Rescue | Tronnor

Chapter Eleven

CONNOR

To: Badass mofo💋
Hey could you come over?

From: Badass mofo💋
Sure... When

To: Badass mofo💋
Now

From: Badass mofo💋
Eager are we

To: Badass mofo💋
Just get here

From: Badass mofo💋
5 mins

---

Troye is obsessively pacing through my tiny office that serves as a drawing room. "These are really good!" he'd exclaim.

He comes to a canvas that I had covered with a sheet. "What's this?"

"See for yourself," I smile.

Troye lifts the sheet up, and gasps. He throws the sheet to the floor.

"Holy shit. That's... Those..."

It's the painting of the blue eyes. Blue eyes that resemble Troye's almost perfectly.

"How did you..."

"He's an art prodigy, that's how." A smooth British accent accompanied by a sharp tone hits my ears, and I spin around.

"Zoë, I'm hardly young enough to be called a 'prodigy' anymore." I grin in spite of myself.

"Suit yourself," she smirks. "It's nice to see you again, Con."

She embraces me, and I reply, "You too, Zo."

"Umm, am I interrupting something here?" Troye steps closer, eyebrows raised.

"Oh. Troye, Zoë. Zoë, Troye," I step back, allowing them to get a better look at each other.

"He's skinny," Zoë quips.

Troye rolls his eyes. "This is the 'thief'?"

"Whoa, whoa. 'Thief'? I prefer 'kleptomaniac'."

"Zoë," I caution.

"What?"

I give her "The Look" and she relents. "Okay, kid. Con, what do you need?"

I hold up Troye's hand and show her the metal band. "This, off."

She smiles, a glint in her eyes. "Easy. I'll need my tools, though." She turns and dials a number on her cell. "Alfie? Yeah, babe, come to Connor's really fast. And bring my toolbox."

TROYE

Connor leads me to his bedroom.

"Look, I'm sorry about her attitude. She can be a little brash sometimes," he says apologetically.

"Nah, it's fine."

I take a seat on the bed. I've noticed that Connor's been keeping his distance from me. Am I disgusting to him? Is he ashamed for helping a person like me?

"Connor?"

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to say thank you, for helping me."

He leans back against his desk. "It's no problem."

I tap my foot rhythmically against the carpet. "What if... What if she can't do it?"

"She can."

"But Cobra might still come after me." A realization hits me. "He might come after you. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Hey, hey." Connor walks over to me and holds me gently by the shoulders. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

"You are blatantly disregarding the fact that Cobra could kill you! He runs an illegal business; he'd do anything to tie up any loose ends!" I'm frantic with fear. "Connor, you're one of the only kind people in my life right now. I've lost everything. I don't even know you that well, but I don't want to lose you too."

Connor wraps his arms around me, drawing me closer to him in a warm, comforting hug. "Don't worry," he says, "you're not getting rid of me anytime soon." He pulls away.

"No, please." He freezes as I bury my head in his chest, overwhelmed with emotion. "Just, h-hold me, please," I say shakily.

And he does.

---

I don't even remember falling asleep, but the next thing I know, slim fingers are tinkering with the band around my wrist.

"Z-Zoë?"

She looks at me momentarily, then focuses back on the band. "Morning, sleeping beauty."

I sit up groggily, and I notice that a blanket has been wrapped around me. "What time is it?"

"Two in the morning."

Two in the morning?! "Where's Connor?"

She selects a thin screwdriver from a metal box placed on the nightstand. "Sleeping. He figured you'd freak if you woke up in bed with him, so he's on the couch."

A pang of guilt clenches my heart. That couldn't be comfortable. "How long have you been working on it?"

"Since midnight. Alfie was drunk with his friends and forgot his phone, so I had to drive home at like eleven and get my tools myself."

"Who's Alfie?"

"My boyfriend. We moved here from Brighton a couple years ago." Zoë smiles, "I met Connor when he caught me breaking into here. His roommate wanted to call the cops, or kill me, since I'd grabbed his hair product for Alfie." Zoë rolls her eyes at the memory. "Connor made him calm down, and let me go. I came back every now and then, just to hang out. He's a really nice guy." She gives me a weird look.

"What?"

She sighs. "You like him, don't you?" she says as she unscrews a small pin from the band.

"He's attractive, and nice," I allow.

She sniggers. "That's what they all say. I can tell from the way you look at him." Her voice softens. "Just, if you do want to give him a try, don't hurt him. He's... Fragile with his emotions." She flips open a panel on the band and fiddles with the wires. "The stubborn boy'd never admit it, but he is quite the softie. I think that's why he wants to help you so bad."

My arm is growing tired from holding it out so long. "I don't think he'd let me stay with him out of sheer compassion."

"Well, you're cute, I'll give you that." She uses the screwdriver to pry out a minuscule circuit board. The band loosens its grip on my wrist, and she pulls it off. "All done!" She pushes me back under the covers. "Get some sleep."

"Gladly."

{What?! Julia updated AGAIN?!?! What is this madness?!?!?

I thought you guys deserved another chapter because I made you wait so long😁

Ily💕
-Julia}