After Dark • Peter Hayes

The Candor boy who was full of lies

Piper's POV;

Will had partially caught me up to speed of why I was in a hospital bed when I woke up this morning. Told me Peter carried me here which no doubt was down to him.

I was getting released soon, luckily with only a concussion. Just had to wait on someone coming to 'collect me' that someone being Will.

The door in front of me opened slowly, Peter. I didn't know what to say to him. The last thing I had said was that I hated him, after telling him something like that, I did what a coward would do and walked out the room not looking at him again. It made me cringe inside knowing I'd been a coward about it.

"So.." he began to speak, standing at the bottom of the bed where I sat, with my legs hanging over the side, not actually facing him. "How are you feeling?" Nice, awkward small talk. Just the way I like it.

I shook my head slightly at the thought, why was he making awkward small talk. Peter Hayes was not the type of person to make awkward small talk. "I'm fine" I pushed the bed at the side of me to push myself up. I hadn't got out of the bed myself since I'd been here.

That was obviously when I began to fall forward. God, how embarrassing could I be. I closed my eyes and put my hands out to prepare the meeting with the ground I was about to have, but it never came. My eyes slowly opened and looked down to see two hands on my waist.

"You're fine yea?" I rolled my eyes at that remark continuing to look down at his hands, his hands that made my waist look rather small. They looked large and strong, his veins being rather prominent. They looked rough and they were, bruised?

"What happened to your hand?" I tilted my head to the side, looking down at his right knuckles.

"What?" He chuckled slightly, then his right hand squeezed slightly at my waist, he was going to move it, I put my hand down quickly and put it over his. He tensed at my touch. He had a habit of doing that. "Punch bags, went a bit heavy this morning" he was lying.

"Candor's are supposed to be honest you know" I spoke lifting his hand up to have a closer look. Both of my hands wrapped around his own. My hands were not small by any means, I'd actually argue they were slightly larger than average, but in comparison to his, they seemed tiny. His knuckles were purple and red, small cuts trailed over them.

"Good thing I'm not a Candor anymore" he was being sarcastic, good. I trailed my thumb over his knuckles and he winced the slightest bit. These were not from a punching bag, my knuckles had been bruised from a punching bag practically every day since I'd been here but this was different. Not to mention, his other hand wasn't as badly bruised, surely if they'd both come from a punching bag, they'd both look similar. He muttered something, about being full of, something that I couldn't work out. Possibly lies?

"What did you say?" I queried looking up at him.

"Nothing" he shook his head. So did I. Looking at his hand once again I noticed his other hand, still planted just above my hip bone, "got to make sure you don't fall right?" He was still holding me closely. I could feel his warmth. Something I'd never imagine Peter being. Warm.

"I'll ask again," I spoke to distract my mind from thinking about his touch and the control it had over me. "What happened to your hand?"

"Punching bag"

"Liar" I laughed slightly. Finally dropping his right hand, "you know I'll find out what happened right?" I smiled looking up at him, he had a smirk plastered on that pretty face of his.

"I hope you do" he spoke dryly, his voice was hoarse. I wanted him to keep talking, his hand to stay on my side. I wanted his touch. I hadn't stopped thinking about it since that game we played, find the flag. I hated myself for being so easily won by something so stupid. I looked down again, unable to meet his eyes because when I looked into his eyes I felt myself wanting to look at his lips. The taste I couldn't forget.