"Do you want some ice?" I asked, once I finished washing off her arms. I offered her bandages for her cuts, but she simply shook her head again.
She nodded, keeping her words on the down low. I helped her down and slipped my hand into hers. It didn't seem romantic now; it just seemed necessary. I led her down the hallway and back into the kitchen. Jo stood on the linoleum in her bare feet as I grabbed an icepack from the freezer.
"Roll up your sleeves," I commanded, once I walked back to her side. She rolled up her sleeves exposing the mess of dark red, purple, black, and blue. The sigh was just astonishing even after I had seen it before. I held her arm up again and then pressed the ice against a couple bruises at once. She cringed, but this time I didn't pull away.
Soon, a couple more minutes and I had put the ice away. Jo sat down at the counter and combed her hair with her fingers. She pushed her hair around in the place where her head hit the headboard.
"Does your head hurt?" I asked her. She shrugged, "A little, but I'm not in the mood to hold an icepack up against my skull."
I glanced at the clock and saw that it was getting late now, "Hey, are you tired?" I asked Jo. She looked up from her sleeves and into my eyes, "Not really... my mind is kind of a mess right now," she admitted.
"Do you wanna relax or something?" I suggested. I really wanted to sit close to Jo. I wanted to touch her and feel her body close to mine. I wanted to be close to her.
"Sure," she answered. She looked around the living room and then back at me, "Do you mind if we relax in your room...?" she sheepishly asked, "It sounds stupid but I always think about the time when we were sleeping in your bed together and it just calms me down for some reason."
My heart swelled for a moment, "Sure, that's fine with me," I tried to make myself sound casual, but I'm positive that she could hear my heartbeat over my words. My overwhelming love for Jo was beginning to take over my body once again.
Jo followed me into my bedroom and I began to search through my closet for some clothes to change into. I found a pair of pajama pants and a white T-shirt. I reminded Jo that I was going to change and quickly changed into pajamas in the bathroom.
I headed out and Jo was sitting on the edge of my bed staring down at her bare feet. Her toes folded back and then pointed out again. I closed the door behind me and Jo connected her eyes with mine. I bit my lip and saliva stuck to the surface of my lips and I started to imagine how Jo's lips tasted right now.
I shouldn't be imagining about making out with Jo when she's in so much pain, but I just love her so much. She's beautiful inside and out, yet some many barriers face her way to her real self. She thinks she is the worst person on earth because of Asher's abuse, so she doesn't even know who she really is.
I walked over and crouched down in front of her, so I was at her eyes level. Our faces were but centimeters apart and I could feel her soft breath fanning against my face. Her lips were slightly parted and I desperately wanted to see the corners turn.
"I'm here," I whispered, "I've always been here."
Jo's eyes seemed distant, like she was thinking deeply. She slowly closed her eyes and crossed her arms over the lower section of her chest. Her fingers slowly combed through a couple strands of hair in the back of her head, before she pulled her arm back to her previous position. Her eyes settled on her lap, "I know... I've always known, but I don't ever seem to acknowledge you, do I? You're the one always there... but I still ignore you... I'm sorry, Niall," Jo paused and then looked into my eyes, "I love you."
