❝it's something rare and beautiful when people can confide in each other without fearing what the other person will think.❞
― e.a. bucchianeri, brushstrokes of a gladfly 

charlie
duDE 

SKEETER 

ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?! 

skeeter
uh

i guess?

holy shit where am i 

where are YOU

charlie 
i'm in DC dumbass 

skeeter
if you're in DC,
then i must be ─ 

charlie 
yep 😉

skeeter 
hOLY SHIT 

charlie 
please don't tell
me you just jumped
out of keanu's bed in
shock and panic 

skeeter
no 

i jumped out of bed
in shock and panic but
 there's no keanu in sight 

i slept in the
 guest room

oh god what
the fuck 

charlie 
are you fully-clothed?

skeeter
yes!

charlie 
okay then there's
nothing to worry about 

skeeter
i just checked the time
and it's 7 am in LA 😪

my body clock is messed
up and this is because of
switzerland 

charlie 
also because you just won
a life-changing medical
award but no biggie 

skeeter
oh god i did
 that too?

charlie 

skeeter

charlie 
cordelia anne, are you
still drunk on wine and
cheese?! 

skeeter
uh i think this is
just the jet-lag 🥴

i need food 

charlie 
food = keanu aka
your boyfriend 

btw, it may or may
not told your brothers
that you have a boyfriend 

skeeter
okay 

charlie 
wha ─ you're not even
mad and freaking out?

skeeter
i'll do that later 

now, i think
 i need a shower 

charlie 
ohhhh go ask keanu if
he wants to join you 🤪
good for the environment! 

skeeter
no 

charlie 
okay but i'm so proud of
you for finding this healthy
relationship 

it's such an UPGRADE
from the last one 

like this is chanel and
the last one was walmart

skeeter
haha i think i still have a
relationship because i
haven't told keanu everything
yet 

it sucks when you
have too much
baggage 😔

charlie
that's okay! i have
complete faith in
keanu 

skeeter
what'd you say to him? 

charlie 
just that i might become
an anonymous source and
tell the tabloids his secret
to immortality 

skeeter
haha you go do
that, charlie

charlie
oh and 

skeeter
oH MY GOD
THERE'S MORE?! 

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED WHEN
 I TOOK THAT 13 HOUR FLIGHT 

charlie 
gurl, last time we talked you
had just arrived at keanu's
place and basically passed
out on the bed

but anyway 

the today show called 

skeeter
why would they
call you?

oh my god did your dance
moves finally go viral 

charlie 
no my AWESOME dance
moves did not go viral 

they called because of you 

skeeter
haha happy april fools
 to you too, charlie

charlie
it's the end of september 

they called because they
asked how to get in touch
with you and if i could
comment about how i felt
about your award 

skeeter
and?

charlie
i said no comment HAHAHAHAHA
that's okay, right? 

skeeter
uh i guess? 

i don't know
how this works 

let's just go with
 no comment 

charlie
okay! 

⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ────── ⊰

"Skeeter!" 

"Ah! What the ─ Keanu, why would you do that?!" 

Keanu howled with laughter after she had emitted a shriek of panic and her eyes had gone wide in fear. He had sneaked up quietly behind her and Skeeter was none the wiser as she was focusing too much on the movie playing with a bowl of Cheetos in her lap. He was still laughing as he watched Skeeter frantically clean the Cheetos explosion. 

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed frantically. "I made a mess." Skeeter locked gazes with him, a different kind of fear in her blue eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." 

His laughter had died down at the sight of her expression and the tone of her voice. Keanu went around the couch and knelt beside her, picking up pieces of Cheetos found everywhere on the floor. 

Skeeter stood up quickly. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up. I promise." 

Keanu gently pried the bowl away from her fingers and interlocked his fingers with Skeeter's trembling ones. "Skeeter, you're shaking." He lowered his head, leveling his eyes with hers. He tried to search for answers in her eyes. 

He loved gazing into Skeeter's eyes because they would always show what she was feeling. When she was happy, it was the bright sky accompanied with her smile that bled sunshine. When she was scared or sad, her blue eyes would have storms in them or the untamed waves of the ocean. Unfortunately, the latter was what he saw in that moment. 

"It's okay, it's okay." He assured her. "I spooked you. It was an accident. It's fine." 

Skeeter nodded her head and sat back down on the sofa with Keanu mimicking her actions. She slumped her shoulders, hoping that it would shield her from the embarrassment she was feeling. She needed to tell him. The secret was buried deep in her soul but lately ─ ever since that night under the rain ─ it felt like it was going to pounce out of her like some sort of tiger or shark. 

"He hurt me." Skeeter blurted out. The white floor carpet was suddenly so interesting to look at. "My ─ uh ─ last boyfriend he really hurt me. It wasn't physical just verbally. Uhm ─ mostly yelling."

