Learning To Love Him

Nine

Isaac's POV
My hands are bloody as I turn to her. She's still crying. I pull the tape from her mouth and then untie the ropes holding her down.  She doesn't speak, and she barely takes a single breath. I stand up and step back from her, I don't want her to fear me. I didn't feel this way before when I kissed her, but now I don't want her to be afraid. She stands a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Nora I-" I start but before I can even say anymore she has her arms around me and her head buried in my chest crying. I stiffen at her unexpected embrace, I never let anyone touch me on my chest. I cannot bring myself to push her away, so I relax my body and put my arms around her. There we stand under the bleachers, in an embrace. She's sobbing into my chest and now I know she has me.

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Nora's POV
I can't let go of him, even though I know I have to. I had never been so afraid in my entire life, and this was the first time Jayden hadn't been there to save me. What would I have done if Isaac hadn't been here. I would have.... no, I push that horrid thought deep below the surface of consciousness. Isaac pushes me back but doesn't let me go, he keeps hold of my hand and takes a step, tugging me to move with him.
I let him lead me without question, he opens the door of his car and I get in. I don't question whether I should trust him, he just saved me again the least I can do is trust him.

He gets behind the wheel and I see his bloodied knuckles. He winces as he grips the wheel, his hands will be bruised no doubt.

"Mum's at work, go to my house." I say quietly and the whole way there neither of us speak a word.

I unlock the front door and let him in first, I take him to the kitchen to clean off the blood. We sit in silence as I dab gently at his hands.

"Nora I don't know what to say to you." He says not looking up at me.

"You don't have to say anything, you had nothing to do with what happened back there."

"I had everything to do with it! They were my old friends and they could have seriously hurt you." He stands suddenly and I jump back. He finally looks at me for the first time since the hug.

"You were there. I'm ok." I say quietly.

"You got groped and tied up, how is that ok?"

"I'm more worried about your hands." I insist.

"Screw my hands! What I care about is you. Whatever you need, I'll make it happen."

I stare at him. "I need the truth. The whole truth. I need to know why you want people to hate you and why you want people to fear you. I want to know why you flinched when I was close to you under the bleachers."

"Anything but that." He says dismissively.

"Well then were going to have a problem." I throw the towel down and go upstairs to my room, wondering if he will dare to follow me.

I lie down in my bed and wait stubbornly like a five year old. He doesn't make me wait long though, because about five minutes later there's a soft knock on my door.

"Come in." I say and I reposition myself so I don't look like a fat ass taking up the whole queen size bed.

He comes in holding the ice packs I gave him for his bruised knuckles. He doesn't look at me as he comes over and lies next to me.

"Would you stop feeling bad? You're making my day depressing." I say playfully trying to make him less tense.

"Kind of hard to do right now. You mentioned the truth?"

"Yeah but you don't have to tell me now, but I do want to know." I say rolling onto my side to gaze into his eyes.

He finally meets my gaze, "I'm here because my dad wasn't the best person to live with."

"I don't know what's that's like, Mum and Dad were always together. Why was he not that great to live with?" I ask but not in a way that makes me sound like he has to tell me.

"He was always drunk. He spent every night at the bar, he'd get absolutely smashed and then stumble home. I don't think I've seen him sober in a very long time." His eyes avoid mine and he seems to be staring at something on my wall.

"That's definitely not good, he hasn't taken responsibility and done his job as a parent."

"That's your answer as to why I'm happy to have people hate and fear me." He looks back at me. "I've known nothing more than hate my entire life."

I reach out and put my hand on his heart, but as soon as I touch it he recoils backward out of my reach. "What? I was just going to say that you have a heart." I say, my shock at his reaction clear in my voice.

"Never touch me there or anywhere on my chest, ever. I won't allow it." His voice is back to that menacing tone he uses with everyone else, and very different to the way he was talking to me seconds ago.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'm sorry I won't do it again." I stammer despite trying to act like he doesn't scare me.

We both stare at the roof in silence, I want to know why he reacted that way. I don't dare ask, he has a strange way of scaring me but being able to comfort me as well.

"I'm sorry." He says, finally after what feels like the longest awkward silence in my existence.

"I don't know where the lines are, they're blurry." I say not looking at him.

"The whole torso area," He says, "That is the line."

I don't say anything. "Maybe someday you'll trust me enough to tell me why." I say as I hear my Mum's car pull up in the driveway. "I'll tell her we were studying." I say sitting up and thanking him for coming and sitting with me. I watch him leave but I don't know how to get him out of my mind. He scares me but he comforts me, he's the opposite of me and has probably seen more than I could imagine. Still I wonder what could have happened to him that was so bad that he won't let anyone near him now.

I feel as though we now have bigger problems than his boundaries. Victoria is angry at me because she thinks I'm siding with him, he's probably going to be suspended if not expelled for the number he did on that lowlife scumbag. I need to help somehow, there's no version of me that can just sit here and do nothing. I was right he was here for a reason, and I'm willing to guess that Victoria and her Mum have no idea what he's been through.

I'm feeling Dad's absence more than ever before, god I miss him. I wonder what he would think of Isaac? Or maybe I don't want to know because he would probably disapprove.

Lucy nudges the door open with her nose and jumps up to sit with me on my bed. Dad adored Lucy, he found her as a stray kitten and convinced Mum to let us keep her. I know talking to animals is probably considered crazy by some but I confide in her.

"Is Isaac bad Lucy?" Lucy just nudges my hand with her face and purrs softly.

"Well you aren't much help are you?" I look at her and feel a pang of sadness I wonder if she misses Dad as much as I do? Does she feel empty like me?