Libia episode 19

❤LIBIA (Find my confidence)❤
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Chapter Nineteen.

 

 

“Damon,” Libia warned, staring at his face as they cruised throu-gh the emptying streets. “You do know that my brother doesn’t exactly like you, right?”

“Yes,” He said with a nod, “You do know that I don’t care, right?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “My point is, that taking me out late at night for hours on end is probably not something he’ll appreciate.”

He glanced at Libia, and a slow grin rose to his face. She scoffed, how did she know that wouldn’t deter him?

“So where are we going on this “Road Trip”?” She inquired, kicking her shoes off and shifting so that her feet were tucked beside her on the seat.

“Don’t know,” He murmured, as if musing to himself.

She raised her eyebrows as she leaned her elbows on the center console, putting her chin in her hands, and then laughed. “You’re crazy, Damon.”

He grinned, “But you still love me.”

She blinked , feeling her cheeks warm at the words, and said in a fli-pp@n-t voice, “I guess you’re right. Maybe I’m crazy too?”

He looked over at her. She looked so beautiful with her messy hair falling over her shoulder, her legs tucked beside her, and her big eyes looking up at him. She looked more relaxed than he had ever seen her, with that serene look on her face, despite the redness of her cheeks. He felt hopeless against her, and he wondered briefly if this would be the girl he married.

He hoped so.

She decided that she couldn’t convince him that what he was doing was a terrible idea, and stayed silent, as she lifted herself back up to a sitting position, getting comfortable for the potentially long ride. He fli-pped on the radio and turned it up when one of his favorite songs c@m£ on.

She closed her eyes with a small smile as the music filled the car with a happy atmosphere, and his hand found hers once again. She felt his thumb stro-ke the back of her hand methodically, and suddenly she was sleepy. But she didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to savor the feeling of his hand around hers, and the overall pres£nce of him. It was overwhelmingly there. She could feel it like a wave. It made her feel safe, happy, and also nervous, and jittery. Love was a double edged sword, and she was balanced right on the ti-p.

He was having a ha-rd time watching the road, as he wanted to look at her. But he favored her safety more than his own selfish de-sires, so he kept them glued in front of him.

“Libia,” He murmured as he reached over and turned the radio down, and her eyes opened, glad for the distraction against falling asleep.

“Yeah?”

“Tell me about your family.”

She tilted her head backwards to stair at the ceiling, murmuring, “What do you want to know?”

“What are your grandparents like? Do you have any Uncles or Aunts?”

She smiled slightly. “My mom was an only child, but my dad has four siblings, two older, and two younger. My grandparents on my mother’s side were like second parents to me. My grandmother on my dad’s side pas-sed away before I was born, and I don’t know Grandpa Chris well because dad doesn’t talk to him much. Granny Fillis and Grandpa Gray loved us very much. But Granny had been battling with cancer for years, and the treatments were too harsh on her frail b©dy. She died very suddenly, and I think it hurt Grandpa very much, because he fell de-ep down into depression. I didn’t think it was possible to die of a broken heart, but just a year after Granny pas-sed, he went with her. It hit us all ha-rd ,” She paused to wait for the lump in her throat to clear.

“I’m sorry,” He murmured, his voice soft.

She squee-zed his hand, which he’d slid back into hers a while ago.

“Now I have three Aunts – Dani, Janis, and Reese – and one Uncle – Lee – who is the eldest of the five of them including my dad, but dad only speaks to Lee, and Reese. Dani, Janis, Grandpa Chris and Dad had a bunch of drama happen around the time that he married my mom, and they haven’t spoken since. To this day, the story of their fight is legendary at our family get-together’s, so I’m sure that you’ll hear it when I bring you this year-,”

“Wait, you were serious about that?” Damon interrupted, looking at her with an amused smile.

“Of course I was! It’s going to be hilarious to watch you sweat – for some reason they’re all really protective of me.”

He glanced at her, the way her brown eyes seemed to burrow down into his heart and warm him to the core, and how small and fragile she looked beside him. He knew the reason.

“Anyway, my Uncle Lee is a funny guy – He’s really witty, and just pops off with jokes that most times aren’t appropriate at all to the situations. Aunt Reese has to sma-ck him a lot. She’s a lot more conservative and likes to dress me up in fancy clothes when she gets the chance – says I’m the perfect model because I look like a doll,” She scoffed, but she had a fond look on her face. She missed them.

Damon wanted to look at her face as she explained, so he pu-ll-ed into a rest st©p as they’d just gotten out of the outSk-irts of town, and shut off the car, turning to her.

She tilted her head at him, wondering what he was doing, and he held out a gesturing hand. “Go on.”

She gave a puzzled smile, but didn’t ask, instead continuing like he told her to.

