Keep Me: A HERO Novella by Leighton Del Mia

only takes it, but she gives it right back to me. God, if she only knew I am as happy as I’m capable of being. I love my little sparrow, the only light in my darkness, the only one who’s shown me what life is supposed to be. If I’m good, if I’m happy, if I’m better—it’s all for her.
     

“So, Cataline,” Dr. Adams says. “This is our fifth session now. Let’s take stock. Are things improving?”
    “I think so.”
    “When was the last time you cut?”
    “Not since before he came back.”
    “ He being your captor.”
    “That’s right.”
    “So things are going well with him?”
    “Yes.”
    “My concern as always is that he is a temporary fix for the cutting.”
    “You have it backwards,” I tell him softly. “The cutting was a temporary fix for him.”
    His lips twitch into a smile for maybe the first time since I started seeing him, but it’s fleeting. “What happens if he leaves or you get in a fight? We still have quite a bit of exploring to do.”
    I clear my throat. “I agree. I don’t think about cutting anymore, because I don’t feel like I need it. But I never want to go back there.”
    “That’s good. You’ve made progress, Cataline. At least . . . it’s a start.”
    “Thank you. But there is one thing. We’ll fight. We’ve been through a lot, Doctor, things I could never tell you. We’ll get angry and frustrated with each other—that’s who we are. But he’s not going anywhere. And neither am I.”
    “Be that as it may, I still have my reservations about you staying in a relationship with your captor. As we work through that, through losing your parents, and through your childhood, I believe your cutting and drug use will no longer make sense to you. Let’s go deep, Cat. Can you do that?”
    I nod. “Yes. I can do that.”
    After my session, I find Calvin downstairs waiting for me against his car. If not for his smile, he’d look almost sinister dressed in all black on this overcast day. “Your chariot awaits,” he says.
    “I was thinking of flying.”
    “A little sparrow like you . . . I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. There’re a lot of sky-bound predators out tonight.”
    “It’s okay,” I say with a smile. “I have my big, bad crow to keep me safe.”
    He wrinkles his nose. “Nobody likes crows.”
    “Oh. Hawk?”
    “I think you mean eagle.”
    “Whatever,” I say, stifling my giggle.
    “How was your session?”
    “He says I’m making progress.”
    “Progress is good.”
    “How’d the sale go?”
    “All set. I am no longer the master of the house.”
    “You’re master of my apartment.”
    He sighs, tucking hair behind my ear. “Doesn’t sound quite as grand.”
    “Fine. Master of my world.”
    “I can work with that,” he says with a sly smile. “Although, master of two apartments could be all right.”
    My brows furrow. “What’s that mean?”
    His fingers play with strands of my hair. “The apartment next to yours is for sale. What if we buy it and knock down the wall?”
    “We’re not going to Banks Street?” I ask, rising onto the balls of my feet in excitement.
    “No. But here are my conditions: a much, much bigger bed and a top-of-the-line security system.”
    “Whatever you want. As long as you’re paying for it.”
    He laughs. “I have a little extra cash seeing as I’m out a mansion.”
    “You have yourself a deal.”
    Dusk makes everything black and white—the birds against the clouds, puddles in the pavement, even the leaves tumbling in the breeze. Except for Calvin’s eyes—they’re my horizon, and nothing but green. He kisses my nose and says, “I have myself a whole lot more than that.”