But I didn't believe him.
51
Courtney
Everythingistoowhite,so sterile and clean and smelling of antiseptic. The only color is the deep red smear of blood from my broken nails. The metal frame of my bed squeaks as I shift under the starched sheet, curling in on myself. My cheeks are damp, my throat raw and my chest aching. It won’t stop aching. I refuse to close my eyes for fear of the memories that replay behind them, so instead I stare at the tiny rectangle window as rain pelts the glass. Mindlessly, I pick at the dead skin on my chapped lips. The drugs are wearing off, meaning someone will be here any minute, but until then, I am alone. Alone with my ghosts.
I shot up in bed, sucking in a breath.
No antiseptic, only the lingering musk of Ollie’s cologne. Black sheets pooled around my naked waist. Sunlight poked through the curtains, streaking across the messy dorm room, caressing the warm body sprawled on his stomach beside me. Ollie twisted his head, squinting up at me.
“It’s been a while since you had one of those.”
I collapsed back to the bed with sigh, reaching over to comb his wild hair out of his eyes. When he returned from class the day before, he broke down, clinging to me as he begged for forgiveness. He didn’t need it, but he couldn’t understand that. He'd frozen in the moment, traumatized by a past of abuse and a recent attack, turning to a familiar band-aid for the pain afterwards.
“Look at me,” I murmured, his face buried in my stomach, arms around my waist as he knelt in front of me. Shuddering, he lifted his eyes- even bloodshot and broken, they were breathtaking. I cupped his cheek. “When you’re hurt, you come to me. When you’re scared, or angry, or broken, you come to me. I’ll always pick up your pieces, because they’re precious and beautiful to me, even with their jagged edges.”
He tugged me into his side. “What did you see?” he asked into the sensitive skin of my neck. What did I see? A nightmare or a vision? A vision. I knew the difference by now, even if my mind rallied against the thought. The ache in my chest through the flowing bond told me to keep the truth to myself. I wasn’t going to add to Ollie's agony right now- I was here to take it away.
I molded my body into his, hip to hip, chest to chest, nose to nose.
“I saw you kiss me.”
He cocked a brow. “Now why do I doubt that?”
“How dare you doubt me.” I smirked. He rolled his eyes, his breath ghosting over my lips. Since his attack in the preserve, he flinched whenever I tried to kiss him. It was a gut punch every time, but neither of us would give up.
“I want to try again,” he whispered, his hand smoothing up my arm, over my shoulder to my neck. “I want your taste to replace his.”
My heart tore, my lip quivering. “I want that too,” I whispered back.
His thumb skated over my jaw. A featherlight touch of his lips-
My eyelids fluttered, the river of red between us surging.
The soft press of his mouth on mine was heaven. A tentative swipe of his tongue was divine.
I opened for him, a breathless moan slipping out. He caught it with an inhale, his fingers dipping into my hair.
“You,” he whispered. “I only taste you.”
Tears broke free, unbidden and rolling down my cheeks, seeping into our languid kisses. I let him lead, reacquainting himself with the sensation as I reeled him over me. No way would I put him on his back any time soon.
He settled between my legs, not taking a breath as his kiss grew in urgency. His weight rested on me, his cock thickening as his hips flexed, his tongue stroking mine- More tears fell.We didn’t lose this- nothing and no one could take this connection from us.
Then his stomach growled.
I broke from his lips, grinning. His forehead rested on mine, blessing me with a smile that had more tears releasing. I sniffled through a laugh.
“Apparently that’s as far as we’re allowed until I eat.” He chuckled, lifting off me.
I dragged my fingers up his spine and hummed. “Hmm, I might be persuaded to grab some food for you.”
His smile widened. I’d do anything-anything- to keep seeing it.
“The cost?”
“One more kiss,” I whispered.
