31

                                    

                                          
When we arrived at school, I led Rose towards the medical room. Due to our detour to get breakfast, the team were already out on the field so the door was already unlocked and I didn't need to use my key to let us in. She followed me inside without saying a word. She hadn't said much on the drive here, had just watched me from the corner of her eye. Most likely because of how tightly I was gripping the steering wheel.
I was furious that she'd gotten hurt again and questions swirled around my mind like a hurricane. Could this really be a coincidence? Did someone have a vendetta against her? Was there a reason someone had gone after her specifically? Had this been about more than just the money?
I couldn't work it out. Rose was a smart girl. If someone approached her while she was alone at night and demanded she hand over her money, she would. She was small and shy and wouldn't put up any kind of fight. Surely her attacker could see that? So why harm her? Was it just for his sick enjoyment? Or was there more to it?
Maybe I was overthinking it, but this was the second time in a matter of weeks that I was cleaning up her injuries. I knew she didn't live in the best area but when Jay had lived a few streets over, he hadn't had this many issues and that idiot would start a fight with anyone purely for entertainment. Was it just because Rose was more vulnerable?
She sat down on the bed in the centre of the room and swung her legs back and forth while I searched for some alcohol to clean her cut. It had already started to scab over but I didn't want it getting infected. I turned to look at her, noting the vacant look in her eyes, and wished I could read her thoughts right now.
But instead of asking, I returned to the conversation about what happened. "What did your dad have to say about this?" I asked, gesturing to her face. I knew if it was one of my sisters, my dad would be in a fit of rage, searching the streets one by one until he tracked down whoever had done this.
She stopped swinging her legs so suddenly that the one still in midair swung backwards and thwacked into the frame of the bed. She didn't seem to notice though. Her wide eyes were on mine and her skin immediately went pale. "What?"
I narrowed my eyes, not expecting that reaction in the slightest. It only made me more curious to know the answer to my question. "Your dad? What did he say when you came home like that?"
I watched her swallow as though it took great effort. "Oh," she muttered, shaking her head a little as though she was shaking off the panic that seemed to have washed over her. "He uh, he was worried but glad I wasn't hurt."
I frowned. "You were hurt."
"I mean seriously hurt."
I gestured to her busted lip. "This looks pretty serious to me." I stepped up closer to her and soaked a cloth in some rubbing alcohol before pressing it to her lip. She hissed at the sting and tried to pull away but I curled a hand around the back of her head to hold her still. "Sorry," I said, "it won't take long."
"It stings," she mumbled, trying not to move her lips too much. 
I dabbed at the cut as gently as I could and then, without thinking, dragged my thumb across her lower lip where it had swollen. I felt her breath tickle my skin as she exhaled, her eyes wide as she stared up at me. "I don't like you getting hurt," I told her, flickering between looking at her eyes and her lips. At some point, I'd leaned in until my forehead was almost touching hers.
She pressed her lips together, my thumb still resting on the bottom one, and then swallowed. Something flared in her eyes when I glanced back up to them. "I know," she said, her breath warm, her lips soft. All I wanted to do was kiss her, but I knew now wasn't the time. Not when she was hurt. 
"I was going to ask you," I said, dragging my thumb down from her lip until my hand was cupping her chin instead, long fingers brushing over her cheek. She flinched and I felt my heart skip a beat. "Does that hurt?"
Her eyes left mine and darted around the room, as though she could find something else to talk about. "Rose," I called her attention back to me. "You flinched."
She cringed, squeezing her eyes shut. "He may have hit me as well," she mumbled under her breath but I heard, crystal fucking clear. "It's just a little bruise."
I assessed the skin but there was nothing there. It was perfectly clear. And that's when I realised it was too clear. There were no freckles or blemishes, no pores or beauty marks on her face. The only imperfections were her lip and her bloodshot eyes, as though she'd been crying. "You covered it with makeup," I grumbled.
She lifted a shoulder. "I didn't want people to see."
"And did you intend to tell me?"
I rose an eyebrow while she shrunk away, shoulders tense, awaiting my annoyance. That was enough of an answer. "Rose!"
"Sorry." Her voice was soft whilst mine was a jagged blade.
"We had a deal. You agreed to tell me whenever something happened."
"I'm sorry," she said again. She reached out for me, grabbing both of my arms and holding me still, as though she was scared that I'd leave her. There wasn't a fucking chance. I felt her gently tug me closer and she may as well have yanked on my heartstrings because the small, desperate movement tugged right at my chest. 
I leaned over her, curling my arms around her to hold her close. "I'm sorry," she whispered again before burying her face in my neck. She smelt so fucking good, sweet and clean and just so perfectly her. I'd happily drown in it. "Tell me what you were going to ask me?" Her voice was muffled by my hoodie.
I trailed a finger up and down her spine and smiled when she shuddered from the sensation. "I was going to ask you to do something with me after school," I told her, continuing my movements while she held onto me like a life force. I liked having her close. Liked touching her. Liked having her touch me. It quieted any questions or worries in my mind. Everything was drowning in her.
She looked up at me, a small smile curving her lips upwards. "I can't today," she said, eyes so big and round as they met mine. "Can we do Monday instead?"
I didn't need to asked twice. I nodded in agreement. "I'll sort something," I told her with a grin, already thinking of where we could go or what we could do. I wanted her to experience everything she'd never been able to. To see everything she'd dreamed of seeing. To go everywhere worth going. But a few hours after school wasn't long so I had to keep things local. The beach had been an exception. I didn't care how far it was, I'd decided as soon as she agreed to a date that I'd take her. I was just lucky it was doable in an evening.
She smiled brightly and, even with a swollen lip, it was beautiful. "I can't wait," she said. "But we should actually get on with some tutoring. You have a chemistry resit coming up."
I rolled my eyes, making her laugh float through the room. I wanted to make that sound my ringtone, my alarm, my fucking doorbell sound if I could, just to hear it over and over and over again. 
 I pulled her to her feet, relishing the feeling of her skin against mine. "Come on," she said, eyes sparkling as she looked up at me. "You've already passed three assignments. You're doing really well; we have to keep going."
I tugged her closer, smiling down at her. Being this close to her, close enough that I could smell her coconut shampoo, could feel her soft skin against mine, it made me giddy. I hummed in agreement before smirking down at her. "You're right. And the more assignments I pass, the more opportunities I'll have to celebrate with you."
Her smile remained even as she bit her lip and then winced at the pain. "Exactly," she said. The hint of breathlessness in her voice had me grinning as I followed her back to the study room.
A/N:
Hi everyone! I'm so so appreciative for all the reads and votes this story has received! 
The next update will posted when the first book in the series, 'A Debt to Pay', reaches 4 million readers!! (Or next Friday... whichever comes first!)