Betting On Love ✯ George Russell

🅒🅗🅐🅟🅣🅔🅡 14

♫ Seven texts and two missed calls, know I can't ignore 'em all
Said that I'm gonna be sleepin' at mine, I lied ♫ 

Trigger Warning: Violence, sexual assault, and death are mentioned and described. It will be a disturbing chapter if you are sensitive, so please skip it if needed <3

Melanie Albon POV

Seeing him again made my night terrors come back. I fell asleep quickly, but I woke up as I desperately grasped for air. I still remember it so vividly; I can't remember the last nightmare I had; maybe it was two weeks ago, but this one felt as bad as in the beginning.

It was like I could feel his hands choking me once again. He did it repeatedly, stopping when I was going unconscious, and once I felt like my lungs were filled with air, he would choke me once again, always in and out of consciousness. I sometimes wish he'd just killed me, but I felt sorry for my family for losing me because of a bad choice and a crazy boyfriend.

The hours in his apartment destroyed me, I spent every conscious second wishing he would just kill me, that he would end it once and for all. I hoped he would pity me and love me like he claimed he did. 

I look around the dark room, my chest tightening as no light could be seen, giving a sense of unsafety. I stood up from the bed and stumbled to the hallway. George's door was completely open; the television lit the room. Why is he not sleeping?

My trembling legs stumbled there, and I knocked, seeing his figure turn around. He was sleeping; his barely open eyes gave it away.

"Is everything alright?" He asks as he sits down, and I shake my head.

"Can I sleep here?" I ask as I take two steps in his direction. He opens the sheets and nods.

"Come here," he says as he takes my hand, pulling me closer and hugging me. I never felt like a hug from George would feel good and comforting, but it does now.

"I thought you were awake; the television fooled me," I mutter as I feel like I am learning how to speak. Fear makes me feel weak, and I sound weak too, apparently. I was an easy prey for Oliver.

"I don't care. Can I do anything to make you feel better?" He asks as he puts some distance between us to look at my face.

"I'm okay." This is more about myself than him, but I hope he believes it.

"Your hands are shaking," he mentions, and I look at my hands. My legs weren't the only thing shaking.

"I had a nightmare. I don't have nightmares when I sleep accompanied, so I came to you," I confess, and he nods.

"Time to sleep without nightmares then," he says as he lies down, and I do the same, preparing myself to turn my back to him so we can get some rest.

"You can turn it off," I say as I watch him put the remotes on his nightstand, but he doesn't turn the TV off.

"You prefer it on, and I couldn't care less," he shrugs it off before turning to me and pulling me closer to his body.

Spooning is not that bad. He fell asleep very quickly; his breathing was calm. My heart rate has slowed, and my rapid breathing is no longer a problem. I finally fell asleep once my body recovered from the fear running through it. I remember seeing Oliver's face several times, but it was too quick, not enough for me to wake up.

I woke up, George was no longer there, but I heard his voice in the living room. He is on speaker as he talks to someone as I approach the room.

"I am okay, she is okay. Just confirm the news and say that we are both safe. I defended both of us and her roommate, no one will give a crap, and if they do, then it's too bad," he says calmly as he makes breakfast in the open space kitchen.

"Since when did you start dating her? She tried to glue your ass to a chair two days ago," I hear Toto's voice, and I try not to laugh.

"I was not about to say to the police that I was coming by for some casual sex. She is my best friend's sister. Just confirm that it indeed happened, that we are okay, and everything is going according to schedule. I will drive in the race."

"Just give my best regards to Mel, tell her she can skip the weekend if she wants; I wish her the best." 

"Thank you Toto, but I will definitely be there," I say as I enter George's sight, and he looks me up and down quietly.

"Be safe, kids. Susie asked you to call her if you need something. Jack is being a nightmare, or she would be snatching the phone away," he says as I hear the voices in the background.

"See you soon," both I and George say before he hangs up.

"You look recovered," he comments, extending a plate toward me. He made pancakes.

"He didn't hurt me yesterday," I shrugged as I sat in the high chair.

"Yesterday," he repeats as he nods, a bit apprehensive, and I am confused.

"What is it now?" I ask confusedly.

"You woke up screaming, you thought I was him, and you attacked me basically," he says seriously, and my whole demeanor drops.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask, completely surprised. I never did it in 3 years. Why now?

He takes his shirt off, and a few scratches are seen on his chest, upper arms, and back. I am just completely dreading what I've done to him in his own home as he tried to keep me safe.

"Fuck," I whisper before the loud noise of my fork dropping to the floor is heard.

"I am not mad. I just need to know what the fuck is happening. I was scared of hurting you; nothing I said made you stop. Just tell me something. Anything." He asks as he comes closer, and I just try to move away.

I almost fell from the chair, but he stopped moving in my direction. Until I felt his arms around me as he hugged me, and I hugged him back. But I needed to leave. I needed time out and to make sure I didn't hurt him.

So I took my suitcase and left. I went to my family's house as I searched for another place to rent in London, a place where safety was a priority. Nina would be staying with her parents, and she has an apartment already lined up since she earns well with her work-from-home job.

No matter how many days went by, I just couldn't forget what I had done to George. How can't I remember it?