I let my head fall into my hands, staring at the woman in front of me, tracing her features trying to find something familiar.
And I do, seeing the shape of her eyes and knowing I look at the same ones every morning in the mirror.
Her hair is such a similar colour to mine, just slightly more creamy blonde while mine is more white.
I have a sister.
Fuck.
I let my head fall into my hands again, fingertips digging into my skull as agitation and something like worry slips through me.
She sleeps fitfully, wrinkles around her eyes creasing as she twists in the bed and I wish I could ease the pain, wish I could do anything but sit here feeling fucking useless.
I turn my head to the chair in the corner of the room, Archer lifting his head as he regards me, his hazel eyes dark with the demons in his mind.
"What happened?" I whisper, needing to know the answer.
I know the basics, they'd told us that. . . but,
I look back at Holland, my heart squeezing as I watch her shift again, her face bathed in pain.
I needed to know.
Archer clears his throat, shifting on the chair as he tries to get comfortable.
He has been sitting on that chair for hours, watching her, his eyes never leaving her face.
Whatever had happened while they were gone, something had changed between them. I could see it clear as day.
My best friend was in love with . . . my sister. I don't even know if he knew it, but I could see it, anyone would be able to see it.
He clears his throat again, as if searching for the words to articulate what he wants to say but coming up empty.
"Scarlett-" he pauses, as if thinking of the right thing to say. "She's not the girl we knew."
That was a shock too, finding out I had a sister, a fucking twin for gods sake, and then finding out my dead ex-girlfriend wasn't so dead after all.
"She is angry," He looks to me, "at your father, and she took it out on Holland. I don't know why." He shakes his head, a joyless laugh exiting him. "She never told us why." The words come out haunting, as if he was still searching for the answer and coming up empty each time.
"What's did she do?"
He closes his eyes, but I can see the anger in the clench of his jaw, the muscle ticking away. He moves closer to Holland, his hand hovering over her shoulder but not touching her. "Stabbed her. Cut her. Repeatedly. Holland wasn't conscious for a lot of it," he looks to her then, his gaze seeming to soften, "thankfully."
I turn to stare at the woman, my sister, trying to fathom what she's just been through, but I can't, I don't want to, before I turn back to Archer, "What about you?"
His eyes flash to mine, thoughtful before he looks towards the ceiling, and I narrow my eyes at the avoidance. He shrugs, "I had to make sure she was okay."
It's not an answer, and I stare at my best friend even as he avoids my eyes. "Archer-"
He cuts me off with a look, shaking his head just slightly. "It doesn't matter what they did to me, I would experience it all over again if it meant she was safe."
I don't get the chance to say anything, a small noise coming from Hollands mouth as she wakes up, her eyes landing on my first with slight alarm before she relaxes, her body slumping slightly.
My jaw ticks, seeing the nightmares that still haunt her in her dark gaze before she rips it away and look at Archer, softening further.
I stand from the seat, clearing my throat softly. "I'll let you guys . . . talk." I don't let either one stop me, even as I hear Holland make a sound of complaint before I'm striding out of the room and shutting the door behind me.
Their voices are faint on the other side, and I push away from the door, my eyes on my bedroom.
I slip into the dark room, ignoring everything going on in my head as I push into the bathroom, pulling my shirt off as I do.
I turn the shower on, letting the cold-water free as I strip the rest of the way and push into the small glass area.
The hot water comes quickly, scorching my once cool skin with its droplets and I welcome the feeling, my jaw clenching as I think of what Holland and Archer went though.
I'm too lost in my own thoughts to hear my bedroom door opening and closing or to see the woman that walks into the bathroom until Cleo's hands are clutching at my cheeks, lifting my face to stare at her.
"Clay-" I don't let her finish, my hands wrapping themselves around her drenched waist and pulling her into me, drowning her words with my lips, swallowing her gasps like I need them to survive.
Maybe I do.
Her hands tighten on my face, nails almost biting into my cheeks, but I don't care, savoring each sip of her lips.
"Have I told you I love you." I whisper harshly against her lips, holding her to me so she can't escape as I look down at her, noticing the wet droplet on her lashes, clumping them together.
Her swallow is obvious as her hands fall from my cheeks, landing on my shoulders and tightening as if she needs to make sure I'm still here, that this is real.
"No." The word is soft, so soft I have to strain to hear it over the drum of the water hitting the tiles. "What changed?"
My throat tightens, pain tightening at the base as I look into her eyes. "Nothing changed. I just don't want to lose you."
Her eyes soften, brows drawing in. "You won't lose me."
My thumb strokes a line along her cheekbone, and she leans into it, even as confusion enters her eyes. "Every other time-" she pauses as if trying to find the right words. "You made it seem like we were just a fling, something casual that I shouldn't get used to."
"I'm a fucking idiot." I don't sugar coat the words, "And a coward, and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness or your love but I'm asking for it anyway."
She leans up, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. "You don't have to ask for it."
I let my arms tighten around her waist, feeling her clothes slipping under my touch, the fabric completely drenched since she walked in here fully clothed.
"I want you naked."
Cleo's brows raise but she doesn't say anything, just steps back and lets me drag the wet fabric of her shirt up and over her head, my knuckle skimming the sides of her waist as I go.
My eyes track the movement of my fingers feathering over her dark skin, lingering at her ribs before I let my eyes lift to hers and find her watching me. With a grin I pull the shirt the rest of the way up and swoop down for a kiss, switching our position so my back is to the shower door and hers is to the tiles, pressing her up against them as she shivers from the cool touch.
I let my hands fall to the curve of her back, lingering at the dimples that I know reside there, pressing my thumbs slightly into the little indents and watching as she shivers again, though this time I know it's not from the cold.
With a quick move, I drop my hands below her butt and lift, grinning when Cleo jumps slightly and wraps her legs around my hips as if it was a practiced move.
Though I guess it is.
I press her further into the shower wall, swooping down to capture her lips again.
((P.S. I may or may not write a smexy scene here but im not in the mood to write it rn so i shall come back to it.))