“Now my mother may not have that many siblings, but all of the old friends my mother has from her high school have basically become family to us. Uncle Jason has always come to the reunions and been a big p@rt of our lives. He’s always been like a second father to me – giving me advice, taking me out fishing early in the mornings before breakfast at the usual meeting place for the family. He taught me things that my dad never could – not to say that he tried to replace him, or that he was better than him, or anything, it’s just that…Uncle Jason bec@m£ somewhat of a best friend to me. Aunt Izzy has been my mother’s best friend for as long as she’s lived in our home town. I believe if they had the time they’d make the trip to see each other more often. I know how much mom misses her. Izzy is crazy, and always goes with the flow. She refuses to get married because she says that marriage is a responsibility that she’ll take on when she’s seen all that she wants to. She comes to every reunion, even when she’s all the way across the world, she’ll suddenly just pop in and surprise us. I’ve never seen Izzy without a smile on her face accept for once, after…well after my dad left my mom. She c@m£ home after she heard the news, and I remember that’s the most serious I’d ever seen her, and the most furious. I hope I never have to see it again. That look on her face, on my mom’s face…it’s not something that you can just let go, you know?” Libia was suddenly serious, staring out the windshield as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

“Yeah,” He let out a gentle sigh, “I know.”

She let out a de-ep breath, before turning her head to look at him. “The cousins,” She continued, “Are who you really nee-d to worry about. Sherry, first and foremost, is a girl I’ve known since childhood, although she’s my second cousin and a good few years older than me, she’s extremely protective of me, like, lioness protective. You’ve been warned.”

He furrowed his eyebrows in worry, and she giggled. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

And then we have Vincent who isn’t actually a cousin, but he’s a friend of a cousin who lives with said cousin’s parents, so he’s technically family. Jennifer, who is a sweet girl, can pl@ythe piano like no other – she’s around eight years old, and I swear the kid’s a prodigy. Then there’s Chrissy, and she’s as sas-sy as she can be – get’s it from her Mom, Reese. Reese brings all of the cousins because they’re the children of my fore mentioned Aunt’s and Uncles that don’t speak to my father anymore – and they like the reunions so they come despite the drama between their Uncle. They feel it’s not their problem and I agree. A bunch of childish bu-tt heads if you ask me,” Libia shook her head with a roll of her eyes, “They’ve all got ha-rder heads than a billy goat.”

He let out a laugh, and she smiled.

“I honestly can’t wait to meet them, as afraid of this cousin as I am.”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she grinned over at him, and he laughed with her, relaxing against the seat.

“So, I have to ask, when do you usually have these family get together’s?”

“Every year on the fifteenth of October.”

He tilted his head.

“But the fifteenth…,” He looked at her, “That’s in two weeks!”

She smiled, a little sheepishly. “Yeah. We try to do it on a weekend so the kids can come.”

He took in a de-ep breath, and she watched with raised eyebrows, and amused smile on her face.

“Okay. Two weeks. That’s enough time…right?”

“Enough time for what?” She asked, taking his hand in both of hers as she tried to contain her smile.

“To prepare for death.”

She couldn’t help it – she let out a laugh that filled the car.

The next hour was full of light banter, and laughter. Libia tea-sed Damon about the trip in two weeks mercilessly, and he took it like a man…with a pout of his face and the silent treatment. Of course it was only for a few moments, before she leaned over and pressed a k!ssto his cheek which caused a smile to appear.

Libia expressed to Damon that she was just a bit tired, and he thought about it for a moment, before turning the radio up and fli-pping stations. He settled on a station that was pla-ying a remixed song. It was upbeat, and Libia found herself enjoying the music, as it kept her awake for the rest of the ride.

Damon sp©tted a rest st©p sign. He decided that would be the perfect place.

When he pu-ll-ed into the st©p, it was empty, without a soul in sight. There was little light, just a few to light up the pathways to the bathrooms and such, and he found the place strangely peaceful.

He shut the car off and turned to Libia, but her eyes had alre-ady turned up to the sun roof. They were big as they stared throu-gh the glas-s, mouth open in childlike awe.

“I haven’t seen stars like these since the last time I went star gazing with my dad,” She whispered, and her voice was nostalgic.

He took her hand, leaning his seat back. “Come here,” He murmured to her, using the electronic lever to push his seat backwards so he could stretch his legs out fully. She tilted her head for a second, before climbing over the center console and into his arms, as he made room for her to l@yon her back next to him. The seat was cramped, but she didn’t mind, and neither did he, as they stared up at the stars. In the silence, Libia could hear his heart beat, and his breathing clearly. She could feel his pulse against her own, and it was comforting. She didn’t want it to end. She was glad she didn’t st©p him from taking her out here. Even though she was nervous, being completely alone with him, she was also more peaceful than she had ever been.

“You told me that your dad cheated on your mom. Do you…hate him for it?”

She stared up at the big di-pper, and he could still see the sparkle of her eyes in the dark.

“No. I can’t hate him. He obviously loves this woman, that he met. I can’t blame him for that. But I res£nt his actions. Despite loving this woman, he still loves my mom too, just not the way he used to. I can see that he still cares for her. That’s why I hate how he handled this. He went behind mom’s back, instead of being a responsible, mature- no, instead of manning up and telling mom exactly what was going on. The toll it took on mom….,” She took in a de-ep breath. “I don’t hate him. I just…don’t like him very much right now.”

