VALERIE

Twenty Four

His hands fumbled and his vision blurred, what seemed to be the most simplest task ever became the most difficult.

Nick ran his fingers through his messy fucked up hair only to have it fall onto his face again. He groaned loudly, pushing the card into the doors slot to open it, hearing the little click, Nick glared at the door handle with his bloodshot eyes.

Holding it down he pushed the door forward to open it.

What confused Nick was what he was seeing with his own eyes.

The sight of her crying while his body was on top of her, his hands underneath her robe and his tongue gliding against her bare breasts.

1.5 seconds.

It took 1.5 seconds for his reaction to what he walked into.

1.5 seconds and by that time he had forcefully thrown the man off Valerie and onto the floor.

By 3 seconds Nick was sitting on the man while nonstop slamming his fist into the mans face, the sound of cracking bones and gushing blood ringing through there ears.

Muffled shouts emitting from the guys destroyed lips and Valerie screaming for Nick to stop already.

But Nick didn't want to stop, he wanted this guy's dick as a trophy to burn inside a furnace, Nick wanted his blood drained and drenched with him laying in a makeshift burial along the highway.

"No." Nick replied simply grasping onto the man's throat.

"Nick stop it, you're going to kill him!" Valerie's voice trembled with fear.

"Good, I want him dead."

"But I don't want you arrested." She yelped throwing a pillow from the bed at him, she jumped off the bed and rolled onto the floor where she hugged Nick from behind and put a tight restraint on his neck. Squeezing it to calm him down he let go of his death grip that was on the mans throat and let his arms dangle at his sides.

"Lets go, please." Valerie whispered in between pitiful gasps to him, Nick nodded and stood up like a zombie, defeated and confused to what happened, he wasn't drunk anymore just a bit tipsy and sick.

Valerie slowly let go and stood up, she adjusted the bath robe again, she looked frightened.

Nick lifted himself up from the mans stomach the man groaned once Nick stood up and took his weight off of him.

Valerie silently led the way out with Nick following but not before kicking the guy in the groin.

//

They drove to another place, this time a well known Holiday Inn Express on the outskirts of another town.

The didn't speak one word to each other as they sat in the car together, they didn't speak one word to each other when they checked in, they didn't even speak one word to each other inside the hotel room.

He could hear her trying to cry quietly in the restrooms shower, she was hurting and he felt useless not being able to help her like he wanted to, he didn't know what to say to someone who had just went through something like that, his heart crumbled because he could only imagine how hers was torn.

Then when she got out of the shower, she was dressed in a night gown, her eyes puffy and red from the nonstop crying, it was eating at her.

After his own shower, Nick stumbled out of the restroom, he looked over to where Valerie was, she was underneath the white sheets, the glimpse of her head bobbing up and down and the occasional gasps and sobs.

Turning off the lamp that was in between the two queen sized beds, Nick laid down on his own. But still her sobs never stopped.

The only light going into the hotel room was the soft moonlight that glowed on Nick's face from the window, the curtains were wide open and he could see the sky above.

"Help." He asked God.

Someone he wasn't even sure existed.

Nick never prayed or went to church, religion was a waste of his time. He believed that religion separated mankind so he'd rather have no part in it, but he'd always respect someone's beliefs because he was no one to tell someone what to believe in.

Nick shook the thought from his mind and threw the white cover off of his body, closing the windows curtains he carefully made his way towards Valerie's bed.

Nick lifted the sheets and got into the bed.

Nervously Valerie clutched tightly onto her pillow until her knuckles turned white the feeling of Nick pulling her body into a tight embrace alarmed her making her tense her body up.

She kept thinking of that dirty guy who didn't let her go.

He rested his chin on the top of her head, his arms going around her stomach he squeezed tightly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

The soothing sound of his voice broke her. She let out a loud gasp as she quickly turned her body around to face him, she buried her head into his chest just to cry, Nick slowly rubbed her back.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." He repeated.

"Don't be." She sniffled, "I'm just overreacting, I've been touched before."
Valerie tried to get the firmness in her voice back but it ended up cracking.

"Nick, I've been touched before, I was 13 and it was awful, I just, I thought he was going to get further."

Gripping on her tighter, Valerie let he body relax, she felt somewhat safe wrapped in Nick's arms.

Silence fell over them then more crying from her bruised lips.

Eventually she stopped crying and limply fell asleep with her fingers groped onto his shoulders delicately.
Subconsciously she wanted to feel him against her for safety, and Nick who had barely slept promised himself to stay awake and protect her, he owed her that much and more.