Chapter 16 // Apollo
I think I've wiped the tears from Blue's face around ten times in thirty minutes. Every time she goes to speak, she bursts out into tears, telling me how guilty she feels.
"Baby, it's okay." I coo gently, wiping away a fresh set of tears.
We're currently sitting in a park together on the grass, the sun setting in front of us. My girl is a hysterical mess and all I want to do is wrap her in my arms and keep her safe from every bad thing in this world. Cameron being one of those bad things.
"Apollo, I feel so guilty." She whispers, clutching on tightly to my hand. "You deserve so much better."
A frown forms instantly on my face at her words. Why on earth would she say that?
"Blue, you're the best thing to happen to me in a very long time. I haven't smiled at anyone else like the way I have with you. Being in your presence makes me feel like the luckiest guy on earth. Cameron might have tried to convince you that you were incapable of loving, but you didn't know that you were a natural at it." I whisper, grasping hold of her face. "You having a caring nature about you, it comes so naturally."
She sniffles, and then a small smile etches onto her pretty face. That's my girl.
"It killed me inside when I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. I didn't know what to do with myself, Blue. You've become such a huge part of my life." I admit to her, my skin tingling as her thumb rubs up and down along my hand. "My mum said to me I'd know when I found the one. She told me that my heart would beat so fast and I'd always be smiling. I kept asking her how I'd know and she'd come out with how I'll just know." My eyes look up to hers and I think I've just set her waterworks off again because she bursts into tears.
"I'm sorry." She throws herself into my lap and wraps her arms tight around me, crying into the crook of my neck. "I've treated you like shit, Apollo. You have such a kind soul, you're such a beautiful human being, and I thought it would be okay to take advantage of that. You're worth so much more than just sex. You deserve the world." I rub her back and rest my chin on her shoulder, inhaling her vanilla scent, and slowly close my eyes.
"You didn't take advantage of me, Blue. You were being manipulated by that piece of shit. You're such a beautiful Angel, you know that, right?" I pull back and pull her head away from the crook of my neck. "You know that?" I raise my eyebrows and wait until she agrees with me by nodding her head.
When Blue explained what Cameron made her do that morning, I had the sudden urge to go round there and end his life. I still do. But I can't do that because then I'd go to prison, and I'd never see Blue again.
"You're my girl." I smile with wide eyes.
"Apollo, stop making me cry!" she whines and a woman walking her dog looks at us like we're crazy. Piss off. "You're just so precious." Her lip trembles and I grow concerned as to why she's so emotional.
"Speak to me, Blue." I reach up to stroke the back of her head.
"I want to tell my mum about Cameron, but I don't know what he'll do. He's already said that he'll make it sound like it was my fault and he also threatened to hurt you." Her breath quivers and I wipe a tear with my thumb.
"She's your mother. She should believe you before Cameron." She has to, because if she doesn't, then she's not a good mother. I know if it was my mother, she would have believed me before I even uttered a word to her. "You can't let that stupid fucker torment you any longer than he already has. He's playing games with you, Blue. Fucking with your mind."
"I just need a little more time to tell her." Slowly, I nod my head. I can't rush Blue into telling her mother, she's had to ensure his abusiveness for years, this won't just get better overnight. Just as long as she tells her, eventually.
"What about us?" I question, hopeful that we can just be more than sex.
"You're my man." She beams and I swear my heart bursts with so much joy, and the hugest smile morphs onto my face. Blue squeals as I wrap her in my arms and fall back onto the grass with her. I smother her face in kisses. Once I'm done kissing all over her face, I pull back and take a second to embrace the beauty of Blue.
"I'm your man, hmm?" She rolls her eyes when I wiggle my eyebrows. "I like the sound of that, baby. But I think you were always mine. You just didn't know it at the time."
"To be honest, Apollo, I gathered when you started throwing punches all the time. Do you enjoy punching people in the face?" She raises eyebrows with a teasing smile on her face.
"For you? Yeah, I love it." I wink and pull us back up so I'm sitting upright with her on my lap. "I've told you, Blue, I'll beat up anyone that hurts you, and if I've got to beat Cameron up again and again until he gets how much of a prick he is, then I'll do it."
She runs her fingers through my hair and my eyes flutter closed.
"You're crazy, but I love you. Thank you for protecting me." I feel her place a soft kiss on my lips and as little as it is, it's the best kiss I've ever had with her because I know there are lot more feelings in that one small kiss than there have been in our previous kisses.
"Thank you for making me happy again sweetheart," I whisper so gently.
