Beyond Broken(57)

"Tainted."

Maddie's lips parted and she repeated incredulously, "Tainted?"

He nodded and for a moment, Maddie felt guilty, like she was pumping him for information because she knew that if he was sober, he would've been tight-lipped.

"For so long," he whispered and the pain in his voice made Maddie tear up. He put his head in his hands. "Two years. Two fuckin' years."

Maddie sucked in a breath because she knew what he was referring to. It had gone on for that long? "Caleb," she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He flinched again and raised his head, his eyes dark, pupils dilated. "Please, don't touch me."

She lifted her hands immediately, raising them so he could see her palms. "I won't. I promise."

"You know," he said, looking at her. "I know you know. I wish you didn't."

"Know what?" she asked. She needed to hear him confirm it. She didn't know why, because if he told the truth, it would hurt. But she needed it.

"What she did to me. You know." He slid down the bathroom wall, like his body was too heavy, and Maddie crouched down in front of him. He shook his head. "You know why I sleep there?"

"Where?"

He pointed out the bathroom door and Maddie guessed that he meant the living room. "She never touched me there."

A strange sound rang in her ears and then she heard a muffled sob. She only realized it had come from her when Caleb raised his head. She didn't know what to say, what to think. All she wanted to do was embrace him, but she couldn't even do that.

"I wish," she whispered, "that-"

She cut herself off. Wished what? That she'd known? That she could've stopped it? What would she have said? If Caleb's uncle was his guardian and his own wife was doing sick things to his nephew, would Caleb have been taken away? Is that why he hadn't told anyone?

"I wish I could've been there for you," she finally settled on.

Caleb closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. "I wouldn't have wanted that for you. You shouldn't even be here now." 

His words confused her and she'd just opened her mouth to ask him why when the doorbell rang.

"What the hell," he murmured.

"It's the food," she told him. For a moment, she debated ignoring the door so that she could stay with him. But when the doorbell rang again a minute later, she pushed off the floor and told him, "I'll be right back."

She tugged open the front door and rifled through her purse for a twenty, telling the teenaged driver to keep the change. Setting the hot pizza box and the liter of club soda on the living room table, she went back to the bathroom, only to find that Caleb had shut the door. Maddie heard the shower running and only briefly waited before returning to the living room. Her appetite had disappeared after what Caleb told her, so she perched on the couch and stared at the dark screen of the TV.

Maddie was just about to go check on him when he appeared in the doorway, freshly showered, but pale. He'd probably thrown up again, so Maddie poured him a glass of the club soda she'd ordered to settle his stomach. She gave him a small smile when he drank it down. Hopefully it would make him feel better. Or, at the very least, hydrate him.

His dark hair looked black when it was wet and she realized he'd pulled on a fresh pair of dark grey sweats and yet another black t-shirt. How many black t-shirts did this man own?

She nodded over to the pizza box. "Do you want to try and eat?"

He looked queasy at the suggestion. "No."

She shrugged. "Well, you can have some in the morning. Greasy pizza is always good for hangovers."

"Speaking from experience?" he asked, collapsing on the couch. He ended up partially on the arm rest because he'd misjudged the distance, but didn't seem to care.

"Everyone has their drunken college days."

His eyes closed again and he rested his head on the back of the couch. "Never went to college."

"Oh, right," she whispered, wanting to smack herself. She wondered if Caleb had wanted to go to college, but didn't because of his uncle's business.

Maddie stood there awkwardly, wondering if she should leave or stay. He seemed better than when they'd arrived at his house and she was certain that he'd be able to take care of himself now, even though she'd been fussing over him like a mother hen.

For a second, Maddie thought he'd fallen asleep again, but then he murmured, "Tell me something."

"What about?" she asked, gently lowering herself onto the couch.

"Anything." He let out a loud breath. "Tell me a good thing. From when you were young. Something that made you happy."

Something that had made her happy from when she was young? Maddie's heart ached as she thought over his request. Did he want to know because his younger years hadn't been happy? From what he'd told her in the bathroom, it was easy for Maddie to believe.