28. VANESSA
VANESSA
The police station is at the corner of a busy intersection, and it takes forever for the pedestrian light to turn to WALK.
As much as I’d like to share Heather’s enthusiasm about going after Lydia, I can’t find an ounce of motivation now.
She hurt me deeply, lied to Paris, and drove us apart.
But she isn’t the only reason we stayed that way for so long.
That girl is awful, but I can’t lay all the blame on her.
If Paris and I had talked instead of bickering, we would have found out about her deception before now.
“It’s not worth getting revenge on her,” I say.
“I disagree, but she kicked your ass, not mine.” Heather shrugs. “I can still blacklist her from all social activities on campus, and you can’t stop me from doing that.”
“She didn’t kick my ass,” I retort. “I would have fought back if Paris hadn’t interrupted us.”
“Right, your knight in shining armor. Speaking of which, there he is.”
“What?”
I stop in my tracks, which happens to be in the middle of the road, and follow her line of vision.
Paris’s truck is parked on the other side and he’s standing next to it, leaning against the door with his arms crossed in front of his wide chest. The air is already getting cold, but he’s not wearing a jacket, so his impressive muscles and beautiful tats are on full display. I’d run to him if I could.
“Go on.” Heather nudges me. “I know you’d rather ride back home with him than me.”
Before I take another step, I turn around and hug her. “Thank you for coming with me today.”
“You don’t need to thank me. I’m just glad that you did report him.”
When we break apart, Heather’s blue eyes are brighter. She turns away fast, maybe to hide the emotion in them. I continue toward Paris, who is now walking over. Before I can take more than two steps forward, he reaches me and hugs me tightly
“How did it go?” he asks.
I melt against his chest and sigh. “It was rough. I’ll tell you everything on the way home.” Pulling back, I tilt my face up and look into his eyes. “I’m so happy to see you though. You’re like a balm for my tired soul.”
He cups my cheek gently. “I’m sorry I missed your call. I… I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk to anyone. After I calmed down, I read your text. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me here, but I had to make sure you were okay.”
“How did you know where I was?”
“This is the closest police station to campus. It wasn’t hard to guess.”
“I’m glad you found me. And I’m sorry I didn’t ask you to come with me.” I drop my gaze to the hollow of his throat.
“The important thing is that you decided to report him to the police, and you weren’t alone.”
I look up again, smirking. “You should have seen Heather. She gave the cop so much shit, I’m shocked she’s not behind bars.”
He steps back, leaving enough room for me to maneuver my crutches. “Come on. You can tell me all about it in the car.”
“I can’t wait to get rid of these,” I grumble.
“When’s your next appointment?”
“Tomorrow.”
He opens the door for me, and then takes the crutches from my hands and tosses them in the back. I wait for him to help me into the truck simply because I want his hands on me.
He quirks an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t like it when I assisted you.”
“That was then, this is now.”
Twisting his lips into a crooked grin, he wraps his hands around my waist and lifts me effortlessly onto the seat. Before he can step back, I throw my arms around his neck and cross my legs at the ankles behind his legs, caging him in.
“What are you doing, kitten?” he asks through a laugh.
“You owe me a kiss.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. From you, a kiss is the only acceptable form of greeting.”
“I’m fine with that.” He slants his lips over mine and coaxes them open with his tongue.
I pull him closer, needing everything he can give me and more. I’m needy and hungry for my guy. Perhaps this isn’t the best place to attack his mouth, but after the day I’ve had, getting lost in Paris is exactly what I need.
He pulls back, breaking the kiss but not moving away. He rests his forehead against mine and whispers, “I love you so damn much, kitten. You have no idea.”
“Oh, I think I do. Probably as much as I love you.”
He steps back, smiling from ear to ear. I toss my legs inside the vehicle and wait for Paris to shut the door. The butterflies in my stomach are wide awake now, all thanks to that smile. My depression can’t fight the effect Paris has on me.
As soon as he drives off, he reaches for my hand and laces our fingers together. We don’t speak for several minutes. I’m happy to bask in his presence and his touch.
“Am I taking you home?” He breaks the silence.
“Yeah. What time is practice for you today?”
“In a couple of hours.”
I nibble on my lower lip. That’s not a lot of time to really talk about everything that happened. “You don’t have class before that?”
“I did, but I’m calling in sick.” He smirks.
My brows furrow. “I hate that I’ve become a distraction.”
“Kitten, don’t say that. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time.”
My eyes prickle, and I keep them focused on the road. “I can say the same about you. I can’t wait until this ordeal with Ryan is over.”
He squeezes my hand. “About that… I have news.”
My heart tightens. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”
“No. I wanted to, and I went looking for him on Greek Row, but I ended up having a chat with Leo Stine and Philip Meester instead.”
“Oh? What about?”
“Philip caught your assault on camera.”
I take a sharp breath as I process his words. “How?”
“He was shooting a video for his YouTube channel when you and Ryan came into the shot. He wasn’t near, but it seems he managed to record it. I didn’t watch the video, so I’m taking his word for it.”
I blink fast, fighting the tears that are threatening to spill at any moment. “There’s evidence that Ryan…” A lump prevents me from continuing. I look out the window, pressing a fist against my lips as I try to hold myself together.
“Hell, I should have waited until we’re home to tell you. I thought you would be—”
“Happy?” I turn toward him.
The car slows down until it comes to a complete stop. He puts it in Park and looks at me. I don’t know even know if he found a place to park or we’re at a red light. My attention is solely on him.
“No, not exactly happy. Relieved? Now that bastard can’t lie and say the assault never happened. You can send him to jail.”
“Knowing that there’s a video of the lowest moment of my life, and that it will be seen by many strangers until this is all over, makes me feel violated.”
His anguished expression only worsens with my confession.
“Kitten…”
“Maybe one day I’ll be glad that Philip was there, but I’ll feel relief only when Ryan is behind bars.”
He reaches for my face and gently runs his fingers over my hairline. “I’ll be there for you, kitten, every day, and in every way you need me.”