14
Ruby
The girlin the mirror isn’t the same as yesterday, and not only due to the bruises and cuts. Dan’s attempt to tear apart the Ruby I created—the one who could walk away—backfired because now she’s more determined than ever to emerge and leave Tuesday behind. I won’t be the frightened mess of a girl who blindly arrived on Jem’s doorstep last night; nobody will see her again.
The blackened bruises around my neck and arms are bad enough, but there are also dark marks on my legs where he gripped my thighs. The bile edges into my mouth at how close he came to breaking me completely. The person who offered me a safe place three years ago is the one who nearly ended who I am.
The nausea over last night’s events isn’t just Dan’s abuse, but the vulnerability I showed to Jem. Nobody but Dan has seen me so powerless. The barrier has returned but it’s tool late—Jem has seen behind. That frightened me because nobody can so who I really am and control me again.
Dan failed.
They’ll all fail.
But Jem saw Tuesday. Now he has access to the vulnerable girl, will he try to take advantage too?
I turn on the shower, step inside, and wash the rest of Dan from my body. Forever.
* * *
The coffee machinesplutters as I figure out how to use it and fails, and as I wipe up the mess with a kitchen towel, Jem appears. He pulls a faded grey T-shirt over his head as he walks into the room and the cotton slides down his hard abs, over the jeans sitting loose on his hips. I ignore my body’s reaction, telling myself the attraction is due to his kindness last night. His brown eyes are reddened, betraying his tiredness at his early hours visitor. Amusing that I spent the night with Jem Jones but not in the way my suppressed fantasies ever imagined.
I’m vulnerable in just Jem’s other T-shirt, which I wish covered more of me—or that I hadn’t left my wet clothes screwed up on Jem’s bathroom floor last night.
“How’re you feeling?” He pulls his thick brown curls into a ponytail and snaps a band around them.
“Do you want a coffee? I made a mess I should at least make one.” I pull another cup from the cupboard, fielding his question.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Silently, I prepare the drinks with shaking hands. Jem passes me the milk from the fridge, as if a normal morning, two people living together and following their routine. When I pass Jem the full cup, his fingers linger on mine long enough to indicate comfort. I pull my hand away. “Thanks for letting me stay. I’ll call Jax later and ask if I can use his couch until next week.”
“Stay here if you feel safer,” he says quietly, brows tugged. “You need to go to the police, Ruby.”
I touch my swollen lip. “No.”
Jem’s face hardens. “Why?”
“Leave it.” I sip my coffee. “At least there’re no issues with Dan stopping me touring now.”
Jem slides onto a black stool next to the counter and rests his elbows on the edge. “I care about more than whether you can tour; somebody attacked you.”
“Don’t bother. Are we meeting the guys to firm up the tour plans later?”
“You arrive at my house in the middle of the night after someone assaults you and tell me not to bother?” presses Jem. “Wrong.”
No. His involvement stops now. “Looks like I am. I’ll go if you want; my car’s outside.”
“You don’t want my help?” He’s unable to disguise his incredulous look.
“No. I can deal with the issue.” A memory of last night seeps in and my heart rate spikes. Can I?
The silence re-joins us and I debate whether to leave him and find my car keys. “Why did you come here?” he asks eventually.
“I don’t know. After… it happened, my head was a mess. I ran to the car and drove, and somehow ended up here.”
“Because you know you can trust me.”
“No, because Dan would go to the guys’ house to look for me. You think I’ll trust you because you helped me when I needed last night? Newsflash: I trusted the last guy who helped me and last night he tried to rape me.”