"When your day is long and the night, the night is yours alone. When you're sure you've had enough of this life, Well hang on. Don't let yourself go cause everybody cries," Everybody hurts, R.E.M

My time here at the Lawrence mansion was oddly peaceful. I could come here after a hard day of school and not be stressed out by what I was going to find. It was an extremely alleviating feeling compared to the first few weeks of work. But nothing in the entire world would compare to this moment.

"Ngh..." I mumbled, blinking my eyes open to the harsh sunlight that permeated the room as I shifted slightly in the super caesar bed, my head relaxing in the cushion of the pillow as I slowly ran my hand through my cat's curls, feeling her hot breath of the skin of my stomach. I closed my eyes once again, feeling warm and content as Jigglypuff's limbs wrapped themselves tightly around my waist, her face burrowing into my stomach with a sigh. Ah, such life was good and it was even greater when she stroked my side slowly, her chest pressing into my pelvis as her soft sighs of contentment filled the air mingling with the sound of classical music.

Wait a motherfucking second.

First of all, my fucking cat didn't have that much hair, let alone long curls that took my hands forever to get through. Second of all, my fucking cat didn't have long enough arms to wrap her arms around my waist and tighten them. Third of all, she didn't have big enough paws to stroke my side nor a long enough body to be able to fit between my legs and she definitely didn't have the mannerism or the anatomy to sigh.

With that sudden realization, my eyes snapped open with the quickness to see the truth. Oh damn, I never went home last night. I gulped slowly, eyes fixating on the high ceiling above. I slowly looked around to see a pink crib to my right and a tall door to my left. I slowly traveled my gaze to see that my shirt had risen up and a tanned face was embedded to my stomach, my hand rolling through brown locks. My heartbeat gradually picked up as I peered down to the arms that were contrasting with my fair waist, putting together that he was laying in between my legs and he was cuddling me. 

Oh my motherfuck.

My cheeks wasted no time at all and they started to burn, feeling hot to the touch. I opened my mouth to speak, maybe stop his slight drooling or his purring, but it just wouldn't function. My heart was rapidly beating, going to town inside of my ribcage. This really happened, like this was no joke at all. I was really laying here in this bed that didn't belong to me, being held to death by Nishan. Did I perhaps have too much to drink last night?

I didn't even have a sip of water.

Holy shit, I was really being held tightly. There were no words that could be used to formulate a single sentence when I looked at him and saw how peaceful and relaxed he was. Gone was the furrow in between his brows and that dead set firm frown on his lips. Here was the soft grin that graced his lips as he rubbed his forehead against my skin, enticing a shiver from me. I had to have been dreaming because there was no way that Nishan would willingly allow me in his bed, let alone suffocate me. 

Well, that logic would've been true had he not have been trying to diminish the root of all evil that made him partial to gays. Without that root, I was just like any other person. The only difference was instead of him trying to push me away, he did everything he could to pull me in and there was no way that I could feel about that.

"Hey, hey, Ni," I poked his cheek, garnering a stir from him. "Stop touching me, man," He hissed in that husky voice of his, bucking his head at my head. My mind was screaming at me to flee the scene like it was nobody's business, but my heart was too calm and blissful at the act of domestication. Laying here like this almost felt completely normal as if it was something I did on a daily basis.

Stop it, Ezra. 

I poked him once more to see if that would make him move off of me so I could make my grand escape, but all that did was make him move up to my chest. The clean and earthy scent of his shampoo drifted into my nostrils as his hand gripped my side, a silent squeak leaving my lips. I could feel his bare torso seeping into the naked skin of my stomach and I wanted to evaporate on the spot when my groin started to stir.

I wiped my eyes once more, irritation evident from leaving my contacts in. I groaned in annoyance, knowing that once he woke up, I was going to make up him wash my eyes out with a saline solution for my pain and suffering. 

Why was this happening to me right now? Why didn't I go home last night? Why did it have to rain last night? I'd be home with my cat, not worried about my eyes itching and all that jazz, not worried about someone laying next to me without my knowing. 

But instead, I was here.

Why didn't I budge? Why didn't I say no? Why did I let him pull me into the bed, knowing full well that if I wanted to, he'd let me leave? Was it because he wanted me to stay? No. That was just the icing on the cake. The real flavor lied in the fact that deep down inside, I knew that I wanted to stay.

