Somniphobia

Chapter 9. Love birds

Caleb and Aria were sitting in the living room watching cartoons cuddled up together in a blanket. "You okay princess?" "Y-yes d-daddy." Both of them quiet only laughing when they found something funny in the cartoon.

There was a knock at the door startling Aria. "Easy princess." Caleb sat her onto the couch so he could get up to open the door.

"D-daddy." She whimpered not wanting to be away from him. "I'll be quick baby. It's Aaron and his Girlfriend." He explained trying to comfort her.

He quickly ran to the door letting Aaron and his Girlfriend Lilly inside. "Come in guys." He greeted them walking quickly back to the living room so Aria wouldn't be afraid. "Aria baby come meet Aaron's girlfriend." He called her over.

She walked slowly towards Caleb hiding behind Caleb nervously recognizing the girl. Lilly waved at Aria trying to make her more comfortable. "Hi my name is Lilly what's yours?" "I-I'm A-Aria." Caleb looked down at Aria feeling proud of her for being so brave.

"Let's sit me and Aria were watching cartoons you guys can join us if you'd like." Caleb said. Aaron and Lilly walking towards the couch with Aria following holding Caleb's hand. "Yeah we'd like that." Aaron replied sitting on the other end of the couch with Lilly.

Caleb picked Aria up settling her on his lap to cuddle close to him wrapping both himself and her in the blanket.

"D-daddy." "Yes princess." She looked up at him but didn't speak. He could tell something was wrong because her eyes began to swell up with tears.

"Do you wanna go in the room for a moment?" She nodded her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. Caleb wrapped her legs around his waist carrying her. "We will be back in a little." He told Aaron and Lilly. He carried her upstairs to their bedroom.

"What's wrong baby?" He asked when he put her down on the bed kneeling down while wiping her tears away. "Tell daddy what's wrong baby?" she looked into his eyes trying her best to calm down.

Aria remembered Lilly from a while back. Lilly's mother and Arias mom were best friends so Aria met Lilly and tried to be friends with her but Lilly was very mean and abusive towards Aria.

She tried to tell her mother but her mother blamed her and didn't really care much about it anyway. "I-I k-know h-her." She tried to explain but she kept remembering all the horrible things Lilly did to her.

"Who baby?" "L-Lilly." She hugged Caleb crying afraid of the girl who was downstairs. "S-she w-was m-mean a-and a-abused m-me w-when w-we w-were l-little. I-I k-know I-it w-was a l-long t-time a-ago b-but I-it's s-stupid."

She struggled explaining feeling stupid for even bringing it up but it was something she always had a hard time healing from as a little girl.

"Hey shhh it's not stupid princess. If it bothers you that she's here and she hurt you I don't want her in my house and making you uncomfortable."

"S-she t-told m-me I-I w-would n-never h-have a-any f-friends b-because I-I w -was a f-freak w-who s-stutters." She explained one of the things that hurt her the most that stuck with her till this day.

Caleb kissed her cheek wiping more tears away. "Shh baby that's not true you have Aaron and me princess you don't need anyone else. I won't let anyone else hurt you I love your stutter I would never want you to change that about yourself. It doesn't make you any different from anyone your beautiful in your own way." He comforted her trying to calm her down.

"Your daddy's beautiful brave little princess aren't you baby?" He praised her kissing her lips. "Y-yes d-daddy." He kissed her lips once more loving the way his name sounded rolling off her lips.