"You smell like an alcoholic." I burst out laughing at Blue's confession.
"I was upset." I pout my lips, and she shakes her head lightly.
The sunset soon fades and is replaced by the starry night sky. I feel so content with Blue in my arms. I could stay here all night with her.
I take another puff from my cigarette and hear Blue tut next to me.
"What?" I tilt my head, watching her eyes alternate between me and the deadly stick between my fingers.
"Why'd you smoke? It's so bad for you." She huffs, and I quickly put the cigarette out. "Your lungs will go black and you'll die before you're thirty! I don't want you to die, so please try to stop." I chuckle lightly but nod my head.
If Blue wants me to stop smoking, then for her I'll try.
"Sorry, baby."
"When did you start smoking?" She questions, looking at me with her dark brown eyes, that I find myself getting lost in all the time.
"It became a habit after my mum died." Her face falls slightly. "I know my mum would have loved you if she were still alive." My eyes water at the thought of my mother never meeting Blue. I look up at the night sky and exhale a ragged breath.
"I wish I met her. Is she buried somewhere?" Blue asks and I nod my head.
"She was born in Manchester. That's where we buried her. So I only go up to visit a few times a year." I wipe my eyes to rid the unshed tears.
"We should go together one day. Maybe take Arabella too?" And just like that, I'm no longer upset. I fucking love you, Blue.
"I'd like that." I rasp.
"I'm sure she's looking down at you and she's so proud of how strong you are." Blue praises and I struggle to believe those words.
"I'm not strong." I shake my head, picking at the blades of dead grass.
"Hey, look at me," Blue says in a serious tone and I do as she says and look up at her. "You are strong. I see it and so do a lot of others, especially your little sister. You should hear the way she praises you to my little brother. She's so proud to be your sister." A small sob leaves my mouth at her words.
I've become so worried that I'm letting my baby sister down, that she's ashamed to have a brother so broken like me, but to hear her praising me to her little friend has my heart burning with so much love and pride. She's not ashamed of me.
"She calls you her superman. I was being nosy." Blue shrugs and I throw my head back, laughing and crying at the same time. "She's a cutie."
She is, my little bug.
•••
"You don't mind me staying here for the night?" Blue questions as I watch her shimmy into one of my hoodies.
"You're always welcome here, sweetheart. You wanna watch a film?" I switch my tv on and open up the covers for her to climb in next to me.
"Let's watch a romance." My nose scrunches at her suggestion and her mouth opens in shock. "You don't like romance?"
"Only when it's with you." I shrug and a curious look morphs into her face. "It was my mother's favourite genre. She'd always make me sit with her on a Friday night and watch some silly romance. She'd tell me I'd find love like the ones in the films one day. I think it's unrealistic compared to the real world."
"But it's nice to dream that you could find love like the ones in the film. Don't you think you've found that with us?"
"I've found something better with us, sweetheart. Our love doesn't compare to those films." I reach forward and stroke her cheek gently. "You're so beautiful," I say at the same as she leans into my touch.
"So are you." She closes her eyes and shows me her usual beautiful smile. She's an Angel.
To her satisfaction, I put the stupid romance film on for her. I pay no attention to what illuminates in front of me and keep my eyes on Blue. She stares at the screen with heart-shaped eyes, squealing when something 'romantic' happens.
An hour into the film she falls asleep against my chest and I lower the volume of the tv, annoyingly finding myself enjoying the film. But as I become engrossed, a loud bang from downstairs has me jolting. Then I panic because Arabella is fast asleep in her room.
I climb out of the bed, making sure not to wake Blue up, and creep out of my room, gently closing the door behind me. I jump in shock when I see Arabella outside her room, clutching onto her teddy bear.
A tiny whimper leaves her mouth at the sound of another crash from downstairs and the sound of our father's slurred curses.
"Come here, bug." I usher her over and then lift her into my arms. She buries her face into my neck as another crash bounces off the walls in the house.
The door behind me opens and Blue looks at us with wide, cautious eyes.
"Please stay in here with Bella. I need to sort this out." I pass Arabella to Blue, watching as my little sister clutches onto my girlfriend with tight arms.
"What's going on?" Blue questions in confusion.
"Please, I'll explain later. Just stay in my room and don't come out." She says nothing else and nods her head. She gives me one last cautious look and then closes the door.
My face hardens at the disruption that my waste of space dad has caused. I make my way down the stairs and the sight in front of me has me recoiling in disgust.
A/N
How cute are Apollo and Blue?🥺😩💚