Damon let out a soft laugh, but it was ha-rd ly humorous. “I can un-derstand that.”

She turned on her side, and just looked at him for a moment. He didn’t ask her why. He didn’t speak at all. He only stared back, glad to have the chance to take a good look at her face. She had an extra dark freckle on the left side of her chin, and a piece of her hair fell over her face. She didn’t seem to notice it.

“Do you have any good memories with your family?” She murmured, reaching up to trace her f!ngersalong his jaw.

He furrowed his eyebrows, not troubled, but thinking, as he reached up to brush the strand of hair abs£ntly from her face.

“I have…one,” He murmured, thoughtful, “At least, that I remember clear enough. It was a time when my family was…at least civil, I think. My parents didn’t hate each other as much back then, I suppose I could say. I was around four years old. They took us to see my grandparents. It was the first time I’d met them. My grandpa was a stern man, but I remember when he would see me…I don’t know, he would soften up. My dad, grandpa and I went out to get food for everyone. But on the way there, the tire shredded. My grandpa always had a spare on hand, because the road was especially rou-gh where he lived. He took me out to help change the wheel, and…I don’t know, it was one of the only peaceful times I’ve ever had. He instructed me with a kind voice, and when I did something right, he would tousle my hair. I felt helpful, and nee-ded. My dad stood behind us smiling at me, like a real father. It may have been a dream…but you know those times where everything gets so soft and peaceful and just feels right? It felt that way, with my grandpa.”

The look in his eyes was soft, and they were distant, as if he were staring right throu-gh her.

“What happened? to your grandpa, I mean.”

“Dad…changed. You know what he’s like now. So did Mom. They cut off ties with anyone who tried to help them – to council them I guess. Our grandparents tried to take us for a while, Jack and Carol and I. That’s when they st©pped speaking to them. I…haven’t seen them in years,” His voice was rou-gh, with an edge of thickness. It was painful for him.

She pu-ll-ed herself close to him, pressing her face to his che-st as she gr!pp£dhis shi-t. “I’m sorry,” She murmured.

He wra-pped his arms around her, holding her to him like a lifeline.

“It’s not that I haven’t seen them for so long, that’s p@rt of it but….why do my parents have to drag us into their sick, twisted lives? Why do we have to be p@rty to their fighting, and screaming? Why do they feel the nee-d to torture us too?” He was venting now, and Libia knew that she had no answer, so she ti-ght£ñed her hold and just let him speak.

“I never wanted this! Why do they think I get drun!k? Why do they think I’m such a fv¢ked up child?” She flin-ched at the word, but never let go or tried to refute his words. “They’re insane, and they’re dragging us with them!” He held her so ti-ght that she could ba-rely breathe, but she knew that he nee-ded this.

She encircled her arms around him as best she could, holding onto the back of his shi-t as he buried his face in her hair. He wanted to lose himself in her scent. He didn’t want to remember any of it. He wanted to forget, if only for a moment.

She lifted her face from his che-st after a while of silence, and he pu-ll-ed back to look at her. Her eyes were soft and worried, and he let out a long sigh before pressing hisl-ips to hers in a brief k!ss.

“Hey,” He murmured, his voice still slightly rou-gh. “Do you want to dance?”

She raised a brow. “Dance?”

“Yeah,” He gestured outside, “Let’s dance.”

She tilted her head, and then smiled. “I suppose we could.”

I would be cold, but she knew that he didn’t want to think about it anymore. He wanted to enjoy his time with her.

He flung open the door and got out so she could as well. And as she stood beside him, he sat back in the front seat and switched on the radio, fli-pping it until he got to a certain song that he liked. He turned it up enough that we could hear it, but not too loud that it was disturbing, and then got out of the car.

Libia was suddenly blu-shing from her cheeks to her toes, as he backed her out onto the pavement of the wi-de walkway, and his eyes never left hers. She’d only ever slow danced once, and that was with her cousin at the reunion, when she was fourteen. Damon was not a thirteen year old boy with acne and a goofy smile. He was masculine, and his pres£nce was almost overwhelming. He felt solid and comforting. He towered over her, and she never realized just how much she had to look up when it c@m£ to him. She couldn’t look away from his eyes, as his hands found her w@!st, inti-mately c@r£ss!ngher skin there. She felt nervous as he took her other hand, and she set hers on his shoulder.

“Damon,” She murmured, her voice hesitant as he pu-ll-ed her close and they began to move.

“Yeah,” He whispered, as if afraid to break the peaceful silence.

“Do you think we’ll be together for a long time?”

He stared up at the sky as she pressed her cheek to his che-st, listening to his heartbeat. He didn’t know how to answer. He hoped that she’d be with him for the rest of his life, but would that scare her? He didn’t want to make her think about a distant future possibility like that – she’d start thinking about the possible outcomes. One being a broken heart.

So he simply answered, “I hope so.”

She squee-zed his hand, and smiled against his che-st.

“Me too.”
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Tbc