Guilty

Zane

"Joshie pie, how are you doing?" I say with a smile as I jump backwards onto my bed. I switch the audio to be on speaker so I can scroll on my laptop as well as listen to him.

Bacon needs a replenishment of his food and I can't keep feeding him grass. No one likes damn salad I can't exactly make him eat it as well.

"I'm fine dude, are you okay?" He asks me, his voice filling my room. I nod and then realise he can't see me.

"Yeah, I'm real good," I say, a smirk appearing on my face. I've been riding a high ever since Juliette let me kiss her. She freaked out herself and that's why she'd been avoiding me but I've had four years to come to terms with the fact I'm obsessed with her.

Poor girl needs some more time to realise she returns the feeling. In the meantime, I've spent every waking moment remembering what Juliette's lips taste like.

Cherries.

Or the feel of her body against mine, of her moving her hips as she tries to find release on top of me. Her little gasps and moans filled her room as I kissed her. God damn, I swear I can't get the image of her out of my head.

Honestly, I wanted to skin the man who hurt me for ruining that moment between us. I mean, burning me? That wasn't fucking fair and it isn't how I fight. He has since been dealt with. But it didn't matter my injuries were acting up too much for me to be able to do anything good to Juliette.

And she deserves me at my best, always.

I was a sane man walking into that room and I walked out a feral creature. Part of me wishes she'd never let me touch her, how did she honestly expect me to leave her alone now I know what it's like to touch her and kiss her?

"Damn, I expected you to be freaking the fuck out. Bravo for keeping your composure," Josh says, causing my delusions to dissipate.

I'm only half listening to him now, and Bacon has crawled onto my bed to sit next to me. Sneaking her back home with me was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. My dad would flip a switch if he found out I had a pig with me in my bedroom. "Why's that Joshua?"

"Well, Juliette obviously..."

I pause mid-scroll, I didn't tell him about anything that had happened between us. I never kiss and tell. Well I do, but I always keep the details of my hookups vague. Regardless of how much sentimental value the sex had for me, it's still a private moment. I don't air out other women's business to my friends.

Especially Juliette.

"What happened?" I ask him, shutting my laptop and mouthing an apology to Bacon. She'd have to eat some cheese strings in the meantime.

"She was staying at Emery's place for Thanksgiving break and someone broke in. Tried to kill her and everything."

It's so interesting how I can go from worrying about my pig to imagining beating the life out of someone in a split second.

"What?" I drag out.

"She's in hospital, everyone thinks she's going to be okay though. Damn, I thought you knew."

How did you?

"What hospital is she staying at?" I ask him, shaking my questions away as I climb off my bed and look for my keys.

"Zane, it's almost a two-hour drive away from where you're staying."

"What. Hospital?" I repeat myself.

"St Martha's, near that Cherry Tree cafe," Josh tells me with a sigh.

I hang up on him and throw a couple of cheese strings on the bed for Bacon to feast on. On my way out of the house I stop at my brother's door, I knock once and then walk inside.