"No! I'm not leaving until Eli's out of that car."
"We can sort that while – "
"I'm not leaving. He saved my life, and you people threw him in cuffs."
I knew I was being stubborn. Maybe a little stupid. But I didn't care. My legs felt like they'd buckle if I tried to stand, anyway, so I stayed where I was. I refused to move, and eventually, the person backed off and left me alone.
I could only guess how long I sat there. When I finally tested opening my eyes, what was left of the late afternoon light had faded into twilight. For the moment at least, the sick feeling in my stomach had gone away, and the world wasn’t rolling upside down. I checked my head injury and was relieved to find it had stopped bleeding, so I tossed the towel aside and let my head rest back against the stone wall.
At some point, I heard fast footsteps coming up the path. I cracked an eye open.
Charlie was heading in my direction, his pace quick and focused. I sat up straighter and tried to read his face, but he didn't give much away. My chest tightened again.
He stopped in front of me and held out a hand. "Can you stand?"
I didn't answer right away. I just looked at him, searching for some hint about what was going on. His eyes were calm and steady, but that could've meant anything. So I took his hand and let him help me to my feet. My knees wobbled at first, but they held. Most of the adrenaline had burned off, and with it, the worst of the trembling.
I didn't even try to hide the urgency in my voice. "Where's Eli?"
Charlie didn't say a word. He just turned and nodded for me to follow.
I kept close behind him as we made our way down the path, slower than I wanted to move. The moment we rounded the bend near the entrance, my heart skipped.
Eli was out of the car. He stood a little hunched over as the officer behind him unlocked the cuffs. I heard a faint click as they came off, and Eli immediately shook out his wrists with a visible wince.
Relief crashed over me. And I was moving before I realised I'd taken a step. I didn't slow down. Didn't think about how fast I was moving. I just barrelled into him.
He brought his arms up in time to catch me but still staggered back with the full force of it and slammed into the side of the car. The officer behind him barely made it out of the way before he got caught up in the fray.
Eli let out a grunt and a somewhat pained laugh. "Bloody hell, Ro."
But his arms still locked tight around me. I buried my face in his shoulder. I didn’t care who was watching. Didn’t care how much I was shaking. He was solid and warm and real, and I needed that right now more than anything else in the world. I was so damn tired of feeling cold.
Things went quiet for a second. Then I heard Charlie call out, "Get a room, lads!"
Eli didn't even look up. "Fuck off, Charlie!"
That actually got a laugh out of me. A short one, but real all the same. I finally eased back to look up at him. His face was scraped and smudged, and he looked exhausted. But he smiled when his gaze locked onto mine.
His hand came up and brushed gently through my hair, sweeping it back so he could get a better look at the side of my head. His fingers hesitated near the edge of the wound, carefulto avoid touching it. "You okay?"
I gave a small nod. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright."
His eyes searched mine like he didn't quite believe me, but he didn't push, either. I leaned in, meaning to kiss him. I didn't care that we were still standing beside the police car or that officers were only a few feet away. I just needed him close.
But the world suddenly tilted under my feet. The dizziness hit so fast that it stole my breath. My knees buckled, and I swayed.
Eli's arms instantly tightened around me to keep me upright. "Whoa, easy. You sure you're okay?"
I couldn't answer him right away. My face pressed into his shoulder again, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the spinning sensation. "I... I think I'm going to be sick. And my head fucking hurts."
"We can give you a ride to A&E," someone said.
This time, I didn't argue. I just gave the smallest nod I could manage.
Eli kept an arm firmly around me and murmured something I didn't quite catch as he guided me carefully into the car. He helped me into the back seat with a gentleness that made my chest ache, and he didn't let go until I was settled.
Once he was sat beside me, I buried myself against his chest, closed my eyes, and tried not to throw up. His arm curled around my shoulders again, and his other hand moved in slow, calming circles up and down my back.
