ask him what Caleb threatened him with and he finally says that it wasn't anything specific, that Caleb reminded him of what happens when I get too far from him, that I turn inwards and start tearing myself and those around me apart and he thinks everything needs to be left the way it is. He assured him of the ring's meaning to prove that he wants it left the way it is and for whatever reason, be it childhood loyalties, exhaustion or naivité Lochlan believes him and told him that he's going to hold Caleb to that promise. Caleb told him he just wants me to be happy.
Sam believes that too.
I still don't know if I do but Ben shows up and takes Sam's other side and all the arms are wrapped around everyone and I fall asleep in the sweetest, safest group hug and I don't hold my breath. I don't clench my teeth. I don't even dream.