Mended

23

Izzy's POV

Ethan drove while I sat in the passenger seat, both of us quiet until he was a considerable distance away from home. I gazed out the window, watching the streetlights and signs flicker by like mere flashes under the night sky.

"So, you gonna talk or what?" Ethan's voice cut through the comfortable silence encasing the car. I glanced over at him, studying how tense his side profile was; his bone structure all hard angles and sharp lines.

I took a deep breath, knowing that he wouldn't confide until I did.

"Yesterday, Sebastian showed up outside of your apartment."

Ethan's foot slammed down on the brake pedal so hard that if it weren't for my seatbelt, I would've gone flying through the windshield. I yelped as the car screeched to a halt, gripping onto the edges of the seat to brace myself.

Ethan whipped towards me, his gaze smoldering. "He what?" He demanded, his eyes wild as they scanned my face, as if he was looking for any visible signs of injury.

I twisted in my seat to face him, keeping my expression collected. "First of all, I am fine. He didn't hurt me." He'd left slight bruises on my upper arms from when he had held me, but I wouldn't be telling Ethan that. I hoped they'd fade soon.

The disbelief was as clear as day in Ethan's features as he studied me, obviously speechless. When he realized that this wasn't some sick joke, he snapped at me.

"Explain," he hissed. "Right now."

Before he could get more riled up, I did. I chose every word carefully, making sure not to reveal too much so he wouldn't get suspicious of the fact that I wasn't telling him everything.

I told him that Sebastian had wanted closure.

He wanted a chance at redemption so he'd tracked me down for his own peace of mind. I told him that Caleb had come out and seen him talking to me, and that was the reason behind his skinned knuckles. I told him that I'd broken down because seeing Sebastian had brought back terrible memories, and I'd had a hard time coping, but I was alright now.

It was far from the truth.

I was not alright. Caleb was not alright. The rest of my family would not be alright when they discovered what we were hiding, and I didn't have it in me to reveal all of that right now.

I just needed time.

Ethan was silent as he processed everything, his attention falling to the still road ahead of us. I studied him carefully, mentally praying that I'd been convincing enough. When he finally spoke, it wasn't what I'd been expecting him to say.

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that?" He murmured, resignation in his voice.

My lips twitched. "You and I both, Ethan."

Ethan glanced over at me, irritation written all over his features as his jaw ticked. "The fact that you even stayed behind to let him talk to you..." he trailed off and shook his head. "Christ. Thank fuck Caleb came down before you went ahead and left with him."

"Well, it was for the best," I murmured. "Now he'll leave me alone."

Ethan's features tightened disapprovingly. "You don't know that," he sighed, rubbing a rough hand across his mouth. He looked tired when he met my gaze again. "You still need to be careful. It just doesn't make sense that he'd come all this way just for some closure."

The suspicion in his voice was still present, so I made sure to maintain a neutral expression. I didn't know if he was right, but that wasn't my concern right now.