Page 73 of Left In The Dark

He nods, fingers curling as I push the piece of wood out enough to pull it free with the tweezers.

“Got it,” I say, tossing everything back in the bag, and when I take out a Band-Aid he gives me his hand again.

“You did so good,” I say. “The pain should go away soon.” I secure the bandage around him and kiss the tip of his finger. “My mom used to do that whenever I hurt myself falling off my bike, and she said it was supposed to help.”

He looks at our connecting hands. “The Band-Aid has dogs on it.”

“Yeah.” I laugh. “That’s all my roommate’s doing.”

His eyes jump to mine. “You have a roommate?”

“Yeah.” I let go of his hand, and as I’m standing up, he grabs onto my wrist.

“We haven’t finished the book yet.” His nails bite into my skin.

“Yeah, and that’s why I left it here, so you could read it on your own.”

“I liked it better when you read it. My eyes keep getting too tired and . . . and humans read, and I . . . I—”

“You what?” I lean down, stroking his cheek.

“I think I’m a better listener than a reader. I like to be able to quietly take in the story while . . . while—”

“Being my piglet?”

He oinks twice and fuck, the things that does to me. I can’t walk away from him as easily as before. This whole thing was supposed to teach him a lesson, but it was also supposed to be degrading, and it was at first. I saw the shame in his eyes and now it’s hardly there. He’s leaning into the role so naturally, like it’s a big part of him now. It’s not so much about being treated like an animal anymore, it’s more about taking a break from the harsh realities and having someone else do the heavy lifting for once.

He needs me more this way too. He handles pain and rough days better in this headspace.

“Do you need me to stay longer, piglet?”

He’s still hesitating before admitting to what he wants. He looks down at his feet, slipping his hand from mine, and nods, tucking his chin inward.

“Let me hear you say yes.”

His eyes slowly meet mine and he lets out the sweetest sounds when he answers me. “Oink . . . oink.”

I card my fingers through his hair. “Piglets can only do so much for themselves. Good thing I came at the right moment.”

He lets out little snorts, rubbing his face against my legs, and then he taps the books with his nails.

I bark out a laugh. “Okay, okay.” I sit on the mattress and he presses his body to mine, looking over my shoulder as I read to him. When I’m done, he rolls around and hits the mini fridge with his nose. No, not his nose, his snout.

I pet between his ears and open the fridge. His gaze lands on a container of chopped up apples, and he opens it, setting it on the ground by my feet. He wiggles his ass, trying to show how happy he is to have me here doing all this for him when it’s too hard for him to do it himself. Smiling, I crouch to the floor and pet his back. He has several lines of dirt running down it. I search for the wipes as he finishes his food, and when he turns to me I scoot closer, bending my knees more to clean his face.

He rubs his cheek against the cool wipe, and I trail it down his neck before circling his nipples. They harden and a hunger takes hold of me. “Can I try a new way to get you clean there?”

He looks to my hand and tilts his head.

I pretend to read his mind. “Yes, they are cleaner than before, but there’s a way for me to really make sure. Can I show you what it is?”

He sits on his knees, keeping his hands in front of them and he oinks.

“Thank you for trusting me. Things go so much better when you do. It keeps me here longer too. Do you like me being here longer?”

He looks down and around me before nodding. Yeah, he needs to stop all the hesitation, but if he did, then what would be my excuse to keep him here longer? I’d have to find a new one, or come up with something else for him to work on. He doesn’t necessarily need to be fixed. These good parts of him were already there, he just needed help discovering them.

He nudges his head against my hand and licks my fingers. I laugh, shaking my head. Someone still lacks patience. I’ll gladly add that to our list, hoping he’ll keep giving me more things to work with him on. It’s almost as if he’s begging to stay without realizing it.