For Keeps

21. Luke

The gym helped but I'm still on edge. I hate feeling like this. I try to shake the feeling as I approach my apartment.
I unlock my door and head inside.
I take a hot shower and realize I'm still pissed about what those girls were saying about Scarlett.
Scarlett.
When I get out of the shower I check my phone.
Nothing.
I throw on a pair of shorts just when I hear a knock at my door.
Probably Karianne coming over because she heard what happened at work.
I open the door and brown eyes lock on mine.
"Scarlett." I whisper and I stand there with my heart in my throat.
"Hi." She says.
Her eyes look different today. They look more like root beer than their usual honey color. I wonder if she is okay. I wonder where she has been. I wonder why she didn't tell me anything.

I step aside and let her in before I close the door and lean up against it.
I'm so happy to see her, but I'm still fuming from today, so I feel frustrated.
"So what... you show up here and think we can talk?" I ask. I don't mean to sound like an ass, but this girl, whom I love just disappeared and now she is here, in front of me.
She looks down briefly, then looks up. A small smile plays on her lips as she walks slowly towards me.
"Who said I came to talk?" She says.
"Then why-" she closes the distance and her lips crash against mine.
My tongue slips into her mouth. God, she tastes so good.
She wraps her arms around my neck as I lift her by her ass and wrap her her legs around my waist. Then I walk us to the couch and sit down while she straddles me.
My hands are all over her. I can't get her close enough to me. I can't kiss her fast enough.
All my stress, all the frustrations, all the anger melts to the floor as I let go and put my all into this kiss.
My hands move down to her hips as she rocks slowly back and forth. 
This is exactly what I needed.

All too soon, though, she stops and slows our kiss, before pulling away from me.
She has been too far for too long so when she moves to get off me, I hold her in place.
"You're nuts if you think I'm letting you go."
She smiles.
"Thank you." She kisses my lips softly.
Confused I ask, "for what?".
She leans back and looks at me while absent mindedly tracing circles on my chest.
"What you did today..." she trails off as recognition fills my eyes.
"Who told you?"
"I was there. I wanted to sneak a peek at you before we talked."
"I'm sorry I snapped. I was just so mad about what they were saying."
"Don't be sorry. It was sweet that you stood up for me." She smiles.
"Always." I say and pull her mouth back to mine. The kiss is shorter than I wanted.
"We need to talk." She whispers.
Dread flows through me.
"Okay."
"It's not bad." She smiles. "There are just things I need to tell the man I love." She kisses me again. "Can I stand? I just keep wanting to kiss you." She laughs.
"If you must." I say and let go of her waist.
She takes some deep breaths.
"Scarlett, you don't have to-"
"Yes. I do. I just don't know where to start." She chuckles nervously.
I nod.
Another deep breath and she begins.
"I met Cooper when I was nineteen while I was working at a bar in New York City. He was charming, and I was going through a rebellious stage. I fell head over heals for him."
A part of me feels crushed that she's talking about her ex, but I want to know.
She clears her throat.
"The first time he hit me I couldn't even believe it. He went from being the nicest man I had met, to a monster. I wanted to leave, but he convinced me it would never happen again." She shakes her head.
"The first time I tried to leave, he caught me at the airport and beat the shit out of me in the car. I didn't leave the house, I didn't talk, I barely ate. I just wanted to die." She looks down. Fuck I just want to hold her, it's taking every thing in me to stay put.
"A month later he got mad because I refused to talk and threw me into a mirror. I know it probably sounds crazy, because well, it is crazy, but as I was sitting in the broken glass I just lost my mind. I cut my arm open." Her voice cracks before continuing. "I just thought if he could hurt me, I could hurt myself worse.
"It really freaked him out, and things were actually good for a while. I actually thought things had changed. Until they got worse. By the next time, I started thinking about new ways to leave. Not only that, though, but to disappear all together. I knew I needed help, but I didn't even know where to start. I met some people which is a different story all together, and with their help, I got away."
She shifts uncomfortably.  "I'm always looking over my shoulder, and some days I expect him to bust down my door and take me back."
"I wouldn't let him take you. He would have to kill me." I say wanting to kick the shit out of this fucker.
"That's what I'm afraid of... the lengths he is willing to go to get me back." She shudders. "But that's what I was doing this whole week. Every now and then I go somewhere to try and lead him further away from me." She smiles. "This time I was in France."
"You left the country?" I ask surprised.
"Yes. So now he is probably focused on me being in that area."
"How do you know he followed you there?" I ask.
"I saw him. Actually he also saw me. Which could have been bad, but I led him after a bus on its way to Paris, so he is there now. Probably worked out better than I was hoping."
"How do you know he is there?"
"I mentioned I met people... they keep an eye on him."
"Why doesn't he just-" I start.
"Let me go?" She raises an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"I'm not sure. I think it's the control thing, but Brady said he is still in love with me. That he is trying to prove he has changed."
"Who?"
"Oh. Brady. Cooper's best friend. I ran into him in France. He was sent to track me, but wanted to warn me."
She takes a deep breath. "He used to be the one who cleaned up my blood, after..." her voice fades so I grab her hand. "If you don't want me now, I understand." She says quietly.
"Are you kidding? You're all I want." I wipe away the tear that's rolling down her cheek. "I would never hurt you. Ever."
She nods.
I pull her into my lap and just hold her. We sit for I don't even know how long, until she finally breaks the silence.
"How drunk were you this last week?"
"Pretty bad. I had nightmares without you."
"I'm so sorry. I should have told you sooner. The plan was to tell you after the Christmas party, but..."
"I'm not mad at you. I just missed you." I kiss her head.
"I missed you." She says looking up and kissing me softly on my lips.
Almost instantly our kiss deepens. I stand up taking her with me, and walk to my bedroom.
I'm not sure what my exact intentions are, but I know I need to kiss her, and the bed seems like a good idea.
I put her on the bed so her head is on my pillow and lean on my elbows on top of her before we resume kissing.