by Lisa Simmons
He was my savior.
“I love you so much, Reece,” I couldn’t stop myself from whispering. My hand stopped its movement through his hair, my hand pausing on the top with his strands shifting through my fingers. His grip on my hand on his chest tightened, and I felt a jolt run up my arm at the pressure.
“I love you too, Abby,” he said. His voice already sounded stronger than it had only moments ago, which gave me hope. I sniffed again, unable to stop the silent tears that dripped down my face. My heart continued to race in my chest, but my limbs no longer shook uncontrollably. Just as he was healing and recovering, so was I. It was like we were physically tied together, unable to heal without the other. I hugged him to me, my hands clinging to whatever part of him I was touching as he relaxed against me. I was beyond caring that we were sitting on the dirty ground in an alley behind a bar; all that mattered to me was that he was breathing, alive, and with me. The vision of red staining my hands flashed before my eyes again, but I tried not to panic. He wouldn’t bleed to death, so we had a little time to let him recover more, but I desperately wanted to get him home and take care of him. We sat there for a while, silence enveloping us accompanied only by the quiet, smooth breathing that whooshed easily from his lungs. I could feel his heart beating through his back, the pace of it slowing more and more from the frantic thudding it had been stuck on earlier. Soon, all of his rhythms seemed back to normal, but still I held him close to me. I was afraid that if he moved, his symptoms would trigger again even though I knew that wasn’t the case. A loud crash sounded next to us, making both of us jump as the back door swung open suddenly. My head snapped to the side, a jolt of fear flashing through me with thoughts of Jack before they were quickly erased. Luke stood in the doorway, gaping at us for a second before fully coming outside and shutting the door behind him. The short burst of music was quickly cut off again by the heavy barrier, and we were surrounded by silence once again. “Dude, are you okay?” he asked, stepping closer to us but stopping several feet away. I peered up at him from my spot on the ground and remembered vaguely how he had been frozen on the spot just as I had during the fight. Reece didn’t loosen his grip on my hand as he shifted slightly against my chest.
“Yeah, peachy,” he muttered. He shifted slightly again, releasing my hand to place both of his on the ground by his sides. My hands slid from where the rested to move down his shoulder blades. He leaned forward slightly, drawing his knees up again and hunching over as he let out a heavy sigh and rested his elbows on his knees. I pushed my hands slowly up and down his back, attempting to relax his still tight muscles.
“You’re bleeding,” Luke pointed out flatly. He watched us with a thoughtful look on his face, but I found it difficult to focus on him for too long with Reece in front of me. Reece raised a hand to touch his eyebrow before drawing it back and staring at the blood that spread to his fingers. He didn’t respond to Luke before pushing his soiled hand through his hair, surely smearing it with blood if it wasn’t already. I leaned forward and pressed my lips into his back between his shoulder blades. “Let’s go home, Reece,” I whispered against the fabric of his shirt. He reached back and squeezed my knee before nodding. I watched the back of his head move as he did so, relieved he had agreed. A short breath sucked into my lungs as I watched him stand up, unfolding his long frame from the ground with surprising ease. He turned on the spot and offered a hand to me before his eyes fell onto it. Red flecks covered his knuckles, the dried blood evidence of what he had done earlier. My eyes darted from his hands to his face as I took in the darkened expression that settled on his features. His eyes stayed fixed on his knuckles, his face set in a frown as his brows pulled tightly together. I could practically see the cogs turning in his head as he thought and I could feel him mentally pulling back from me.
“Reece,” I said quietly, pulling myself up from the ground. I gently put my hands over his, ignoring the blood dried there. His eyes stayed fixed on our closed hands and his expression didn’t change. I could see what he was starting to think almost as quickly as he thought it- he was afraid of what I’d seen him do; he was afraid that he’d scared me with what he’d done. “Reece,” I repeated gently. “Let’s go home, okay?”
I ducked my head slightly, trying to draw his gaze back to me. I ran my thumb along his knuckles lightly and he finally looked up to meet my eye contact. He nodded slowly.
“Yeah,” he muttered.
