“I need you, though.” / "You can trust me."
❝ I NEED YOU, THOUGH. ❞
At some point, in the middle of the laughter, the films, and the seemingly endless stream of pizza, Naomi and Luke had entered a very serious realm of conversation. After a long burst of philosophical ‘what if’s’, the two were silent for a long period of time. The blond was just about to ask him what he was thinking about until he chimed in. “I need you, though.” The four words were simple enough, but Naomi was sure that these were the four words that resonated the most between them. She considered for a moment how very terrifying it was to be needed by someone, and was filled with the overwhelming fear of one day letting him down. But at the base of it all, she was no better or worse than he was – because she needed him, too. Head canting to the side, the corner of her lips turned upwards into what she only hoped was a reassuring smile. Her finger outstretched to poke at the side of his mouth until he was smiling, too. “ Well,” she started, eyes darting to the door “ – right there is the door, and as you can see, I’m not anywhere near it.“ Her smile widened slightly, she was only teasing a little. Clearing her throat, her expression shifted from playful to something much more sincere. “I’m not going anywhere.” Lifting her little finger for him to take, she nodded, “Promise. “
❝ YOU CAN TRUST ME ❞
“Stop!” Tears stung at Naomi’s eyes, jaw tensed. Her fingers were clenched into fists, the nail of her thumb pressing against a now bare ring finger. The word should have sounded bitter to her. The past months had been filled with far too many ‘Trust me‘s ‘ for it to hold much weight. Now that her friend stood in front of her, doing his absolute best to console a girl who was doing her absolute best to be inconsolable, she wasn’t sure why she had called in the first place. She wanted to scream at him, to try and make him understand just how much she was hurting but she didn’t. This wasn’t his battle. It wasn’t his fault that her heart was broken, that she had put all of her trust into someone who betrayed it over and over again. Of course it wasn’t Luke’s fault.The word should have sounded bitter, but it didn’t. Not from him. It wasn’t ever meant to be a bitter word, just like she wasn’t ever meant to be a bitter person. She had been searching desperately for someone or something to blame for the pain that she was in. She wanted a source for it all, but for what reason? So she could continue to find ways to blame herself? So that she could stay angry forever? With a shaky inhale, her eyes met his gaze, and she knew. Too long. She had been angry and isolated for far too long in her quest to find answers for something that she couldn’t control. She didn’t say anything, because she knew that he didn’t need her to. Instead, she nodded her head. Her fingers unfurled at her sides, and the tears began to fall. It was only a moment before she crossed the room to throw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. Her trust was something he had earned long ago, and she would work every day to continue to be worthy of his.