Find me

Chapter 36

Gabriel POV

“Do you want to watch a movie?” I asked my sister as I placed another kiss on her forehead.

She looked up at me and nodded.

“What do you want to watch?” I asked her, giving her a small smile.

She blushed and looked down at her hands.

I furrowed my eyebrows. What was that about?

“Aria?” I called her softly.

She looked back up at me and gulped.

“I don’t know.” she mumbled. “You can choose.”

Something wasn’t right, and I wasn’t letting it go.

“I want to watch your favorite movie.” I said, studying her face.

Her eyes widened slightly, and she gulped again.

I knew what was wrong.

Fuckers.

The more I discovered, the more pissed off I got.

“They didn’t let you watch TV, didn’t they?” I asked her, caressing her cheek softly.

She shook her head, confirming my suspicions.

“Okay.” I said, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. “That just means that we will have to spend a lot of time together because I have so many movies I want to show you.”

Aria smiled, making my heart grow double.

“How about we start with Harry Potter?” I grinned.

Her eyes widened, and I saw a little spark in them. Her whole face lit up.

“Really?” she asked excitedly. “I’ve read the first three books, and I’ve always wanted to watch the movies.”

My heart clenched painfully. She was so kind, warm, and sweet. How could they hurt her? How?

“Really.” I smiled, trying to stop the tears from gathering in my eyes. “We can watch all of them.”

She smiled and stood up, pulling the slippers onto her feet.

“Come on.” I said as I stood up and took her hand in mine. “I can’t wait.”

I pulled her out of her bedroom, and we walked downstairs.

“Wait for me in the living room.” I said as I kissed the top of her head. “Grab all the blankets you can find. Would you like some hot cocoa?”

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks blushed again.

She never had it.

I knew it. I could already tell. She was an open book to me.

“That would be great.” she mumbled quietly. “Do you need help?”

“Nope.” I said, pulling her into a hug. “Make yourself comfortable. I will be right there.”

I turned around so she wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes.

They had deprived her of everything, not just the stupid TV and cocoa. I wasn’t crying about that. They had deprived her of basic human needs. They had deprived her of clothes and food. They had deprived her of love, care, and comfort.

I could tell how much she needed and wanted to be hugged. I could tell how much she needed and wanted to be safe and loved.

I would give her that. I would show her how much I loved her each and every day. I would hug her constantly. I would protect her forever. I would make sure that she knew that she was safe and loved.