I held his eye contact, his expression intensified by the tightness of his brows. My eyes darted back and forth between his, and I felt like we were both holding our breath. I was still so concerned for him that I found it hard to look away from his face. Framing his green eyes was far more blood than I had been expecting. It leaked from cuts on his eyebrow and lip, and red dried splatters that didn’t belong to him speckled across his face. The dark strands of his hair were matted with blood as well, and dark bruises were already starting to form above his cheekbone and on his jaw. “Oh, Reece...” I whispered, reaching up to run my fingers feathery light across his cheek. Luke was all but forgotten as I took in the sight before me. I could feel his gaze burning into my face as he watched me examine him. He stood perfectly still, his breath coming in evenly now as he stood before me. My fingers passed over the bruise forming on his jaw before trailing over his lips, which were a dark, purple-red.
He had done all this for me, taken those hits for me. He was my battered, bloody, beautiful hero.
He reached up slowly to grab my hand from his face and gently wrapped his fingers around the back of mine. Slowly, he moved our hands to his lips where he pressed a light kiss to my palm. My heart thudded in my chest at his gentle action, and I found it difficult to maintain my steady breathing. “Let’s go home, Abby.”
"Everyone a rager, but secretly they're saviors; glory and gore go hand in hand."
Chapter 49
My eyes lingered on Reece’s, completely unable to tear them away from his gaze in the dark of the alley. He held onto my hands, finally giving up on trying to keep me from seeing the blood stained on his skin. The air was silent around us except for the pounding of my heart as the moment between us grew more and more loaded by the second. I could feel the palpable tense condition of the air as the love I felt for him threatened to physically choke me. Luke cleared his throat again, clearly feeling like he was interrupting something. I blinked once as I broke the spell I had fallen under and looked at him. He stood with his hands clasped in front of him with a quizzicle look on his face. “Um, I’ll go call a cab,” he mumbled. His expression had been a strange combination of curiosity and realization. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and started dialing before he shuffled away. I turned back to Reece, suddenly too overwhelmed to speak. He seemed to read it on my face because he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into him. Another silent tear leaked from my eyes as I sucked in a breath. A potent mixture of Reece, sweat, and, most disturbingly, blood filled my nose and once again, flashes of what he’d been through tonight ran through my brain. I hugged him tighter, my arms linked around his ribcage before I remembered he’d taken several hits there and loosened my grip. He didn’t say anything as he let his hand run from the top of my head all the way down my back. I ached for him so much that it had physically taken over my entire body, filling it with phantom pain I knew I wasn’t actually feeling. My mind was tricking me into feeling it because he was feeling it. I felt him kiss the top of my head lightly as I heard footsteps approaching once again. I turned my head against Reece’s chest to see Luke returning.
“They’ll be here any minute,” he said. “Do you care if I jump in? Not really feeling the club anymore,” he added with a self-conscious laugh. I could see he felt like he was intruding, but I understood how he felt.
“Of course,” I said instantly.
“I’ll walk from Reece’s, don’t worry,” he said with a slight grin. Even now, he was still the playful Luke from before. I bit back a soft smile as
I snuggled further against Reece and rested my head against his chest. “It’s alright,” I said, not wanting him to feel like he had to leave.
“No, no, I’ll leave,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t wanna, um, interrupt.”
He chuckled good-naturedly along with Reece, who’s chest rumbled beneath my ear. That was honestly the last thing on my mind, however, because I was more concerned with getting Reece cleaned up and making sure he was actually okay. Thankfully, the cab arrived almost immediately. The headlines shone through the dark at the end of the alley and we started walking toward it. Reece kept his arm slung around my shoulders and mine wove lightly around his waist as we walked. Again, Luke shot us a curious look that I couldn’t quite decipher but didn’t say anything. He climbed into the front seat and allowed Reece and I to take the back. Luke informed the driver of the address while Reece surprised me by pulling my legs over his knee, allowing them to fall between his own as he kept his arm around my waist. It was like he wanted us as close as possible even for the short cab ride. We were all silent for the ride, but I took the opportunity to examine Reece’s face once again. I was surprised the driver didn’t mention Reece’s state, because he really was smeared with an obvious amount of blood. The cuts on his eyebrow and lip were still bleeding, but not as heavily as they had been earlier. A thin trickle of blood trailed down along his cheekbone, stemming from his brow. His lip appeared slightly swollen from the cut as it looked even fuller than usual.
