“She’sbeen through enough? Look at what she did to Richard!” Jason screams, blood dripping down his chin from his busted nose.
“You know as well as I do that she didn’t do that on purpose, it was an accident.” He pours shots of whiskey into several shot glasses before placing them on a tray and walking over to the table. “We’ve all lost control at some point or another.” Remmie says placing the tray on the table. I don’t know how Remmie does it, remaining so calm in the face of this mess. He’s a better man than I am, that’s for sure. All I want to do is rip Jason apart until he’s begging for Areyna’s forgiveness.
The silence in the kitchen stretches on for so long that I’m just starting to regain control of my tumultuous emotions but Jason just won’t leave it be, he snaps, “Did you lot kill anyone?”
I want to shout at him, tell him that’s not the point, but do you think I can get the words out past my clenched teeth.
“No, bu-.” Jason doesn’t give Remmie the chance to finish speaking, he cuts right over the top of him, slicing his hand through the air as though he’s physically cutting Remmie’s words off, “There’s no excuse, she killed my best friend.” He swipes his hand across the table, sending the shot glasses into the wall, shattering them on impact. I watch the glass and liquid run down the wall, pooling on the floor before turning my back on him. The entire room now smells like a distillery, but that’s not what bothers me the most. No, what bothers me is that he keeps talking, “I’m a police Detective,” He shouts as though none of us are aware of that fact. “I should be arresting her, not helping her.”
“Helping her?” I shout back, storming towards him. Remmie bars my path, placing his hand firmly on my chest. I lean around him, shouting back at Jason, “Exactly what are you doing to help her Jason?” His lips thin, refusing to voice the truth, so I do instead, “Shouting and calling her a monster, a murderer? You think that’s helping?!” I breathe through my nostrils, struggling not to beat him up. “She wouldn’t hurt anyone under normal circumstances. She’s not a murderer or a monster and the fact that you think she is shows just how little you actually care about her!” I hiss before storming out of the kitchen.
I end up taking the stairs two at a time in an effort to return to my girl. I don’t like the thought of her waking up alone after what she’s been through. I know it’s just an excuse to walk away before I do more harm than good, but no one else needs to know that. Areyna means more to me than I could explain, even though I haven’t known her that long. There’s this connection between us that makes me want to protect her. Even if it’s a little thing like being there when she wakes up.
I needn’t have worried; I walk into her room, to find her sitting up in her bed, staring down at the change of clothes she’s now wearing. “You were covered in mud, Remmie made sure you didn’t have to wake up to that.” I whisper, crossing her room to her side of the bed. I don’t tell her that she was also covered in blood and vomit, but with our enhanced senses, I’m sure she can smell it.
Her stormy blue eyes lift for a second, locking on mine with a laser focus I didn’t think she’d be capable of yet. “I don’t want to talk. Don’t try to make me talk about it.” She whispers.
“I won’t make you talk, but you aren’t alone in this.” I take a step closer, careful not to startle her by moving too fast. When she remains silent, still staring at me with those sad eyes, I say, “We should get you cleaned up. A nice hot bath will make you feel more like yourself.”
“Okay.” She mumbles.
I help her out of the bed and follow her into the bathroom. Torren did this with her once so I don’t see the harm in it. Especially since I don’t think she should be left alone right now. It’s not that I’m worried she’ll hurt herself or anything, I’m more worried that she might go into shock and pass out. Last thing we need is her getting hurt and needing more blood. That might traumatise her even more.
I didn’t think beyond the idea of getting her clean and comfortable. I lean around her and turn the taps on, making sure the temperature is right then drop the plug in the tub. The gurgling of the water is the only sound aside from our breathing. I don’t know what to say as we just stand here waiting for the tub to fill.
Should I compliment her? She’s beautiful even as messy as she is right now. Should I offer to help her take her clothes off or is that going too far? Fuck if only I was more like Torren, he always knows the right things to say.
The awkwardness gets worse as we both just stand here in complete silence. After what feels like forever she dips her hand into the water and turns the taps off. “Would you stay?”
“If you want me to.” I could slap my own face right now.Come on Derrin, you’ve got more game than this.
“You know I can hear everything you’re thinking, right?”
“Fuck.” I hang my head, “I’m sorry. I’m just-.”
“Nervous, I know. It’s okay, I’m not going to break and I don’t need you to stop being your normal cheeky self just because I fucked up.” She drops the pants she was wearing to the tiled floor without so much as blushing. I bend down and scoop them up, catching her shirt with my face as she tosses that off as well.
By the time I pull the shirt off my face, she’s in the water, her bra and panties lying on the floor beside the tub.Damn, missed the best view.
“I heard that too.” She snarks, leaning her head back further in the water.
“Can I wash your hair?” I ask, changing the subject.
“I’d love that.” She whispers.
While my fingers sift through her hair, I can’t help saying, “Sometimes we need to see the light within the darkness before we can move on. You are my Light Areyna; you pull me from the darkness and give me hope. I just want you to know that you’re never going to be alone, I’ll always be here for you.”
“Thank you.” She mumbles, a cute blush staining her cheeks.
Her bath is over far too quickly, yet not quick enough. I have to adjust my boner behind the towel I hold out to her before following her naked form back into the room. She pulls on some clean pyjamas and props herself up on the bed. I don’t want to leave just yet, so I say the first thing that pops into my head, “I know what you’re going through, I’ve been there.” I sit down beside her on the bed, reaching my hand out until it’s resting on her lower back. She flinches away from my touch, but I persevere, gathering her into my arms and placing a chaste kiss against her still damp blue-black hair. “I too have lost control of my hunger.” The memory of that day plays out inside my head as I tell her the story of how I got the scar on the side of my face…
The race’s finish line looms ahead, only three more corners and I’ll have this race in the bag. I watch in shock as the guy in second place cuts in front of me dangerously on a turn. Remmie screamed “Look out!” Echoes in my ears.
The blow to my face forces my head to rear back, but it’s my best friend, mybrother, in the passenger seat that I’m worried about. I tear the seatbelt from its holder before shoving my way through the broken window.
I’ve been racing these streets since I was fourteen, but this is the first time I’ve ever crashed. I still can’t believe I crashed, even though I can feel the blood trickling down my face. Remmie’s glasses are missing, his face a mask of pain, but I can’t see any open wounds anywhere. I pull his door free, the metal screeching as I practically pull it off its hinges. “Rem, are you hurt?”
“I think I cracked a rib, but no other injuries. How did that happen?” Rem shakes his head, seeming lost to his own thoughts as I carefully lift him out of the car. I search every inch of him, looking for any other injuries. “Enough Derrin, I am fine. Go check on the other driver, his car flipped and he’s only human.”