In Love and Diplomacy

Chapter Twenty: Another One Bites the Dust

"But I'm only human, and I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human, and I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human"

- Christina Perri, "Human"

Chapter Twenty

My lungs expelled every last molecule of air as I came to a flattened heap on the pavement. My arms were stiff as they cradled my panicked pup, my ears ringing too loud and my eyes squeezed tightly shut. Rolo pushed out of my arms immediately and yelped as he put distance between us.

I groaned. The ache that'd only recently dissipated from my last impromptu meeting with the ground had slammed back into my bones in an awful reunion. It greeted me with a force that knocked the wind out of my body.

Thundered footsteps pounded closer until I felt someone crash to their knees next to me. Gentle hands cradled my face, warm fingers softly tangling in my hair. They tenderly slid over my skull, protecting what was already injured.

The fingers soon returned to my cheeks. The rush of blood in my head was too loud and the shouts were too muffled above me. It was only as the ringing quieted that I recognized my name.

"Avery! Open those eyes for me, love. Come on, Avery!" The terse voice was strangled as it hovered above me. I groaned again as I wiggled my fingers and tried to move my legs. Pain shot up my right knee, lacing up to my hip in an excruciating ribbon of heat.

"Oh my god! I didn't mean to! They came out of nowhere. Should I call 911?" Another frantic male voice was babbling from further away.

"Get back!" The voice above me angrily barked out.

I know that voice. That's Sterling. No, that's Reed. I call him Reed. I like Reed.

My eyes cracked open, taking in the hazy figure above me.

"That hurt like a bitch," I croaked out softly. I blinked until my eyes opened completely and took in the confusing scene around me. My head tilted to the side to see, pushing against the strong palms that burned against my cheeks.

Reed's usually impassive face was a mosaic of emotions – something arguably more jarring than the pain searing my bones. Worry, anger, relief, and pain fought each other in a flickering battle across his brow and jaw. My eyes slid from his own breathtaking ones to my dog, standing a few feet away in a protective stance.

A young, unknown man stood next to his car with his hands raised in surrender. The stranger's eyes darted between my growling dog that separated us and my flattened body on the pavement. I was lost in a wave of pain and confusion, but still felt a swell of nauseous fear and suspicion press on my chest.

"Avery, look at me." An urgent voice broke me away from the stranger, returning my eyes to the handsome face that was too far away.

"Where are you hurt?" Reed's eyes slid over me, looking head to toe before returning to meet my gaze with frantic wildness. His shoulders were tensed and solid, but his touch was nothing but soft.

"I don't know. Everything hurts. Like a bitch. You're a little blurry, did you know that?" I murmured. I was dizzy and nothing made sense. Thoughts were nothing more than fragmented beads that wouldn't stay on a string, scattering wider and faster than I could scoop them up.

Reed cursed, leaning down closer. My heartrate spiked as he neared, my hands itching to loop their way into his hair. That was a bead that somehow made it on the string — I was truly baffled by it, but too distracted to dwell on it.

"You probably have a concussion. It hasn't been that long since the last time this happened." Reed's voice was still tight as strong arms wrapped around me. In a dizzying blur of color, I felt myself being lifted. The movement forced my eyes closed as a wave of nausea threatened my wellbeing.