As if he could feel my gaze, he turned his head to the side and met my gaze. He pulled his lips to the side in a soft smile, shaking his head gently as if to say I was worrying too much. It was scary sometimes how easily he could read me. He ducked his head forward and let his lips whisper against my ear.
“I’m fine, Abby,” he murmured quietly before kissing the hinge of my jaw softly. He leaned back against the seat and I tried to smile at him. He shot me an amused look as the cab pulled to a stop in front of his house. “We’re here,” the driver announced before turning expectantly to Luke.
“I got it guys, don’t worry,” Luke said sarcastically, his playful nature showing through once again as he pulled out his wallet to pay. I carefully unwound myself from Reece to climb out first. I extended my hand to help him, which he promptly ignored before folding his long frame out of the vehicle. Luke waited for us to start walking before following, and we both watched as Reece pulled out his keys to unlock his front door. We all moved through the frame and blinked from the sudden change of brightness when Reece flicked on a light.
“Shit,” he grumbled as he took in the state of his house. I had quickly learned that Reece was very neat, and didn’t appreciate the mess of his house after having people over. Cups and empty beer cans littered his living room, and sticky liquid was spilled over several of the surfaces. He would never admit it, but the mess drove him crazy. “I’ll clean it later,” I told him. “Let’s get you cleaned up first, yeah?”
He nodded, frowning around us before turning to glance at me. I pinched my lips together in a kind of grimace before steering him into the kitchen. His arm twitched against mine as if he was resisting the urge to start picking up the empty cans scattered across his counter. Luke followed us and helped himself to a glass from the cupboard.
“Just let me get some water and I’ll go,” he said, grin wide on his face. I nodded.
“I’m gonna go get some stuff to clean you up, alright?” I said to Reece. He leaned against the counter and sighed heavily. It was clear from the expression on his face he thought I was overreacting, but I didn’t care. He didn’t know how scary it was to see him covered in blood.
“Okay,” he said evenly. I nodded and turned to head to the bathroom. I was reminded of the last time I had tended to Reece. The way the blood had washed down the drain as I rinsed it from his knuckles would seem like nothing now in comparison. I turned into the bathroom to search for something I could use. After searching the cupboards, however, all I managed to find were a few washcloths and some band-aids. I sighed heavily, unsurprised by his lack of first aide materials but pleased I had at least managed to find a few band-aids. I started back down the hall, about to scold Reece for being such a boy when I heard Luke’s careful voice floating toward me. I slowed me steps, his tone making me feel like I should be quiet as I approached. I couldn’t quite hear what he was saying, but I wanted to know why he was using such a hushed tone. Being as quiet as I could, I managed to make it as far down the all I could get without being seen, and I leaned against the wall as I strained to listen.
“I’ve never seen you like that, man,” Luke said in response to something I couldn’t hear. Reece let out a heavy sigh, and I could practically see him pushing his hands through his hair.
“I couldn’t help it, I just snapped,” Reece replied. His voice was tense.
“Yeah but... you did it for her, that’s what I mean,” Luke explained. “I’ve never seen you do anything for anyone, much less a girl.”
Reece was quiet as for a few seconds before Luke added, “No offense.”
“I know, but... I don’t know, I just go insane thinking of anyone touching her but me,” Reece explained.
“Hey man, that’s your girl, I don’t blame you,” Luke said lightly. His voice sounded like an actual shrug.
“It’s more than that,” Reece said sharply, not liking the casual tone to Luke’s voice.
“Well that’s obvious,” Luke said. I imagined him rolling his eyes. “You love her. That’s pretty clear to everyone.”
Again Reece was silent for sometime before responding.
“I do love her,” he admitted. “A lot.”
