Red

Phone Calls

The moment we left the clinic, I felt myself relax. I hated going to doctors, even if I knew what would happen once I was in there. I just didn't like being examined like I was some piece of meat.

Evan opened the door to his truck and lifted me inside against my wishes and then slid the crutches on the floorboard under my feet.

"You know, I could have managed getting into the truck myself."

"Yeah, I could see that." He shut my door and rounded to his side and climbed in.

"You can stop now."

He frowned at me as he turned the key in the ignition. "Stop what?"

"Trying to help me. Cooking for me, carrying me around. I'm an adult. I can do these things on my own."

He rolled his eyes as he backed out of the parking spot and stayed silent as he drove us to my mom's. After parking the car in the driveway, he turned to me and sighed, "Why is it so difficult for you to just accept someone's help when you need it?"

"It isn't. It's only difficult to accept when I don't need it. You heard the doctor; I've been injuring myself like this since I was a kid. I'm used to this."

"Alright, fine. You've made your point. I will stop trying to help you until you ask for it."

"If I ask for it."

"When you ask for it." Something in his tone of voice told me he wasn't just talking about assisting my injury anymore and his eyes darkened when he caught me staring at his lips. A dark chuckle rumbled out of his chest as he turned and hopped out of the truck.

I had to sit for a minute to gather myself and even out my breathing before opening the passenger door to get out. Then, I looked down. And down. His truck was so high off the ground that I was contemplating asking for help already. But then I saw him standing there watching me with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

I glared at him and decided against asking him. Instead, I grabbed one of my crutches, dropped the bottom end to the ground and balanced the knee of my injured leg off the edge of the truck while the other foot hit the ground. I dropped my other leg, grabbed the second crutch, and spun around to gloat when I noticed how close he was to me.

My breath hitched and the words got caught in my throat as he smiled down at me, the cocky grin angering me further. "That looked less graceful than a toddler climbing off a couch."

I stood up as straight as I could, raising my chin to show him the comment didn't bother me. "Don't expect me to be asking for your help anytime soon, Tarzan." I pushed at his hard chest to get him to move and headed to the front steps. There were only two steps to go up so it wasn't too difficult a task for me.

"I thought I told you, I'm more like the-"

"The big, bad wolf. Yes, you've said that. But I still you as a complete caveman."

A deep laugh rumbled from behind me, but I just shook my head and kept going until I reached the front door. And upon opening it, I was bombarded by five very loud 'happy birthday's.

"Oh my god. What the hell?"

I could feel the dark presence of Evan behind me and pushed myself to move further in the house until I reached the couch and flopped down onto it.

Lacey and Lydia were the first to envelop me in hugs and sat on either side of me asking about my ankle and what happened. I left out some of the parts like the one where it was Evan that told me to run and chased me, but they got the idea. I tripped, sprained my ankle, and needed time to heal.