𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒 ━━ SARAH CAMERON

16

"TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH."

Kaden jumped, closing the door a bit too loudly at the sudden voice. He let out a string of curses under his breath as he turned around, his eyes falling on Sarah who was sitting on his couch, the TV on and a controller in her hands.

He raised his brows at her, "what are you doing here? Wheezie's not here."

"I was waiting for you."

"Me? What do you want?" He asked as he made his way towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he took out a packet of ice and pressed it against the side of his face. "Talk," he said when he returned to where she was sitting, noting her silence, "I wanna go to sleep."

Sarah looked, she narrowed her eyes at him. "What happened?"

A scoff got past his lips, "your boyfriend happened."

"Topper did this to you?" Her eyes widened, "is it bad? Let me se—"

"He got so much worse," Kaden interrupted, taking a step back when she tried to touch him. "Now, are you gonna tell me what brings you here?"

"I—" she cleared her throat, "I wanted to tell you that they think you and your friends had something to do with— wait. I'm too late, aren't I?" She sighed at the sight of his busted lip, "they hit you."

"Mhm," Kaden hummed, plopping down on the couch beside her. "You might wanna go tend to your boy. He's pretty hurt."

"He's got his mom for that," Sarah mumbled earning a breathless chuckle from him. She shot him a look, "you do know that if you hit him, he'll want to press charges against you again. That, and for damaging his boat. What were you thinking?"

"He and your brother jumped my friend the other day," Kaden explained, unsure as to why he was bothering. "We retaliated."

"Very childish of you."

"I don't give a shit," he threw his head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, "he hurt my friend. I would've done so much worse if I could."

"Let me help you."

"With what?" He shot her a confused look, groaning when he felt a sharp pain in his head. His question was answered when she slowly and cautiously reached out to take the ice pack from him. He stared at her, her fingers touched his skin as she took it from his grasp. He didn't know why, but he let her.

With a gentle touch, the girl carefully pressed it against his swollen cheek. Kaden pursed his lips, letting out a slow exhale as he attempted to relax his muscles.

She stared at him, memorizing every detail of his face. He wasn't looking at her anymore, he had his eyes closed and his head thrown back on the headrest.

As her fingertips grazed his skin, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions stirring within her. Her heart conflicted between compassion and guilt. It was wrong for her to feel this way, she knew. After all, she was committed to someone else, her boyfriend, the one responsible for this. But as she continued to tend to the boy's wounds, she couldn't deny the unexplainable connection growing between them.

Every time he bit down harder on his lip to prevent a wince, she felt an ache in her own chest. "Where's Blake?" She decided to ask, she hadn't seen him around and it was nearly nine.

"At his friend's."

"It's nine," she shot him a look even though he couldn't see. "You're okay with the fact that he's out at this time?"

"Yeah," his low was just above a whisper as he replied, completely drained of energy, "he's just down the street. It's fine— and he can take care of himself."

"Okay," she muttered. Every moment she'd have with him somehow strengthen the bond forged between them, leaving her more confused and more vulnerable everytime.

The air between them was charged with unspoken words and unexplored desires. But she knew better than to act on those forbidden feelings. She couldn't jeopardize their relationship for a mere infatuation. Yet, her heart longed for something intangible, a connection that defied logic and reason.

"Shouldn't you be home right now?"

"If someone asks, I'll tell them I was at Topper's," she shrugged. "Is there anywhere else you got hurt?"

He opened his eyes and glanced at her before he questioned, "why are you bothering?"

"I want to help."

"Why?" He slowly lifted his hand and used a finger to push the ice pack away from his face. She let him, saying nothing as he went on, "even the first time, you came to tell me about what your little boyfriend was gonna do. Why did you bother then, hmm?" He raised his brows, "why do you bother now?"

"Because," she pursed her lips in a thin line, contemplating her words. She just wanted an excuse to talk to him, to see him, but there was no way she'd tell him that. "I don't know. I felt like helping you. I know how Topper can be, he can overreact."

"I don't need your help," he murmured, "I've been handling these idiots for years, on my own." He looked at her, his eyes holding her still, "do you know what you're risking by coming here?" Before she could reply, he added, "and I'm not just talking about today. I'm talking about all the times you've came here, to get Wheezie or whatever."

"Is it about what I'm risking or are you just scared that I'm going to ruin your reputation among your friends?"

"People will get the wrong idea," he grabbed the ice pack from her earning a frown in response. "Do you care about what people think? Because I don't."

"I don't want your boyfriend to think shit." He slowly lifted his shirt, revealing the rather large bruise that had started to form. Sarah winced at that and tried not to stare at the other revealed parts of his skin. "At least he knows how to throw a punch."

"Look," she watched as he pressed the ice pack on the bruise, then he raised his head, giving her his attention. "It doesn't matter if anyone sees me. If they have a problem with it, they can come to me. And my dad probably won't even care that Wheezie comes here every night. He likes you, in case you've forgotten."

"The feeling isn't mutual," he bit his lip, "and it's all just for show."

"It's not. He genuinely likes you," she raised her head to look at him, "I told you a thousand times, he's a nice man. Why are you so hell bent on thinking otherwise?"

He was silent for the longest time before he finally replied, "I know things you don't."

"What things?"

"It's late," he said instead, a clear dismissal of the conversation, "you should leave."

She sighed and stared at him for a little bit before standing up. "Fine. Oh, and you're welcome by the way."