I woke up momentarily confused about where I was and who I was with. The sun was blazing through the hotel curtains and air conditioning was blowing in my face. I rolled over, colliding with Rev, and was startled to see him there.
His eyes immediately popped open.
"All right, love?", he asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah. Fine. I didn't know where I was for a second, that's all". I kissed him quickly then got up to use the bathroom. I knew I went to bed early and apparently I had slept all night.
I climbed back into bed and into his arms, my cheek on his bare chest.
"Rev?"
"Yeah, love", he said, sounding half asleep.
"You're way too good to me, you know that? You are literally the only person I'm close to who has never hurt me. Never. No matter what I've done to you".
I lifted my head and looked at him. He looked like he was trying not to cry.
"You told me you weren't a good person and that you weren't sweet, but I want you to know I see something else entirely. You're probably the most courageous and selfless person I've ever met. The world is better because you are in it and my world is better with you in it".
"Love", he said, sounding strangled, reaching up to touch my cheek.
"Why do you let me hurt you again and again?", I asked.
"Because the happiness you bring outweighs the little hurts so much they don't even matter", he said, smiling.
I gave him another kiss then laid back on his chest.
"You want to tell me anything that happened yesterday?", he asked.
"Not really".
He waited silently. He knew I'd tell him eventually but I didn't want to.
Without moving from the position I was in, I started telling him about the details from Bre's conversation, about how she had the same bracelet and how Brad had given her a heads up on that but not me, and then when I brought it up to him he called me a hypocrite.
I ran through all the details of my conversations with Brad including how I had tried to attack him at home and how he forced me to wear my bracelet but I took it off in the airport.
"And that's why I snapped at you", I concluded. "I'm sorry".
I could hear Rev's heart pounding under my head as I waited for him to respond. I knew he was furious about how Brad had spoken to me. I could tell in how quickly his heart was beating and how rapidly he was breathing.
"Sit up", he finally said, and I did.
He sat up with me and carefully inspected my hands and wrists. I knew he was looking for marks. I hadn't seen any but I might not have noticed.
Thankfully, I didn't see any marks on my wrists but there was a bruise in between two of my knuckles where I had made contact with the bone of Brad's forearm.
"Does this hurt?", Rev asked, and I told him no as he poked around the area. He had me move my fingers as he felt around my hand and I watched his face. He was troubled but not angry.
He met my gaze. "Love, this isn't like you".
"I've hit people before".
"To protect yourself, yeah? Not simply because you were angry".
Shit.
"Don't get me wrong, love, if you had made contact with his face, I'da been fucking proud...but I'm worried about you getting that upset. Maybe you take some more time away from him, yeah?"
YOU ARE READING
The Neverending Hangover
Romance*Second in the Fire Whiskey series* 'I had been amazed at the connection Brad and I had, and our connection was inexplicable, but this with Rev was something else. It was different but just as impressive. Was I cursed or blessed to have two amazing...
