Destiny

20.

Chapter 20

"Are you still awake?" I mumbled, my face buried in Brayden's chest.

His fingers were tracing circles on my back, his even breaths making me tired. Just not tired enough to get any sleep.

"Yes. Are you tired?"

I groaned and rolled onto my back. "Nope."

"You're thinking too much, Julia."

"Can you blame me? Back at the hospital, I was punished for thinking. Now, that's all I can do."

"Maybe if you talk about it, you'll clear your mind so you can sleep."

"Then you won't be able to sleep."

"It's my job to make sure you're okay. It doesn't mean I'll be getting sleep."

I glared at him. "That makes me sound like a horrible person."

"I can tell you right now that you're not a horrible person."

"You're just saying that because-"

He kissed my forehead. "Because I mean it."

I rolled onto my side and pulled the blankets over my shoulders. "I don't know if I can trust Lucy."

"Why do you say that?"

"She's been lying to me. She lied about why Kellan wanted to kill me. I saw the two of them talking during one of my dreams. What if Kellan really wants to kill me and Lucy's in on it?"

"Do you really think your parents would kill you?"

"I don't know what to think anymore, Brayden. One minute I'm in a mental hospital and the next I have parents with wings."

"You should ask her. Be upfront about it and let her know how you really feel."

"Do you think that would help?"

"It's a start."

I moved closer to him and closed my eyes. "I thought life would be easier once we got out of the hospital."

"I know I didn't seem too appreciative at the time but I'm really glad you didn't go without me."

"I couldn't leave my best friend behind, now could I?"

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I sat down at the table and made a face at Aryan and his choice of breakfast. "Really? Raisin Bran?"

"Don't knock it until you try it." He said, pointing at me with his spoon.

"I have. The hospital used to feed it to us every now and then."

"Brayden told me about your aversion to eating their food."

"I don't know how anyone could call it food."

He smiled. "Don't let Lucy hear you saying that."

"Hear me saying what?" Lucy asked, walking into the room. She was dressed in all black work-out clothes. She had earbuds in her ears but they must have been off if she could hear Aryan and I.

"How beautiful you are." Aryan said, holding back a smile.

Both of us rolled our eyes at him.

"Training again?" Aryan asked, changing the subject.

She nodded and grabbed a water bottle from one of the cabinets. "I need to keep up with it or I'll get flabby."

"You weigh like a hundred pounds, Lucy."

"Muscle weighs more than fat."

"Don't start this again." Aryan groaned.

I looked between the two of them. "Start what?"

"Your mother has an obsession with her weight."

"Now I know where I get it from." I mumbled.

Lucy raised her eyes at me before she sat down at the small table. "Where's Brayden?"

"Sleeping. He stayed awake all night."

"Doing what?"

I rolled my eyes. "Keeping an eye on me. So Kellan didn't try and visit me again."

"Nothing more?"

"Look, the hospital wouldn't show us anything above a PG movie. That meant no sex scenes. We have zero idea what we're doing."

Aryan pushed his bowl away from him. "Okay, I'm done."

"How long was he at the hospital?" Lucy asked, taking a sausage patty from the plate in the center of the table.

"A few years, I think. I don't remember."

"Going on two years."

I turned my head and saw Brayden was walking into the room. His eyes were half open and his shirt was wrinkled.

"I hope we didn't wake you up." Lucy said.

Brayden shook his head and sat down beside me. He grabbed a sausage and took a bite before he answered. "No, I just had a hard time staying asleep."

"Doesn't look like it." Aryan said.

Lucy got to her feet and looked at Aryan. "You wanna come train with me?"

"Sure, I have nothing better to do."

She rolled her eyes and the two of them walked outside.