Piper
When I wake, the room is dim.
For a moment, I simply lie there, disoriented, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar room.
It’s similar to mine in size and layout, but all the details are different.
There isn’t much in here. A few books lie around, but not many. Everything else is clean to perfection.
A Rolex sits on the nightstand beside a glass of water, and black silk sheets cover the bed.
It’s a man’s room.
And the scent gives away exactly whose.
It wraps around me, fills my lungs, and despite everything, I feel safe.
I push upright and sit on the edge of the bed. The moment my feet touch the floor, pain flares through my ribs and I suck in a breath.
I wait for it to pass, then rise carefully and make my way towards the door as I try to piece together what happened.
It takes a moment, but the memories eventually return.
The way he carried me out of the classroom in his arms, and how I must have fallen asleep on the walk back to the dorms.
Or perhaps I passed out.
Honestly, who knows.
I knew I should have skipped classes today. When I failed to hear my alarm this morning, I should have taken it as a sign and stayed in bed instead of dragging myself out the door.
As I step into the living room, I glance towards the windows. It’s already dark outside, although with it being November, the days are short.
Noise comes from the small kitchen, and I make my way towards it.
As I pass the clock and see the glowing seven on the display, I realise I slept the entire day away. It had barely been ten in the morning when he carried me out of that classroom.
Then again, I had been exhausted. The past week had drained me completely. I hadn’t properly slept in days, too afraid to close my eyes for long, and the healing process can’t exactly help.
My body has worked overtime ever since.
I round the corner, and the moment he hears me, his head lifts.
Our eyes meet.
And before I can say anything, before I can even take another step, he is already in front of me.
His hands come up to cup my face.
His eyes search mine, as if he’s trying to find answers I’m not prepared to give.
For a moment, I think the questions are coming, and a knot forms in my stomach.
But they never do.
Instead, he steers me back towards the living room and the sofa.
I sit, and a second later he drapes a blanket over my legs.
He remains there for a moment, his attention fixed on me, before he turns and heads back into the kitchen.
“Dinner’s ready.”
He plates the food and brings it over, handing one plate across before taking the seat beside me.
“Thank you,” I say.
I shouldn’t be here.
I should have left as soon as I woke up.
God, I shouldn’t even have let him carry me out of that classroom.
People must have seen and…
I push the thought away before it can go any further.
I’ll deal with it later, when I’m back in my own room and can fall apart in private. Then I can cry if I want to, drown in the guilt that always seems to follow whenever I let Hunter get too close.
“Eat,” he says.
I pick up the fork and take a bite.
It’s delicious.
Unfortunately, my body seems to disagree.
I force down another mouthful.
Then a third.
By then, my stomach has had enough. I barely manage to keep everything down.
I can feel his eyes on me from the side, and it’s obvious he notices because before I can say anything, he takes the plate from my hands and sets it aside without a word.
He doesn’t say anything, and I’m grateful for it, but he keeps watching me, and I know it won’t last. Sooner or later, he’ll start asking questions.
I should leave.
I should get up and walk out that door right now.
But for some reason, I don’t.
And after a moment, I realise why.
I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts.
But I can’t keep doing this to him either. I need to stay away from him before he...
He turns on the television, and the sudden noise makes me flinch.
Again, he doesn’t comment on it, but I know he notices.
I keep my eyes on the screen, though I’m not really watching it. Nothing on it registers.
I’m not sure how much time passes, but at some point my eyelids grow heavy again, and I realise I should leave before I fall asleep on his sofa.
“You will tell me eventually,” he says, his voice pulling me from my thoughts. “Who did this to you.”
I can’t involve him in this.
I don’t deserve his protection.
I don’t deserve anything from him.
“I fell,” I say eventually.
“Rubbish,” he snaps before taking a deep breath.
Of course he doesn’t believe me. I never expected him to.
I get to my feet abruptly, and the blanket falls from my legs. I ignore the protest from my ribs and make for the door, refusing to slow down despite the pain.
Missing my tablets certainly hasn’t helped.
I touch the doorknob, but his hand covers mine, stopping me from turning it.
His heat at my back feels safe, and so does his scent.
“Was it your father?”
I close my eyes and shake my head.
“Hunter...” My voice cracks. “Let it go.”
“You were home, right? Visiting?” he asks. “So was it your father or someone else? Do you need help? Just fucking tell me, and I’ll make sure whoever did it ends up dead for daring to put their hands on you.”
My heart all but breaks.
I blink, but a tear falls anyway, and thank God he’s behind me and can’t see it.
I don’t deserve this.
I am such a horrible person.
“Let. It. Go,” I whisper, though I know he hears every word. “Let me go.”
His grip on my hand tightens.
“Fucking never.”
His head lowers, and he buries his face in my hair, taking a deep breath.
Another tear rolls down my cheek.
“Please,” I whisper.
I think he hears the crack in my voice because a second later he lets go of my hand and steps back, taking his warmth with him.
And I hate it.
And then I hate myself even more for hating the fact that he’s no longer touching me.
I turn the knob and step out into the corridor.
I know he’s behind me. I can feel it. But he keeps his distance.
He doesn’t stop me, nor does he call after me.
I make it back to my dorm, unlock the door and step inside.
Before I close it, I glance back.
My eyes meet his.
Amber and hazel.
He’s there, tall and broad, just watching me.
A dark look appears on his face, one that turns even darker when he notices the tears in my eyes.
I see his hands clench at his sides as he takes a step towards me.
I shut the door before he can take another step and quickly turn the lock.
I press my forehead to it and hear a thud from the other side.
Shutting him out. Exactly where he should be.
And somehow hating myself a little more for it.