63

                                    

                                          
༻Rose's POV: ༺
Despite the pain I was in, the biggest smile crossed my face when my phone buzzed beside me. My tiny mattress vibrated from the incoming call. I answered immediately. "Hey," I said, a blush creeping up my neck to my cheeks. He always made me feel a little shy.
"Hey, baby." His voice was so warm and soothing. "How you feeling?"
I didn't think that nickname would ever stop giving me butterflies. "I'm fine," I insisted, even though it wasn't exactly the truth. I was still in a lot of pain so Matt had ordered me to stay home today. I'd tried to argue but he told me if I didn't stay home, he'd drag me back and spend the whole day at my bedside. I didn't want him to miss out on a day of school because of me and the thought of him being here made me nervous, so I'd backed down.
"I'm not," he grumbled. I heard the sound of a car door slam. "My drive to school was lonely without you."
I laughed, my cheeks flushing even deeper. "Well, I could have been with you," I reminded him.
"No, you couldn't," he growled back. "You need to be at home resting. And I should be there with you to take care of you." 
A smile warmed my face. "I'm okay, really," I assured him. 
"And you didn't see him last night?"
"No," I confirmed for the third time this morning. He'd text me long before my alarm had even gone off, telling me to take the day off and get some rest. "I stayed in my room all night and he pretty much passed out as soon as he got home."
He was silent for a long time and my gut twisted. Maybe I'd overshared. I wanted so badly to be honest with him, to reveal absolutely every detail just to offload everything that felt like it was drowning me. But I knew that the more I shared, the angrier he'd become and the more he'd want to get involved. I wasn't sure where the line was but I knew I could never cross it. 
"Okay," was all he said. 
I felt a little sick. "Stop frowning, I'm fine," I teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. 
"What about this weekend? Maybe you should stay with me. I don't want you being in the house with him all weekend."
I started to shake my head. "He's going away. My mom said he needed some space to calm down." I knew it wouldn't work. It never did. But it did give me a few days without being scared of what might happen if he's home.
"So, you're free this weekend?" I could hear the grin in his voice.
I giggled. "Yeah. My mom's going to visit my grandmother but I didn't want to go. It'll be too difficult to hide my injuries and I don't have the energy for that so I'm staying here."
"Perfect," he said, "then, I'll come and stay with you. I can take care of you."
"No, no, no." The thought made me nauseous. I wanted nothing more than to spend the weekend with him, but I didn't ever want him to step foot in this apartment. Being with Matt made me forget about all the problems in my life and having him here would only confuse that. Not to mention, while he knew I didn't have the kind of money his family had, he didn't realise just how poor I was and I didn't want him finding out. "Not here. Can we stay at your house?"
"No way! Seeing your place is way overdue and it'll be best for you to be in your own bed." 
"Matt," I whined, "Please can we stay at your house?"
"And have my parents quiz you all night about what happened to you?"
I faltered. He had me there. I'd snuck off without a word so I didn't have to answer to them and if I went back there, I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid their questions this time. "You haven't told them anything, have you?" I asked him, voice shaky. 
He didn't sound too happy. "No, baby, I haven't." 
"Thank you."
"Is your mom home?"
I blinked at the change of subject. "Um... yeah."
"Good, tell her to check your front door. There is something outside for you."
"What?"
"Just call her."
I was grinning like the Cheshire cat as I pulled the phone away from my ear. "Mom?" I called through my open bedroom door. "Is there something outside the door for me?"
I heard her footsteps against the hardwood floors before returning to my door. She held two brown paper bags, one in each hand. I grinned. When she came closer, I saw one had my name scribbled on it, while the other had hers written across it. "What are these?"
I snatched mine off her and tore into it. A paper cup of coffee sat inside, as well as a couple of croissants, a little tub of fruity spread and a box of painkillers. "I want to make sure you're eating properly. And then take some painkillers and get some rest."
In my doorway, my mother opened her own bag to a paper cup and a croissant. I couldn't dim the bright smile that crossed my face. "Thank you," I said to him, although it didn't feel like it was enough. 
"You're welcome. It's hot chocolate by the way, not coffee. You don't need caffeine right now. Eat, drink, take the pills and then get some sleep okay? I'll call you later, okay? I'm going to get some studying done."
I grinned. "I'm proud of you."
"Speak to you later, beautiful."
"Bye Matty."
 
༻༺
I slept for most of the day. It was the sound of the front door bursting open that jolted me awake. I blinked and wiped the sleep from my eyes. The painkillers had certainly worked. My whole body felt a little numb and heavy at the same time. The drapes were pulled closed but the draft from the window caused them to flutter, casting shadows across my room. 
"Where is my bag?"
I flinched from the sound of his voice alone. Suddenly, hot pain radiated from my ribs again, as though my body knew from the sound of his voice that danger was nearby. I winced and dragged my covers up higher until they were tucked just beneath my chin and around the back of my head, concealing as much of me as possible.
"In the bedroom." My mother's voice was so quiet and timid in comparison to his. She sounded so submissive, so passive. So scared. I heard his boots thud across the floor, nearing my own door. I squirmed, heart pounding and breath trapped in my lungs. I couldn't breathe again until he passed my door and I heard him moving around his bedroom.
A second later, he approached my door again. I wished I wasn't scared of him. I wished the mere thought of him outside my door didn't make my stomach turn. 
"I'll be back Sunday night," he grunted right outside my door.
I managed to muffle my yelp with the duvet. Bile burned in the back of my throat until the front door slammed shut and then my limbs turned to mush and I sunk into the comfort of my bed. Tears pricked my eyes. I wasn't sure why. He was gone and I was safe. And yet, emotion clogged the back of my throat and tears burned in my eyes.
"Sweetheart?"
I dried my damp cheeks just before my mom knocked and pushed the door open. "I'm going to leave soon, are you sure you don't want to come?"
I shook my head. I couldn't imagine even dragging myself out of bed right now, let alone packing a bag and catching multiple busses across the state for the next five hours. "No thank you."
"Alright sweetie, see you in a couple of days."
She stepped up to my bed and bent to press a kiss onto my forehead. "See you Sunday."
I waited after she left my room. She moved around the apartment, gathering her things for a while before shouting one final goodbye. As soon as the front door closed behind her and I heard her key in the lock, I dove for my phone.