The Hurt Game

❧ thirty-two

"Roy? Can I come in?" I questioned after knocking on the door. No reply. A soft sigh escaped my lips and I reached for the doorknob, twisting it and opening the door.

Immediately my eyes flit around the room. It wasn't large, but it contained everything an office could ask for. A large desk with two computers and one keyboard, with drawers built in it, stood below a large window. Little balconies and other apartment windows were the view. Two chairs were pushed in. Next to the door was a large cabinet, completely white and with scratches and worn out places. A table, with scattered papers and documents, was set in the middle of the room. Behind it, on the wall, was a large whiteboard. Multiple maps, mugshots, clues and proof was hung on it, words and thoughts written beside it in Royden's familiar handwriting.

Royden was standing in front of it. His hands were shoved in his pockets. His back rigid and tense. He didn't acknowledge me when I came in, not even moving a muscle.

Carefully I walked further in and stood in front of the cabinets. I traced my finger along the edge. A click sound came from it and I took a step back as a drawer opened. My heart jumped in my throat.

Several weapons, different kinds of them all, along with bullets upon bullets from different sizes appeared in front of me. My breath hitched in my throat. I couldn't tear my gaze away from it. Never had I known we had guns in the house. Deadly weapons.

Royden sighed, walked up to me and closed the drawer again. He didn't look at me as he did so. "Do you understand now why I wanted to keep this part of me hidden?" he quietly asked.

I glanced up at him and waited till he looked at me. "You could have explained. I would have understand," I said.

He scoffed and shook his head. His eyebrows were furrowed together as he walked away from me, heading towards the table. He flicked through the papers, but never actually looked at them. Then he lifted one of the papers. URGENT! was written on it with bright red letters.

"How could I have explained this?" he questioned. His voice was harsh, but I could hear the desperation and fatigue flow through the words. "How could I ever tell you that whenever I leave the apartment for my job, I might never return. That I might have to leave you behind, for fuck's sake!"

I sighed a little and looked down as I shuffled my feet. My hair fell in front of my face. I was glad. I didn't want to see him, or him to see me. "What about me? What do you think I would have gone through when you would leave and never come back, and I would have never known why."

"Waverly, I think about you all the time," he said. His voice became so much softer than before. It was hard to keep up with his emotions which came and went, the way he showed them through his tone and his words. He walked up to me and lifted my head. His eyes showed vulnerability, openness. "Every single time I leave this apartment, I promise myself to come back to you. No matter what would happen that day, I would come back to you. I cannot bear to leave you alone, not in this fucked up world."

I swallowed thickly as a lump clogged in my throat and tears welled in my eyes. I sniffled a little. "I wanted you to tell me. I want you to trust me. I don't care what you do as long as you are honest with me."

He softly smiled down at me, pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I know," he breathed against my skin before meeting my gaze again. "I should have told you the moment I realized you were here to stay."

"That was only yesterday," I pointed out to him. I sniffled once more, wiped the tears away that threatened to fall.

He shook his head. His hands slid down to my neck and his thumbs rested underneath my jawline, keeping my face turned up to him. "I meant... when I realized I didn't mind you occupying a place in my heart." He took one of my hands and guided to where his heart was beating calmly.

I reached up with my other hand, tangling in the strands of his hair. It was soft, not styled yet as he hadn't any time. I liked it much better this way.

"I'm not going anywhere, Roy. I'm here to stay, because you've left a print on my heart, marking it as yours," I replied with a little smile. "And I am okay with that."

A small grin appeared on his lips before he pressed his mouth on mine harshly. His arms circled around my waist as my arms wrapped around his neck, pulling each other closer. Our lips moved quickly, feverishly as if we couldn't get enough, as if this was our last kiss.

Home.

The kiss was rough and fierce, eager and controlled. I pushed myself on my tiptoes as I deepened the kiss by swiping my tongue over his lips, entering his mouth. He bent, moved his hands underneath my butt and easily lifted me. I wrapped his legs around his waist instinctively.

A gasp escaped my lips, breaking the kiss as my back hit the wall. His lips trailed along my jawline and to my neck. The kisses were wet and sloppily, filled with love and lust. My head fell against the wall, granting him more access as he kissed along my throat. A moan slipped past my lips as he sucked.

"Fuck," he breathed against my skin, his mouth open. "Fucking hell. You're so... fucking... perfect. Blissfully perfect."

A smile crept on my lips and I pulled his head away from my neck and throat, meeting his eyes. They were clouded over with lust and adoration, and heat crept to my cheeks. I pecked his lips once.

"You're quite perfect, too," I whispered. My chest was moving up and down quickly, overtaken with desperation and desire.

He snorted a little, shook his head and leaned in to kiss me again. "You're mistaken, princess."

Before I could utter a word, his lips were back on mine. His hands travelled up and down my sides, lifting my sweater in the process. My whole mind clouded over with peace and love. My heartbeat pounded in my chest.

"Don't you need to get to work?" I questioned, breaking the kiss. I didn't want to make him late. He couldn't afford it.

He groaned and dropped his forehead against my collarbone. "Way to ruin the mood, Wave."

A small laugh escaped my throat and I shook his head. "Sorry, babe, but I think much more times will come."

He moved his head and his eyes met mine. They were sparkling. A small smile tugged at his lips. "Did you just call me "babe"?" he questioned.

I shrugged my shoulders and played with his hair. "Maybe. Do you like it?"

"Love it," he mumbled and kissed my lips once. "Means I'm yours and you're mine."

"I am yours, Roy. Nobody could ever take me away from you."

"I'm not going to let anyone take you from me. That's a promise."

I smiled at him, nodded my head. "I know." Again, I almost wanted to "I love you", but I held myself back. I didn't want to overwhelm him, or worse... make a fool out of myself. What if he didn't love me?

Royden lowered me to the ground, releasing me and he walked towards the cabinets with guns. He took out two, one strapping to his belt and the other went into a briefcase. I watched him move around the room while leaning against the wall.

"Will I ever meet your friends?" I questioned. He turned around to face me as he stuffed some documents in the briefcase. He hesitated for a moment before he nodded his head, breathing out slowly.

He walked up to me and kissed my head. "One day. I promise," he said.

I smiled at him and nodded my head. He had never broken a promise to me before, not one I could remember. I trusted him.

I followed him through the apartment, kissed him 'goodbye' when he left. I didn't close the door till he walked around the corner, his footsteps fading in the distance. My eyes closed as I took a deep breath.

When I opened them again, I looked around the apartment. In a smallmoment, after one conversation, my life had changed. Nothing was ever going tobe same anymore.