"You wanna stay here tonight or go back to the resort?"

He asks her, still watching the video, occasionally glancing over at her.

"That's up to you."

Ele said, resting her cheek on the couch cushion,

"Whether you want to let me crash on the couch, or drive to the resort and back in the dark."

"You don't need to sleep on the couch, I have other beds."

He says as he stands up as the video ends.

"You decide, I am gonna go take a shower."

He walks to the master bedroom getting ready for his shower.

Ele sighed and watched Tyler go. She didn't know how to act around him anymore, before they were friendly and teasing, but now Ele was trying to figure out what she was feeling now.

While Tyler was in the shower, Ele got up and went to the reptile room. In there, she gently gathered up the small ball python and sat on the floor with her legs crossed. The animal soothed her as it moved smoothly in her hands, animals made sense.

Tyler takes a quick shower. He walks out wearing shorts and looks around, figuring she was in the reptile room he walks in there to see her on the floor with the ball python.

"You really love it in here don't you?"

He asks as he sits down against the wall opposite her.

Nodding quietly, Ele stroked the snake gently and let it curl up in her lap. It was easier to talk when she was focusing on the snake, who looked happy to stay in the warmth of Ele's legs,

"I never had pets growing up, but there was a biology room in my school with lots of different reptiles. I would leave early in the mornings to get out before the adults would wake up and I would walk or ride the bus to school. The biology assistant would let me into the lab and we would feed all of the animals before the students arrived. After I moved out on my own I kept going to the lab, right up until I graduated."

Sighing, Ele looked at Tyler, ready to talk about some of her past,

"Animals never hurt me, and they never judged me. The kids at school would make fun of me because sometimes I lived in a car or a hotel. They also all knew my mom was a drunk and had been arrested a lot. The teachers would look at me like they pitied me, but they never called for help or asked what was going on, they would just sigh and shake their heads when they saw my bruises."

Swallowing hard, Ele looked down at the snake again, her hands shaking as she pet the soft scales,

"Some of them knew I was being raped by my mom's boyfriends, or had their suspicions but because I didn't tell anyone outright they wouldn't report anything. No one helped me until the biology assistant worked with me to get my emancipation passed and get me into therapy. It was a lot to go through, since it started when I was a kid, but the one thing that we established was that as a defense mechanism I formed attachment disorders."

Finding the courage to look at Tyler again, Ele's eyes were full of the ghosts that still haunted her and the pain that she carried,

"The hurt that I was put through, make it almost impossible for me to form bonds to people. And those that start to get closer to me, I actively push away. Touch, affection, kind words... All of those things confuse and scare me because they have always been linked with negative actions. I don't know what it means to be loved."

Tyler shakes his head.

"Sorry you had to go through that, I can't tell you how many news stories I have heard about the same situation. People knowing or suspecting something bad going on but doing nothing cuz the person being abused won't talk. It almost always happens in big cities rarely in small towns. That is the reason why I prefer the country life. If we know something is happening to somebody you can bet we are doing something."

He looks over at her.

"I am here for you if you need to feel something to get used to it. A kind word, gentle touch or whatever you want."

Shaking her head, Ele picked up the snake and set it on the floor to slither over to Tyler,

"I just need to get used to the idea of a man not wanting sexual favors from me, that's an entirely foreign concept."

She said, watching the snake go.

"I may be a regular guy but sex should be something special, not something given and gotten at regular intervals."

He smiles at her.

"But cuddling, that should be done regularly."

"Cuddling? Isn't that what happens before sex?"

Ele asked, looking confused. To her it was all the same, any act of intimacy ultimately lead to the deed.

"Not for me. I have only one time had cuddling lead to sex. For me sex isn't a big thing with a relationship, it is nice don't get me wrong but I prefer those quiet times where we just sit and hold on to each other, no strings attached."

He picks up Bale and holds them out. Letting them stretch out and go face to face.

"For me, nothing is better than going for a ride in my truck, parking where you can see all of the stars in the sky and just lounging in the bed of my truck cuddling."

Baffled, Ele watched Tyler closely but she didn't see any sign of lying from him. Biting her lip, Ele pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. It wasn't a defensive posture, she was just observing now,

"And do you want to cuddle me?"

"I would be lying if I said I didn't."

He looks over at her.

"Typically I make the move to do it but I know you are still adjusting."

Biting her lip, Ele looked down at her feet. Tyler was safe, and he was giving her space. He was patient and gentle with her and never asked for anything more than what Ele was willing to give, no matter how small that may be. She wanted to try for him though, to give him something,

"Do you have another movie we could watch?"

She asked, still not looking at Tyler.

"Of course. Would you like to watch a miyazaki movie?"

He asks her still holding onto Bale.

"What's that?"

Ele asked, pushing herself into a standing position. Taking a step towards Tyler, Ele took Bale and gently placed the snake back in his enclosure. Securing the cage, Ele turned back to Tyler, ready to follow him back out to the living room.

"Hayao Miyazaki, he is one of the greatest writers and directors ever. He has made so many anime's, you cannot go wrong with his movies. Question is would you like something cute and innocent appearing with amazing morals or would you like something more action packed?"

He stands up and walks out with her once again.

"Oh, I don't know."

Ele admitted, going back to the couch and curling up on it again. This time she was closer to where Tyler had originally been seated,

"Something that won't make me cry, I'm tired of crying today."

"I know just the movies."

He says pulling out Ponyo and My Neighbor Totoro. He walks over to the dvd player and sticks ponyo in.

"Start out with Ponyo. It is basically a retelling of The Little Mermaid."

"That sounds good,"

Ele said with a nod. Reaching over, Ele grabbed the blanket and waited for Tyler to settle back on the couch. When he did, Ele spread the blanket over both of them.

"Light, fluffy, animated... Yes perfect choice."