Broken Runaways

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Jessica

My eyes felt as if they were glued together when I opened them. Looking around, I suddenly got terrified. Nothing looked familiar here. Not only that, but there was a sleeping body next to me. Really, I didn't even remember exactly how I fell asleep, when, or even where. I just remember darkness.

Though I was internally petrified, I did not get up from my place on the bed. Instead, I slowly moved my head down on to the pillow after having looked around the bedroom. A strong smell of a man's cologne reeked in the best possible way. This cologne was Jeffrey's, it smelt so strongly of him it was unbearable. The twisted scent of both citrus and vanilla, it was intoxicating in the worst way possible. Slowly, I got up from my place on the bed and saw a pair of black slippers so I just slid them on to my feet without a second thought.

Turning around to face the bed, I was almost scared to death when I saw his face. It was mangled and red, his lip cracked open and one of his eyes completely swollen. Though the seriousness of his wounds, I burst out laughing. Unpredictable was a talent of mine.

“You laughing at my face?” Jeffrey said with a weird, crooked smile as he woke up groggily. Even with the wounds covering him, I could still see the smugness in his face. Just the natural contortion of it. My laughing died down a bit.

“Well, it’s just your eye reminds me a bit of an elephant.” I said beginning to laugh again. Jeffrey laughed right along with me, and I just forgot every issue in my life right now. It was nice while it lasted, like the old Jeffrey and I used to be. Really I missed our relationship dearly, but it was futile. Based upon relation of sadness. We were ticking time-bombs, attracted together by the force of our own self loathing and pain. This all came crashing down on me, and reality felt like a cold slap in the face. My laughing ceased almost immediately. “Where the fuck am I, Jeffrey?” I said crossing my arms over the sweater and sweatpants that Michael owned.

His face dropped, and I could tell that my sudden seriousness had made him jump back into the drowning pool of actuality.

"Jessica." He sighed, his voice sounding liquified. "Let's go get some food. Then we can tell you what's going on exactly." Jeffrey said getting out the bed with black and white plaid covering both the duvet and sheets. My breath hitched in my throat as I saw him standing there looking directly at me, in only a pair of boxer briefs. I looked away instinctively. It felt weird to have seen him so exposed, the only male I’d ever seen like that was Michael, and even then it made me uncomfortable to see him nearly naked just casually.

“Can you please cover yourself? It’s quite a discomforting sight to me.” I said, my ears hot and my eyes facing the window that was completely blacked out, assumably done by spray paint because I could see the small parts were the paint was chipping. Hearing his footsteps, I assumed that he was putting something to cover himself. That was until I heard deep breaths on my ear, the side of my left cheek. I gasped, slightly shocked at how close he was to me. Though I was quite tempted to turn around and stare at him, I kept my eyes looking straight at the window.

“Is this discomforting? Or do you want me to get closer?” Jeffrey said directly into my ear. I felt his soft lips touch my ear, kissing it. My eyes shut, and I couldn’t do anything but stay there. Unmoving, as if I was paralyzed. A deep breath escaped from my lips when I felt the tugging of teeth on the bottom lobe of my ear. How Jeffrey knew my ears were so sensitive, I have no idea. Though I’d never want to admit it to myself, I can’t even think straight. From the months and months of being with Michael, he’d never even noticed this about me. Well, I didn’t either, but I’d never felt anything quite like this. When I moaned, I totally jumped, realizing what was happening.