“Okay.”
Standing, I missed her touch immediately, but I knew what I’d said was true. Holding out the towel, I waited until she took it, the water draining as she pulled the curtain back.
“I’ll be right outside the door. I’ll grab your bag.”
She nodded, but I didn’t miss how she moved forward where she could see me. Quickly, I grabbed the duffle off the dresser and handed it to her. She closed the door, leaving it open a crack, and I took the opportunity to change.
Sliding off the leather jacket, I knew it was the last time I could wear it. I’d worked hard to earn it, but it wouldn’t mean anything in the life ahead of us. Folding it, I placed it in the bottom of the bag and pulled out a clean shirt and boxers. I left my socks on because hotel floors creeped me out and pulled off the comforters, leaving only the sheets and blankets on the beds. When I was fixing the pillows, she stepped out, a t-shirt covering her body.
I didn’t want to stare, but now that I’d admitted my feelings, it seemed my body thought it had free rein to show them. She smiled sheepishly, walking over to climb into the bed and pulling the covers up tight under her chin. Sliding into the opposite one, I turned off the lights, turning to face her.
“Night, Princess.”
“Night, Maddox.”
The AC unit kicked on, rattling against the wall as we both stared at one another. My eyelids started to close when her voice broke through the quiet.
“Can you sleep with me?”
“What?” I asked, sitting up. “Um, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“No,” she said, and I wondered if she was blushing as she hid her face. “I mean actually sleep. I don’t think I can be alone right now.”
“Oh, sure.” I pulled the blanket off and got out of my bed and slid into hers, staying on top of the covers. Pulling my sheet around me, I laid there, staring at the ceiling. Now that I was this close to her, my body was fully awake. Thankfully, her breathing started to even, and she fell asleep, her breaths pulling me under as well.
Her whimpers woke me a few times throughout the next couple of hours, and it made me vow not to let that asshole survive if I ever saw him again. Fuck the law. No one harmed her and got to live. She was right. We’d make our own club, andthatwould be our first rule.
Assholes didn’t deserve to live. Starting with Stanley “Agonizer” Driscoll.
Diary #3
Dear Mom,
Everything hurts.
My heart. My soul. My body.
I don’t even know how to handle this much pain. It’s all-consuming.
Every sound, I hear his grunts.
Every movement, I see him over me.
Every touch, I feel his hands on me.
I can’t erase him.
I’m so sick of seeing and hearing him. I wish I could rip out my eyes and ears, but the memory would still play across my mind.
Not even sleep makes it go away, if anything, it’s more vivid there.
I’m hanging on by a thread. My mind is a dark place.
The only bright spot is Maddox.
But I worry that soon, I’ll darken him, too.
I just want it to stop. Make it stop, please.