Lovers of Yesterday

Chapter 37 • Tired

I woke up, startled and confused. A hand pressed my shoulder down. Lynch sat on the edge of the bed next to me. My brow knitted, wondering why he was up. Craning my neck, I saw the time on the alarm clock: four thirty-one. Only three and a half more hours of sleep and I had woken up Lynch.

"Are you ok, sweetheart?" His voice was rough with sleep.

I nodded and replied in my own groggy tone, "Yeah? I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"You were screaming," he stated and my eyes widened in horror.

"Damnit, I'm so sorry, Lynch. I didn't realize- I guess I was having a nightmare but I don't remember-"

"Shh, it's ok. Come on, let's get you back to bed." He stood up and began to pull the blankets over me again.

I blushed as I remembered what Dria had said about me and Lynch. "Um... Lynch?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you stay a while? It seems like I sleep better when you're here." I prayed that he couldn't see how red my cheeks were.

He chuckled, "Sure, sweetheart. I'll lay with you. Scooch over."

I moved over and he laid next to me, pulling the blankets over both of us. He laid on his side facing me while I laid on my back. It was the only relatively comfortable position with my sling. He bent one arm under his head and draped the other over my stomach.

I twisted my head to the side, wishing I could roll over and be comfortable. I wish I didn't have this stupid sling 'cause of my shoulder. I wish a lot of things didn't happen but I can't rewrite the past. What matters is I'm alive and I'm safe and Liam can't touch me anymore.

"Hey, Ry," Lynch called my attention.

"Hm?"

"You feelin' ok? Your face is scrunched up like somethin's hurting."

"No," I shook my head slightly, "I was just thinking about some things. I took some pain meds earlier so I'm ok."

"Alright. Go to sleep, sweetheart." My eyes drifted closed at his words and I was out within minutes.

• • •

I opened my eyes to the beginnings of sunlight peeking through the blinds. I stretched my legs but it was deemed impossible to stretch my arms. One arm was confined to a sling and the other was trapped under Lynch.

I craned my neck to see just how trapped I was. He had rolled toward me just slightly in his sleep but it had pinned my arm underneath his side and was partially covering my body. My legs were the only limbs that were free.

My arm pulsing with pain reminded me of why I woke up. I couldn't move but I needed to grab a couple Ibuprofen pills. As gently and forcefully as I could, I pulled my arm from under him and scooted over so I was free. Unfortunately, it woke him up. I was sitting up slowly as he cracked his eye open.

He silently pushed himself up and moved to my side as I slid off the bed. He guided me to the kitchen where he found the bottle of Ibuprofen and poured to pills in his hand. They were passed to me while he put the bottle back in its place and found a drink in the refrigerator for me.

I swallowed the pills and waited for them to kick in. Lynch leaned against the counter next to me while I took another swig of the soda. I moved to the fridge and put the soda back in its place.

I trailed out to the living room and sat back on the couch. Lynch followed and sat next to me, leaving only a couple inches of space between our legs. The pain was slowly beginning to fade but I was still tired. I leaned against Lynch, resting my cheek on his shoulder as I closed my eyes.

I felt his arm move from his lap to wrap around my waist. He tugged me closer and leaned forward, curling his hand around the back of my knee. I opened my eyes and raised my head as he pulled me onto his lap.

I moved my arm to wrap around his back, mumbling, "Watcha doing?"

"Makin' you more comfortable. You still look tired." I hummed, dropping my head back to his shoulder. "It's not even seven yet. I'll wake you when I'm leaving, alright?"

"Leaving?"

"I still gotta go to work. I'll talk to Bridget about why you're out but you still need to go easy on your arm. I'll text you during my break to check up on you."

I nodded and dozed off, his thumb soothing circles into my skin. When I was being shaken awake, it was only half an hour later but the little sleep helped some. My arm wasn't hurting anymore with the pain meds. I moved off of Lynch so he could get up to go get ready.

When he was out five minutes later, I was shuffling around the kitchen, slowly making cinnamon toast for myself. The toast popped up as I finished gathering everything I needed. I moved the toast to a plate and popped open the tub of butter. Bracing the tub against my waist I attempted to swipe some of the butter up.

Lynch stood behind me and took the butter knife from me. He swiped up some more and began smearing it over the toast. I stood stock-still as he did so.

"Shouldn't you be heading out?" I asked, distracting myself from his close proximity.

"I still have time. It only takes me about fifteen minutes to get over there and I don't have to clock in until eight. I can at least help you with this before I leave."

"Ok." He finished buttering the toast and in the end, helped me sprinkle cinnamon sugar over it.

I decided to stand at the counter to eat my toast so I wouldn't have to worry about carrying the plate back and forth. Lynch left after double-checking to make sure I didn't need anything else. Once the door clicked shut, the silence overcame me. I didn't like it. The only sound I had was the ticking clock above the sink.

I finished my toast and set the plate in the sink to rinse. Staring down at my arm, I decided I would take a shower. It was necessary after having spent a while in the hospital and being thrown around in my own apartment.

I clenched my jaw at the thought. Nope. Not happening. I will not start to pity myself. I'm alive. That's all that matters.

I strode back to the guest room and found some simple, stretchy clothes I could put on before making my way to the bathroom. When I faced myself in the mirror, I finally saw what Liam did to me. Not just looking down at myself but looking at myself from someone else's point of view.

I had a couple stitches in my forehead where I had hit the corner of the box. With no shirt on, the large bruises were painfully obvious. There were probably more that ran down my legs but they were hidden by the sweats. Sighing heavily, I began to strip so I could shower.