The guy from the bar

Ninety four

Madison's POV

We stepped out of the guest house in silence. The only sound was the faint clinking of gadgets in Jason's pockets.

He wiggled his fingers and extended his hand toward me, a silent gesture to stay close.

We finally made it to the front of the house, and then he guided me towards a big black suv type of car, helping me in before getting in his side.

He took a brief pause, then turned to me.
"Are you hurt?"

I shook my head.

"Anything else I should know about?" His tone was calm, but I knew what he was really asking—did he have anyone left to deal with?

"Nothing happened," I said, shaking my head again, noticing that he also had a few bruises on him. Pretty ugly ones too.

"Why'd you shoot that guy?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "Was he trying to hurt you?"

I looked away, the memory tightening in my stomach.

"He... he got too close, and I panicked." I said, my voice shaky.

"Then he started touching my face... made me look at him. I- I was scared. So, I broke a bottle on him."

"Then you got his gun?" He asked without looking at me.

"Yeah..."

He nodded and looked into my eyes again, but stayed quiet.
"What happened to you... in there?" I asked awkwardly, still shaking.

"Nothing," he muttered, shaking his head. He rested his arm on the back of my seat, then winced and pulled it back, his hand going to his rib.

"Mads... don't let this consume you. You did what you had to, okay?" He said and my eyes immediately watered.

"He was a bad guy, and it was either him or you." He kept talking, trying to make me feel better about what I had just done. I kept nodding.

"I'm proud of you, you were really brave." He grabbed my hand and put it over his lap.

I nodded while pressing my lips together, holding in my tears.

"Come here," he murmured, cupping my face gently.

He leaned in, resting his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes, letting the warmth of his skin ground me.

"You did good. You did good, okay?"

I nodded again.

"I love you," he whispered, his hand sliding to the back of my head. "I love you, okay?"

"I love you," I said back, voice steadier now. The tightness in my chest began to loosen.

Then, after a small pause, he added in a softer, more sheepish tone,
"Also... you kinda looked hot as fuck."

I rolled my eyes, a small grin pulling at my lips despite everything. Jason chuckled and leaned in to press a quick kiss against my mouth.

"I'm sorry, I had to say it," he laughed, boyish and shy.

We sat in stillness for a while after that. I didn't know what we were waiting for but, outside, the air was thick with the remains of chaos.

Eventually, Jason's door opened—Zayn.
"All clear," he said to Jason, glancing at me briefly.

Jason gave him a tired nod back.

Zayn shut the door, and Jason started the engine.

As the SUV began to move, I leaned back in my seat, lacing my fingers with his again.