Save Me

Chapter 72

My body aches; my shuffling steps are scuffing the floor. My eyelashes flatter in order to adjust to the lightning. I stare at my reflection in my mirror yet everything seems blurry. My drifting focus is caused by my headache. I blink; my face is pale lacking color or any vitality. My matted hair is hugging it. I pass my fingers through it and my lips part in a gasp. I look down at my hands; dark mauve and black bruises are marking my skin in a trail. Small points of his violence have painted the skin of my arms and hands; I shudder. I fought him off; I almost got raped by him. My angel though came and saved me. Again.

My hands are shaking in fear. The tension left my system since I left the location of the incident. Once I reached the house; I collapsed. Tears were falling down as the realization of what happened and what could have happened dawned on me. The adrenaline, the fever combined with my need to see him; made everything else disappeared. Drops of fatigue were falling on me by every second. I glare at my window where everything is covered in black. The lamp of the road provides faint light creating a pattern of illumination.

I roll the neck from side to side to loosen kinks when I hear a soft knock. My lips part as the door reveals my angel. His blonde hair is messy, his eyes glassy in the blue of the ocean yet tired. Exhaustion has changed him; his shoulders are bowed, his eyelashes flutter slowly.

"Hey," I feel all my body relax; my muscles stretch like a weight has been lifted off of me.

"Are you okay?" His voice is soft and my heart sinks at his tiring tone.

"I'll be, I guess," I smile lightly. "You?"

"Just tired," I feel my heart clench knowing that I'm responsible.

"What happened in school? Did you..."

"It's fine," He calms me down. "He believed you," He continues, and the corners of his mouth tug upwards up a bit.

"The other girls?" He stares at me not answering and I feel the room getting smaller, burying me between the moving walls that threaten to collide in me. "Oh my God..."

"I don't think you should be thinking like that. He believed both of us and once they talk to him, Edward will be long gone." He states. My hand touches my forehead as I try to breathe in and out. My heartbeat has increased and I feel the oxygen evaporating for my world; leaving me gasping helplessly.

Arms cradle me tightly as I hug him with all my strength. His scent makes my insides relax while I shut my lids. He closes the door behind him before he takes me in his arms and walks us to my bed. I hide my head in his neck as he buries his nose in my hair inhaling deeply. I tug his hair sensing his blonde hair around my fingers. His tensed body loosens up under me as I caress him.

"What is it?" He whispers. Our foreheads touch and I stare at his ocean blue eyes that are locked in mine.

"He almost..."

"He didn't," He interrupts me. "Do they hurt?" He takes my hand in his while his eyes scan my body.

"A little," I admit, and his jaw clenches. His fingers travel up and down my arms; the electricity crushing through every one of my cells.

"Will you stay?" I whisper. After everything that happened today; I need him to stay with me. It's like my soul desperately needs him as if I need oxygen to breathe.

"I don't think I should," He mutters. I gawk at him feeling his rejection cut my skin and cause my heart to bleed.

"You don't want to stay?" I ask while the fear makes my voice wave.

"I do but I shouldn't," He explains and my eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Can you stay until I fall asleep?" I say instead. It's not enough but I won't bear seeing him leaving me now. He nods and my body relaxes against his. He lays us down on the bed; my back against his chest. I shut my lids relishing the heat that spread on my skin, the security that calms my thundering frightened heart. He glides his arms around me touching my head with his. Minutes pass but the sleep doesn't take me away. I can't drift off when he holding me like that; so closely, after everything that has taken palace.

After a while, he moves and softly places me in the mattresses unwrapping his arms from around me before he stands up to leave. I watch him walking away without having the strength or the voice to stop him. I need him. I want him to stay with me, to keep the monsters and demons away from me, to feel his safe and loving embrace, his arms around me.

"Good night," I murmur instead. My voice stops him in his tracks before his eyes meet mine. He smiles briefly.

"Good night," Even his voice is soft as if the weariness altered him to the core; his confident angry voice gone. The sound of the front door closing along with the image of his haggard appearance makes me grab a jacket of Noah's and run after him.

"Corbyn," I cry opening the front door. He turns to me, and his lips part at the sight of me. I have covered my shoulders with Noah's jacket yet I feel the coldness spread all over my skin; causing me to shudder. His hair glistens in the darkness as the sound of the light rain echoes.

"I just wanted to say thank you," I whisper.

"Yeah..."

"And I'm sorry," I add and his eyebrows furrow forming a small scowl. He walks towards me slowly until he stands right before me; his electric blue eyes staring down on me. He is so close to me that I can touch him; feel his fire cracking inside of me, his warmth expand all over me.

"For what?"

"I got myself into trouble again and you beat him up. You had told me about the warning the Principal gave you. You could have been expelled and ruined your whole future for me. You had warned me about Edward and I fought you over it. You risked everything for me and I...I-I'm sorry that I was the one to put you in this position where you had to make that kind of a choice." I whisper feeling the guilt eating me.

He looks at me for a few seconds in utter silence. I sense his hand gripping my own that it's buried in the fabric. His hand touches mine and I feel electricity move from my hand and go all over me. His warmth reduces the iciness. He leans down making my heart skip a beat; his eyes piercing into mine.

"He had you and he was gonna hurt you," He whispers softly along with the sound of the raindrops scratching the ground. "There was no choice to make,"

He stays close to me to be; he tries to leave but he doesn't seem to be able to. Without thinking about it much, he presses his lips on mine; a long yet lingering kiss. My fingers leave Noah's jacket and grip his shirt pulling him closer to me. He pushes me backward till my back hits the door. Our tongues dance together though before I can get lost in it, he tears his feverish lips from mine.

His words opened my heart. I look up at my angel before his hands leave me. He takes off as the rain falls over him. I stand outside the door watching him disappear in the darkness as his words mark my heart with his name. He leaves and the lightness of my life vanishes.