31
QUINTON
Aspen excuses herself, claiming she needs to use the restroom. I know it’s nothing but a shit excuse to escape the party. Matteo leaves a few minutes later, and I have to forcefully restrain myself from going after the fucker. I’m tempted to go back to my dorm and crash for the night, but there’s this niggling in the back of my mind that tells me to check on Aspen first.
I’m still in my tux, but I’ve made a habit of keeping Aspen’s room key on me at all times, even today. I pull the card out of my pocket and swipe it at her door. It unlocks with a low beep, and I push into her room.
Aspen is on the bed, curled up in a fetal position, facing away from me. She is still wearing the red dress, her back mostly exposed with her blanket only partly covering her body. Her shoulders are shaking, and quiet sobs meet my ears. She is crying, which has me worried. She hardly ever cries. As a matter of fact, I’ve only seen her cry once.
Closing the door behind me, I walk into the room and sit down on the edge of her bed. When I reach out to touch her shoulder, I notice that her dress is ripped on the side, like someone tried to tear it off her. Rage spreads through my veins like a wildfire.
“Aspen.” I place my hand on her back, but she just shrugs away. “Aspen, tell me what happened.”
“Go away.” She sniffles. “You broke your side of the deal.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you would keep Matteo away from me. You didn’t. Our deal is off.”
“Aspen, look at me,” I order, getting more and more irritated with her. “What do you mean by that? Did he touch you?”
Grabbing her by the hips, I roll her toward me. She struggles, trying to push me away, but I don’t budge until her face is turned toward me, and I see how swollen and bruised her eye is.Motherfucker.
“What else did he do?” I ask through clenched teeth. If he raped her, I’ll kill him no matter the fucking rules.
“I got away before he could do more. I protected myself since you didn’t hold up your end of the bargain. Now, please leave.” She turns away from me again, and this time, I’ll let her. Mostly because I can’t stand seeing her this weak and vulnerable. The darkest part of me calls out to hurt her, exploit her weakness and use that vulnerability against her. I know if I don’t walk away now, I will do just that. I will hurt her when she is already down, and that would probably break her.
Getting up, I head for the door, ready to get far away from her before I change my mind.
“Quinton…” she says so softly I almost miss it. My hand freezes inches before the doorknob.
“Yes.” I look at her over my shoulder.
“Are you really the only person who has a key to my room?” Her voice is shaky and raw with emotions. She’s scared, and though part of me likes her scared, I want to be the one who controls her fears. If she is going to be afraid of a monster, it will be me, and only me.
“I promise, no one is going to come into your room besides me. I’m the only one with a key, and I have it on me at all times.”
“Okay…” She curls deeper into herself, and the urge to curl up next to her is tugging on my chest, pulling me toward her like an invisible force. I know if I get into that bed right now, I won’t leave until the morning, and I can’t stay here another night, but I also don’t want to leave right this second.
I shrug out of my tux jacket and hang it over the desk chair. Rolling up my sleeves and unbuttoning the top of my shirt, I try to get a bit more comfortable as I sit down on the ground next to her bed. I lean my back against the side and tip my head back against the mattress.
She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to. I know she is glad I’m staying, no matter what she says out loud. I know she wants me to protect her. I know she is scared, and she turns to me for comfort. I also know that she shouldn’t, just like I shouldn’t feel the need to defend her.
Yet, here we are, needing each other in some weird fucked-up way that should have never happened. One thing is clear. This… whateverthisis, it’s not going to end well.
It’s the only thing I can think about while I sit here staring off into space. Time ticks by, and I feel my own eyes growing heavy. It’s tempting to stay here, but I can’t.
I need to be back at my apartment. Scarlet is there, and every minute I’m here is time I’m wasting not spending with her. It doesn’t take long for Aspen to fall asleep, not with the comfort of my protection surrounding her. I hate seeing her eye black and blue. It makes me feel things I shouldn’t, a rage that has nothing to do with anger but with the need to claim, and that’s terrifying.
Once I’m sure Aspen isn’t going to wake up, I push off the floor and grab my jacket. I give her one last parting glance before I leave the room, shutting the door quietly behind me.
The corridor is deserted, and thankfully so. I don’t need to have a run-in with anyone right now. My temper is already on edge, and to start a fight with my father here is asking to get my ass beat.
The apartment is quiet when I walk inside. I’m not surprised everyone went to bed after the excitement of the ball. There’s no Scarlet on the couch, so I assume she’s in my bedroom. As soon as I step inside the room and flick on the light, I see her squirming on the bed. She’s pretending to be asleep, I’m sure of it, but who sleeps with their legs moving on the mattress.
“I know you’re awake, and I know you’re going to ask me a million and one questions, so get to it, so we can go to bed before the sun starts to rise.”
Not even a second after I’ve started to speak does the blanket get tossed to the floor, and Scarlet sits up on the bed, her legs crossed, her eyes filled with wonder.