“Granite? Yeah, he’s here.”
Somehow, knowing he was there made the lingering fear of my nightmare disappear a little more. I hated that, though. I hated that his presence still affected me. I didn’t want to feel anything when it came to him. I wanted that part of me he consumed so easily to be nothing but a void of darkness.
“So,” Onyx walked to the door, “I’m going to go get you something…I dunno, something to eat, maybe?”
I didn’t answer him. I just watched as my palm moved over the soft sheets.
“Okay, then.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw him turn to leave, and I took a deep breath. “I was there.”
He stopped. “Where?”
“I was there where she was.”
“Who?”
“Neon.”
The expression on his face tightened, his eyes sad yet confused. “What do you mean?”
“That picture I saw with her hanging from the ceiling. I was there.”
“Jesus Christ.” Onyx rubbed the back of his neck.
“It was terrifying, but I’m sure it wasn’t half as bad as it was for her.”
“Listen, Alyx,” he pulled out a cigarette, “don’t go there. You’ll drive yourself bat-shit crazy.”
“I think I’m already crazy.” I straightened my legs on the bed and glanced around. The walls were a light gray. Calming. Serene. Yet just another prison.
Onyx came closer, standing right next to me. “You’re not crazy. You’re just a beautiful ballerina who got caught up in a war between some very bad people.”
I looked up at him. “Is that what you are? Bad people?”
His pressed his lips in a straight line and reached out, tucking my hair behind my ear. “We sure ain’t saints.”
For what felt like the longest time, he kept my gaze. Suddenly, the silence seemed to stretch for miles with him standing so close to me, touching me.
Onyx cleared his throat and pulled back, like he didn’t mean for that moment to happen. “You sure you’re okay?”
No. No, I wasn’t okay. I felt rotten on the inside, slowly festering into nothing but filth. But I just nodded.
“Sure I can’t get you anything? You haven’t eaten for a while.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want anything. Thanks.”
“I think you should eat,” he pressed, but I ignored him and got underneath the sheets.
“I’ll bring you something.”
“Please don’t.”
“Alyx, don’t be stubborn.”
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Believe me, I’m a lot of things right now. Stubborn ain’t one of them.”
I heard him sigh. “I want to help.”