Keanu quirked an eyebrow. "Just verbally? Skeeter, that's still abuse." 

"I know!" She exclaimed, looking at him. "I knew it was abuse and I knew it was wrong but ─ " She bit her lower lip as tears had formed in her eyes. " ─ it took me years to go to the police because I loved him and I didn't want him to get in trouble! It took me even longer to leave him because I thought he could still change!" The tears had flowed down her face like water escaping a dam. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." 

"Skeeter, you're safe now. It's not your fault; it wasn't ever your fault. " 

Skeeter nodded meekly and composed herself, squaring her shoulders and steadying her breathing. Skeeter took his hand and looked him dead in the eye. "I'm telling you this because you don't deserve to have someone who cries at a raised voice or over a stupid bowl of Cheetos. You need to know this part of my life even if it happened years ago. So, if you want to call this thing between us off, I won't blame you. A lot of people can't handle damaged goods." 

Keanu brushed the pad of his thumbs over her tear-stained cheeks. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Are you sure?" 

"Very." 

Skeeter's lips quirked up into a small smile. She leaned forward and gently kissed his lips, smiling when she felt Keanu respond quite fervently. Pulling away, she laid her head on his chest and circled her arms around his waist. "Thank you." She told him, looking up at his brown eyes. "You don't know how much this means to me ─ you not leaving, I mean." 

Keanu kissed her forehead. "Of course, mon amour (my love)."

Skeeter snuggled deeper into his chest. "Hmmm. . .I like that one better." 

Chuckling, Keanu laid down on the sofa, completely contented with having Skeeter's form lay on top of his. "What movie are we watching?" 

"Coraline."

"This is a cartoon?"

"Yes but it's fucking scary so I need you here with me." 

Keanu ran a hand through her brown hair. "We should get some food and I don't mean chips."

"Breakfast can wait."

"It's already lunch, Skeeter."

"After this movie. Please?" She pleaded, staring up at him with wide eyes and pouted lips. "This is the part where Coraline escapes!" 

Keanu had no choice but to willingly (and gladly) comply. 

⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ────── ⊰

THE IMMORTAL HUMAN IS CALLING! 

ANSWER | DECLINE 

"Hello, suspiciously unaging human being. Why are you calling me at this hour? Do you need to drink my blood to maintain your youthful looks?" 

"Hi, Charlie. And no." 

"Oh."

"You sound disappointed." 

"It's relief actually. But, anyway, why'd you call? Is Skeeter okay?"

"Yeah. She's fine. She ─ uh ─ told me. She told me about what happened to her." 

"Ah. . .so. . .how are we feeling about this? Personally, I feel like I've been very helpful to both of you today. How about you?" 

"I feel pretty happy that she told me. That's good, right? It means I'm someone important to her?"

"Hm. . .possibly. Listen, Keanu. When Skeeter tells you about that horrible part of her life, it's not going to be all at once. The trauma is just too much. It's going to come in pieces and soon enough you'll get the whole picture. Just refrain yourself from punching the wall when you do." 

"Shit. It's that bad?" 

"Uh-huh." 

"Tell me that son of a bitch is rotting in jail right now."

"Twenty-five years without parole." 

"Good." 

"By the way, how'd she cry when she told you?"

"What?"

"Like did Skeeter just shed a tear or was it full out wailing?"

"Uh. . .she was crying but silently?"

"Hm. She's getting better."

"Better? Still broke my heart at seeing her cry." 

"Buddy, you don't want a front row seat to the Sad Skeeter show."

"I wouldn't mind."

"Wow. You're whipped."

"Uh ─ " 

"Anyway, go to sleep. God knows what Skeeter tricked you into doing at four in the morning."

"We watched Disney movies. I swear." 

"No need to sound so defensive."

". . .okay." 

"And, Keanu?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for staying with her." 

AUTHOR'S NOTE 
hi!! i'm excited to write this part of skeeter's story and it's been something i've decided on since the beginning of this fic so i left some "clues" throughout some of the previous chapters hehe 

in light of this, i'd like to help people who have been through the same type of situation too. it's said that domestic violence has risen since the start of lockdown. abuse is not only physical; it can be mental and emotional too. 

here are some helpful materials: 

❖ How To Recognize the Signs of Mental & Emotional Abuse: https://www.healthline.com/health/signs-of-mental-abuse 

❖ Hotline for those in the Philippines: https://pcw.gov.ph/vawc-hotlines-during-community-quarantine/

❖ USA Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/ 

❖ Why domestic violence victims don't leave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1yW5IsnSjo 

if you have hotline numbers for your countries/place, don't be afraid to drop them here. 

a trigger warning for the upcoming chapters: MENTIONS OF ABUSE AND VIOLENCE. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. 

┌─────── ∘°❉°∘ ───────┐

𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴
𝘂𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻
𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲
𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿.
― 𝗨𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻

└─────── °∘❉∘° ───────┘