𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑟-𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑

Aftershocks

Abby's POV

I feel my eyes fluttering open, an orange light blinding me as it hits my face. A second later, the light is gone, and my eyes adjust to the new lighting in the room. I see a tall blonde standing over me, his face riddled with worry. "Rafe," I whisper, my words nearly inaudible. He becomes shorter, getting on his knees so that we are closer. That's when I realize I'm in a bed. As I look around, I notice a golden chandelier hanging above me.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, his voice sounding like he doesn't know what or how to ask. As his words hit my ears, I remember what happened. I killed someone. My throat closes and I feel myself unable to breath. My hands shake, the shaking spreading to the rest of my body. Rafe notices this and he places his large, veiny hand over mine, enveloping my hand in his. "It's ok," he whispers, his expression soft. "Where am I?" I ask, my voice quiet and on the verge of cracking.

"Tanneyhill," he answers. "Rose and Wheezie are out. Barry took you here after what happened yesterday. You slept for like 16 hours." I slide my hand out from under his, getting up. "I have to go take care of the bodies," I mumble, getting out of the bed. "We will get arrested if I don't." I head for the door, grasping the handle only for a warm hand to gently grab mine. "It's taken care of, Abby," Rafe says, gently pulling me away from the door. He leads me back to the bed, making me lie back down before covering me with the black comforter.

"No, the blood. It stains concrete. You need-" "Peroxide to get it out. Abby, I know. I took care of it. Just rest, please," he says, cutting me off. I shake my head. "No, I have to get out of here. You might have missed something." As I move to sit up, he places his large hand on my chest, gently pushing me back down onto the bed. "Abby, I took care of it. Please, trust me."

Something about the way he is looking at me makes me feel safer. Having him here, feeling his warm skin against my ice-cold skin; it makes me feel safe. He's a murderer and I shouldn't be feeling safe around him. I shouldn't.

I slowly allow myself to relax into the bed, feeling somewhat comforted by his touch. "Why did you bring me here?" I ask, looking up at him. He could have left me there or told Barry to take me to his place. Rafe didn't have to bring me here. "I didn't know what you were going to do. I've never seen a person act like you did and I didn't want you to get hurt," he answers, the look in his eyes making me believe him.

"Still," I say, pushing his hand off me and sitting up in the bed. "When Rose gets home, she can't see me here. If she finds me in the guest room of her house, I'm fucked." The corner of his lip tugs up a bit. "You aren't in the guest room, Abby." My eyebrows furrow and then raise as I realize where I am. I'm in Rafe's room.

"And she won't freak out. It's not the first time I've had a girl over," he assures. I shake my head. "It's not that."

Though my head is down, facing the covers, I can see his eyebrows furrow out of the corner of my eye. A small sigh escapes my lips as I lift my head up. "That night on the bridge, when I swam to shore, she found me on the road. I used her phone to call my friend to pick me up. She will remember me."

As I look at him, I see his Adam's apple bob as he swallows, remembering that night. His expression changes and his walls are put back up. "She won't. Just get some rest. I have something to do today. I'll be back around lunch."

He walks over to the door but turns around. "Do you want me to change the temperature?" he asks, looking at his thermostat. I squint my eyes, trying to see the number from here. 70. Dear God, that's hot. "Could you turn it to 65?" I ask. He nods.

"I'm gonna lock this door so don't unlock it. I have a key so I can get in later," he says, pulling out a gold key from his pocket. I nod my head before settling back down onto the pillow. If I weren't about to pass out, I would leave but I don't think I could even make it to the door again.