"I can practically hear ya thinkin'," I heard a groan from below and Nishan started to blink his eyes open but decided he wanted to stay asleep. "Stop it. It's fuckin' irritating," He shot at me all the while clutching me closer to him. Guess someone wasn't a morning person. But that meant that he was entirely coherent and he knew that it was me that was in this bed with him and he didn't question it. I had no idea what this man was thinking but one thing was clear. When I arrived, he was trembling and shaking from his nightmare that no doubt included Easton and his disgusting ways but after I laid down with him, his body instantly calmed. 

"Jeez, Ezra, what is happening?" I rubbed my face, trying to make my blush go down. I felt warm despite the soft and cool air circulating in the room and I felt safe and protected, which was odd considering I could protect myself.

I heard a chuckle from the doorway and the fear inside of me began to take heed. "Aw, how cute," I nearly died inside, seeing Eve standing there in a gold dress, her arms folded with a gleeful smirk as she leaned on the doorframe. With a hiss of annoyance, Nishan all but reached over and grabbed the nearest pillow, hurling it her way.

"Get out, mom."

There was a thankful gleam in Eve's eyes as she caught the pillow, staring at the two of us. I knew that it looked compromising and all, but I just didn't know to apologize. Finally, she walked over and instead of yelling at me and threatening to fire me, she handed me the pillow, a contented murmur ready on her lips. "Thank you," She mouthed to me, gripping her son's bare shoulder before she turned and she walked straight out of the room. What was she thinking me for? I had done nothing.

"Shit," Nishan slowly rose up from the dead, his hair covering his face as he sighed, waking up. I stayed still in case he didn't fully realize that it was me and not some chick that he let come home with him. "What time is it, Ezra?" I blinked when he addressed me by name, coming to the conclusion that he was not all drunk or high, just exhausted. "Um, 10:42," I whispered, looking on the digital clock. "Fuck," He cursed, leaning all the way up over me as he pushed his hair back, his green and brown eyes fixating on me. "Fix your face. You look stupid," He grumbled, ruffling my hair before he got up, dragging the comforter with him.

Somehow, I knew there was no hint in that insult because he was pointing out my look of bewilderment. "Here," I watched as he ruffled through his drawers, the basketball shorts hanging low on his hips, exposing that deep line of his. I could literally feel my mouth watering itself and I mentally punched myself in the face to stop these indecent and unholy thoughts. I didn't know where I got off, acting like that, like I didn't have any class.

"You can wear that," Nishan threw a black shirt at me as well as a pair of small red joggers. "It should fit you or it shouldn't," He drawled. "Either way, that's what ya got," He closed the drawer and waved a hand at me as he descended into his bathroom, chuckling to himself. I rolled my eyes, flipping him off behind his back before making my way to the bathroom next door to get myself ready for whatever.

In the shower with the hot steam and water, I had a lot to think about. After seeing everyone so dedicated to fixing their lives, after seeing Nishan so committed to trying to rid his mind of the negative thoughts and moving past what Easton had done to him, I decided that I was going to try to do the same as well.

Even if I believed it or not, I knew that I was still emotionally traumatized by what happened to me in high school. I knew I was because I let it follow me into my path of adulthood. I had let it morph me into this person that I wasn't before and even if I knew that there was no point of fighting it because that was how I dealt with things, something had to change. I had to grow in order to move on and become that person. I needed to be that Ezra Moore. I needed to invoke change. I needed to be the change. 

Once I was dried off and dressed, eyeballs clean with a fresh pair of contacts that had my name on it (I had no idea who brought it in), I walked back over to feed Noelani. Chevonne had left a bottle of formula on the dresser for me, so I went ahead and picked her up, putting the bottle to her greedy lips. "I have never seen a cute baby like you," I kissed Noelani's forehead, singing to her. "Who knows how to brighten my day better than you?" I continued to sing, letting my voice go. "There's a light above shining because of you," Noelani's bright green eyes stared into my own and I got so lost, that I didn't even hear the bathroom door open.

I saw that the bottle was empty, so I put it down and put her over my shoulders, gently patting her back. She let out a soft hum as a burp left her lips. I giggled and tried for one more, watching as she yawned in my ear, letting me know that she was sleepy. I held her for a little longer, making sure that all of her spittle from her burps was all out and she would sleep with ease. Cautiously, I placed her back in her crib, watching her settle in.

This was too domestic for me but it was so cute. 