It was so strange to hear him admit these things to Luke. I could tell it made him slightly uncomfortable, but it made me glow with joy. It was one thing to hear him say it to me, but another thing entirely for him to admit it to his best friend. The fact that he felt secure enough in our relationship to reveal that to him was huge, not to mention the fact that Luke thought it was obvious. It made me feel warm and giddy to think that the way we were together made others think we really did love each other, because that was exactly the case. “About time, man. It’s also extremely obvious that she loves you because she nearly passed out tonight worrying about you. I wasn’t expecting to see that but all night it got more and more obvious,” Luke said. His long explanation surprised me, but that seemed to explain the quizzical looks he’d been shooting us all night. He had been surprised by how strongly we clearly felt for each other.
“I love her more,” Reece said simply. A conflicting pang struck my heart at his words- I was so happy to hear he loved me so much but sad to hear he thought he loved me more. I was absolutely certain he would never love me as much as I loved him. There was an ironic serendipity to me overhearing this conversation, because it appeared that both of us were under the impression that we loved the other more, when in reality, we both felt exact same depth of love for each other. I cleared my throat loudly, deciding I had eavesdropped enough. My interruption effectively cut off their conversation, and Luke shot me an over-exaggerated grin that poorly disguised what they’d been talking about before. He drained the rest of his water before he set the glass down and clapped his hands together. “Well! Looks like you’ve got this under control so I’m gonna just head home,” he said. He did a weird half-skip, half-step as he sauntered around me and started to move toward the front door. “You two behave now!”He shot us a suggesting grin before opening the door and slipping outside. As soon as the door was shut, I turned to Reece to see him shaking his head with a soft grin on his face.
“He’s walking home?” I questioned.
“Yeah, he only lives a block away,” Reece replied, shifting his gaze back to me. “We left your friends at the bar.”
I blinked. I hadn’t even realized it until he said it, but as far as I knew, Chloe and Emily were still happily dancing, oblivious to what had happened. On second thought, they very well
could have seen the fight because it seemed like the entire club had been packed into the narrow hallway. I shrugged.
“Oh well, they’ll survive,” I said. They were the least of my concerns right now. “You really should get a real first aide kit.”
He shrugged, the corners of his lips pulling down momentarily as he pouted out his lower lip for a second. “Never had much use for one.”
“Except right now,” I pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him. “Now sit still.”
I moved the washcloth I had found under the warm water in his sink before ringing it out so it was damp. He leaned against the counter next to me while he watched patiently, his feet jutting out enough so he was near my level. His hands were splayed out on the counter to his sides as he held himself up casually. I bit my lip as I approached him, unsure of where to start.
“Come here,” I beckoned. He pushed himself off the counter to follow my instructions, his long body loping gracefully toward me. I turned on the water of the sink, letting it warm up enough before I gently took his hands and placed them under the stream. Just as I had before, my fingers worked to carefully remove the blood from his knuckles. I watched the red drip from his skin before disappearing down the drain, and I could feel his eyes on my face just as before. I repeated the gentle action over and over again, careful not to hurt him until I had his skin cleaned.
Once I was satisfied with the way his hands looked, grabbed the clean rag to dry them off. I picked up each one, his gaze burning into my face the entire time, and brought them both to my lips one at a time so I could kiss his battered knuckles one by one. After keeping my eyes down for the process, my gaze flicked back up to his to find it searing into mine. He watched my every move, riveted by the way I took care of him. My breath caught in my throat for a second before I managed to steer him back against the counter as he had been before. My eyes searched his face, the dried flecks of Jack’s blood drawing my attention first. After bundling up the cloth, I raised it to his face and began to gently dab away the stains. He stood perfectly still, his breathing slow and even as he watched me. Again, his eyes burned into mine while I examined his face, and I tried to ignore the intense gaze. Most of the blood had dried along the left side of his face, and the rag was doing a better job of smearing it than actually removing it. I huffed in annoyance as I tried to mop up the mess. The rag quickly became stained a deep pink, and I gave up on trying to gather more blood and moved to the sink to rinse it out. Just as I had expected, the blood rinsed out of the rag, the dark swirls of water washing around the sink before disappearing down the drain. I stood transfixed for a second. The way the colors swirled effortless around the white of the sink mesmerized me, their contrast in color so sharp it was almost unnerving. I stood for a few seconds, my eyes glued to the whirling water before I managed to snap myself out of it and return to Reece.