𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 | 𝑩𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆

Thoughts | Chapter 9

Rose and Billy lay silently next to each other for a few more moments. After a few minutes, however, she broke the silence.

"Doesn't that hurt?" she asked softly, pointing to his back. He was, after all, lying directly on the wounds right now. He shook his head, barely noticeable.

"I'm used to it." he said tersely. A painful stab went through her body. She just saw this person with completely different eyes. His behavior was suddenly understandable.

Of course, he still often behaved like a complete asshole and that was not excusable. But with the background it was somehow understandable. It was just his way of dealing with it because he didn't know any other way.

Rose looked at the clock on her desk and was startled to see that it was almost 9 p.m. She was a little surprised that her parents hadn't knocked yet. But well, her parents seemed to like this very much and therefore probably kept a low profile. Why ever the two of them had taken a fancy to Billy so quickly. Well, they didn't know how he was otherwise. In their eyes, he was a friendly young man who had saved their daughter's life by performing the noble task of a lifeguard.

Nervously, she continued to look at him. She didn't know if she could reconcile it with her conscience if she sent him away now. At a moment when he could apparently relax a little.

And it wouldn't be the first time he had slept here. The first time he had been absolutely drunk and it hadn't been his decision, but in retrospect he probably didn't think it was so bad to be able to sleep it off in peace. Suddenly something occurred to her.

"Tell me... the other night when you slept in your car after the party... that hadn't been your decision, had it?"

Billy grumbled in a bad mood. That was answer enough, really. Now that she had confirmation, it made sense. He had probably come home drunk from the party and his father hadn't let him in as punishment. Wow. It is so unbelievable.

"It's really not easy for me to ask this, but.... Do you want to sleep here eventually?" He looked at her.

"Why would you offer me something like that?" he asked.

Rose shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know,  because I might be way too nice to you? Which is surprising, after all the stuff you did." she answered honestly.

"After yesterday, that shouldn't really be surprising" he grinned grimly. Still the old man.

"You mean because we had...sex once, I should like you now and that excuses all your other behavior?" she echoed. Interesting what he had in mind.

"Like you didn't like it. I more than noticed." he said without answering her question. Oh man, why had the topic come back to this. She hadn't really intended to talk about it again. She had rather imagined to just keep the story quiet, that worked out fine with other things, too.

"I, um..." she said, stuttering. It felt strange talking to Billy about what she liked and didn't like. Not that he didn't know his stuff.... But that was what bothered her about it. It hadn't been anything special for him, but it was for her. Though she still didn't want to like him, that realization put a little stab in her heart.

"You can have more of it, you know that" She looked into his eyes again and was surprised.

This time there was no desire in them, his blue eyes had such a sparkle for a second.

She was unsure if he was still talking about that one thing. But the next moment it was gone again and Billy was grinning suggestively again. Had she just imagined it?

"More of what?" she therefore asked a bit uncertainly.

His grin, however, only widened. Why had she asked, too. She actually slid away from him a bit, toward the edge of the bed. He laughed softly.