Emerald Summer

Chapter 15

            Late September
"It's okay," he says softly,"I'm here." I nod blinking away tears. He walks closer and kneels beside me. "I hope you understand now. Please don't ever make me do that again. I don't want to hurt you. I love you," he says in a terrifyingly serious tone. He kisses my forehead, his deep emerald eyes meeting mine.

"I'm..s-orry," I croak,"I love y-you." He takes out a knife. No no no. I try to scoot away. He cuts the ropes. He wraps me in a hug. Why can't I talk? What?
I start crying again.

"Hey, it's okay baby. Don't cry," he says. His body is warm. He wipes my tears and kisses me. "Come on," he stands up and takes my hands. His hands are rough but his grip is so gentle. Can I even stand up? I slowly stand, my legs are weak. I let out a nervous laugh. He smiles at me and I smile back. I take a small step forward. My knees buckle and I collapse. Nope. Todd catches me and picks me up. "You don't have to walk," he says. He wraps a blanket around me. He takes me out into the hallway. I look at him, into his deep green eyes. He's better now. He takes me into my bedroom. He takes me into the bathroom and sits me down on a chair. I notice I'm shaking. He turns on the tub and plugs the drain. He walks out. He's so nice, unlike before, so kind and gentle. And really hot. He walks back in with clothes for me. I barely manage a smile. He holds up my Misfits crop top,"I know it's your favorite."

He walks over to the tub and turns off the water. I try to stand up. "I got you," he says,"it'll take a while for you to get your strength back." He picks me up and carries me over to the tub, then gently sits me in the water. He washes me. I smile weakly at him and he grins back. He picks up a razor. I shift. "Easy," he says. This is really weird. He finishes and picks me up out of the tub. He sits me on the side of the tub and wraps a towel around me.

"Thank you," I whisper as he pulls the tub drain,"for helping me. And for making me see you're not bad like I thought." He smiles and kisses my forehead. I dry off. "Mirror," I whisper. I barely stand in front of the mirror looking myself over. I can see my ribs now. I weakly run my fingers over his names and the brand. I noticed they're no longer infected, maybe he done it while I was asleep. There's no telling what he did while I was asleep. I suppress a sly smile.

It's a circle with a cross, it also contains what I assume is his initials under it. What the? I dont know what it means but I'm to scared to ask. If I ask he could get pissed again. He notices me eyeing it. "It just means you're mine," he says as he walks up behind me and wraps his arms around me. "Come on, you need food," he says letting go and picking me up.

He looks at me, I look away. You're so pathetic and petty. "Sorry you have to carry me," I whisper.

"It's okay. I have to take care of my girl, ya know." His accent is so adorable. New Jersey? How have I missed that? He carries me down the stairs. He sits me down at the kitchen table.  There's a plate full of food. I can't help myself. I scarf up everything on it and gulp down chocolate milk. I start feeling a little better. I look at him, propped up on the counter watching me. I can see his muscles through his black shirt. "Are you done?" He asks walking toward me. I nod and he takes my plate. "I know you're probably sick of not doing anything and laying around, but you really need rest. Like, real sleep. I know you were way too uncomfortable to get that in that room." I nod again. I am really tired. Even though I slept a lot, I didn't sleep well. He's right again. He carries me back up to my bed. He sits me down and pulls back the covers. I climb in. He covers me up. For the first time in a while I'm really comfortable. He crawls in beside me and puts his arm around me. I'm asleep in no time.

The next few weeks he takes care of me. I wake up to him gently shaking me. "Good morning baby girl," he smiles. Without giving me a chance to answer he kisses me. The warmth of his kiss sends a tingling feeling through me.

"Good morning babe," I answer, getting out of bed. He stands in the bathroom doorway as I brush my teeth. I look at him out of the corner of my eye. His black, shoulder-length hair shines in the sunlight coming through the window. He's so cute with his messy hair and sleepy eyes.

"You're feeling better now?" He asks,"Not shaky, or weak, or sick, or anything?" I shake my head as I rinse out my toothbrush. "Good," he says smiling. Yeah, real good. I think about how he fucked me before. My heart skips a beat. "Breakfast?" He asks.

"Duh," I say with a grin. I walk over to him and wrap my arms around him. His body feels good against mine. He kisses me. I put one hand on his neck and the other on his chest. His lips taste good, I don't want him to pull away. He puts one hand on the back of my neck and the other on my waist, pulling me closer.

He lets go and pulls away. "You are better. And I meant food breakfast," he smirks. My face heats up. Even though I can walk good now, he still carries me downstairs the the kitchen. I sit at the table and he brings me over pancakes. I'm really hungry, I scarf them down as fast as I can. He laughs as I cram pancakes in my mouth,"Hey, slow down before you choke yourself." He walks into the living room. My face turns red and I slow down some. I finish eating and take my plate to the dishwasher. Should I go in there or leave him alone? I've kinda been up his ass lately, especially with him having to basically nurse me for almost a month, he's probably sick of me. I decide not to. As I walk past the living room door he asks in a mocking tone, "Where do you think you're going?" I grin and walk in to the living room.