"How cute," I nearly jumped six feet in the ear as a voice behind me spoke. I whirled around on my feet to see Nishan leaning against the frame of the bathroom door, toweling his wet hair. He started chuckling, seeing as he scared me. "How long have you been standing there?" I asked, hoping that he didn't hear me sing. "Enough," He muttered vaguely giving me a fixed look, eyes scanning my figure in his clothes. I sighed in utter exasperation, spotting my cleaning kit by the door. "Dick," I mumbled, looking away from the big ass smirk on his lips as I walked towards the door.

I ignored Nishan following me as I decided what I was going to clean today. It was a Saturday and I had no need to be here, but I was. Once I was in the hallway, a Chief of Police off duty glued to my back, I started towards the main area of the house.

"Ezra, how did you know you were gay?" 

I nearly dropped my entire cleaning kit, sputtering with distaste. "W-what do you mean?" I questioned, making sure that my contacts were on correctly and my ears were free of wax because that couldn't have been what came out of his mouth. "You heard me." Nishan folded his arms as I turned around, looking at him with indignation, picking my words wisely.

"I never said I was gay." I mean, I tried not to make it too obvious nor give any signs that I liked the same sex. I mean, Travis didn't even know it himself and he was the second closest person to me. I had clear faith in my cloaking skills, so I had no choice but to lie my ass off. "Oh, really?" Nishan pursed his pink lips together, taking a step towards me as I stepped back to the wall, unsure of what the hell he was doing.

"So, if I get this close to you," I could literally feel his intense body heat pouring into my front as I trailed my eyes from his stomach to his chest, gulping audibly. "You find no type of attraction to me?" He raised a brow, looking at my reddened cheeks. "N-no..." I bit my lip, wincing as my voice came out high with a stutter. I couldn't deny that I was really attracted to him and he knew it. Nishan chuckled, shaking his head with a grin donning his lips.

"Lies." He seemed oddly pleased to know that I didn't try to deny it any further. What did he want with that information? Why was it important if I found an attraction to him or not? "You're an asshole," I grumbled, fixing my face real quick. I heard a deep and throaty laugh as he tapped my cheek, his aura relaxed and content. It was so weird to see him like this around me when he built all of those walls of hatred. Somehow, I managed to bulldoze my way in. 

"I aim to please, Ezra Moore," Nishan clicked his teeth, the pupils in his mismatched eyes unusually dilated as he peered down at me, an unconscious smile morphing his lips. It was so magnetic because I found that I followed suit without me even realizing it. "Are you sure about that?" I muttered rapidly and he stayed on with every word despite how fast I said it. I didn't know but it seemed that I became extremely comfortable with my habits around him, and he gave me no grief at all. I just didn't know what he was trying to get at with this complete 180 in personality.

I would never understand this man.

All of a sudden, a chime sounded through the house and as it would normally be Michael's job to answer it, he was doing something else. Nishan groaned and fixed his casual tee and grey sweatpants, running a hand through his hair. Part of me thought that he looked effortlessly attractive, but I wasn't going to say anything.

"Hold on, the doorbell is ringing," I nodded, watching him walk away and down the hall to where the door was. I sighed as I pushed myself off of the wall, going to adjust the frames. "Um, I'm not sure if you're supposed to be here," I heard a dark voice growing with defense, the sound of the door creaking to close. "I'll go see if he wants you here or not," I furrowed my brows in confusion, hearing Nishan's voice as the door shut. "What's the problem?" I questioned, walking around the corner to step into the foyer as he made his way towards me, a look of warning and concern marring those features.

"They say they know you," His voice was calculated as if he was trying to pick certain words to say to me. "Who?" I asked and he tentatively stepped over a bit just so that I could see the door. When my eyes landed on the glass, my body went rigid and my eyes widened in complete shock. "N-no," My voice trembled vehemently and I could feel tears springing to my eyes as their harsh words replayed in my mind. "No," I wanted to shake my head and hope that this was all just some fucked up dream, but judging by the look on Nishan's face and the bodies moving outside, it was a cold reality.

I could feel my airways constricting as my hands shook with immense velocity. I knew an attack was coming on. I felt a hand grab mine tightly, causing all of my attention to focus on that tanned hand. "Breathe, Ezra." I heard a deeply concerned voice whisper into my ear but my pants just got heavier and heavier. "H-how did they find me?" I wanted to breathe, but I couldn't. All of the fears that I had been running away from just slapped me across the face as I stared at the glass door, frozen to the spot.

Standing at the door were two people I hadn't seen in almost four years.

Them.

My parents.

Emmanuel and Joella Moore.