#i... like this

Back to present day. She was at his house, staring out the window. The snowfall outside was pretty, but it was falling concerning fast. 

“I’m gonna stop by Cara’s place, and then go home, the snow is getting pretty deep,” She said to Missouri, turning away from the window. She grabbed her bag, and he pulled her into a kiss, his arms around her waist. 

When he ended the kiss, he still didn’t let her go. He looked down at her, kissing her forehead. “Are you sure you have to go...? I’d much prefer it if you stayed.” 

“Mmm.. it wouldn’t be the worse thing if I got stuck here.” Maine smiled at him. “But I did promise Cara, I haven’t seen her since...” She counted on her fingers. “4 days ago. Tuesday.” 

“Are you sure? It doesn’t seem safe out there, there could be ice on the road. And what if something happens and you can’t call for help?” He brushed her hair carefully from her forehead, and she saw worry in his eyes. And also something else. 

Maine had seen that look before, and still didn’t know what it was. She saw it in arguments, before he slapped her. It had only happened twice, and instantly he had pulled her into his arms, saying he was sorry. Begging her to forgive him, it won’t happen again. He had let his anger get in the way, he would never hurt her. 

And she loved him. So she had both times. 

Now, she tried to ignore the look. “If something happens, I’ll contact you right away. I’ll be fine, everything is going to be alright,” She said in a reassuring tone, smiling softly. 

Silence for a moment. Then he held her tighter. Too tight. “No, No, that won’t do. You’ll stay here, it’s safe here.” 

“Missouri? Love, you’re hurting me.” She said, stroking the side of his face. “Everything will be fine, don’t worry.” 

“I’m sorry... But.” He sighed, “It’s for your own good.” He began to pull her, toward the music room. 

Her heart skipped a beat, but not in the sweet I’m-so-in-love way it usually was. This was fear. She knew it well after living with her drunk father for nine years. “Missouri. Stop it, I know your worried but that give you no right to pull me ar-” 

“I have every right, it’s for your own good and you’re mine.”

He had used the word ‘mine’ before. ‘My Angel’ while peppering her forehead with kisses. ‘I can’t believe your mine, all mine.’ in a soft voice while she was falling asleep on his shoulder. But never had she heard it with such force.

Despite her protests, and attempts to pull away, she ended up in the music room anyway. He pushed some instruments aside, and they fell to the ground with a loud clatter, making Maine flinch. Something broke off one of them but Missouri didn’t even seem to care. Behind were the instruments had been, there were... chains. She was so startled that she stop resisting for a second, and that second was all the time Missouri needed to clamp them around her wrists. 

And then he let her go. She stared her hands, and the chains around them. Trying desperately to ignore the dark stain on them. Like they had been used before. 

She looked back up at Missouri, and he carefully brushed tears from her face. She hadn’t realized she had been crying. “It’s for your own good, I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this.” 

He gathered the instruments, put them all in there respective cases, and stacked them up in the corner. Picked up the broken pieces and threw them away. Closed the blinds on the single window. and removed all other items from the room. 

And then he left, and she heard the door lock. She sank to her knees.

Then suddenly - without the light from the window, the brightly color decorations, and him... this no longer felt like her safe place. 

It just felt... cold.

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