Dark Paradise

Chapter 6: The Exception

 I don't know how long I've been standing here holding on to a boy I've only for only three days while I soak his shirt with my tears. I unwrap my arms from his torso and try to put distance between him and I but he doesn't let me. I feel his eyes looking at me and I know he is taking in the damage that has been done. I see his arm start to rise but I still don't look at him until his fingers lightly trace the bruise over my left cheek. It doesn't hurt as he continue to wordlessly trace the bruises now moving on to tracing the bruise on my right cheek with feather light touches. Finally I give in and look up at him, his normally happy face has been turned into one of concern and sadness, his eyes mirroring the same emotions along with others that I can't seem to read. 

  "Peyton" His voice finally cuts through the silence like a knife. 

  "What?" I reply just above a whisper 

  "What happnend?"  He asks looking me dead in the eyes. 

  "Nothing Ashton. It doesn't matter" I tell him 

  "Doesn't matter?! Peyton you have bruises on your face and you're telling me it doesn't matter?" He says his voice dropping to be hardly audible 

  "Fine Ashton you really want to know? It was my mom, are you happy now?" I tell him with my eyes closed not wanting to see the flawless boy in front of me look at me with pity in his eyes. 

  "Is that makeup on my shirt?" He asks making me laugh at the turn of the conversation 

  "Yeah, I tired to cover my face up but  Michael said it did nothing to help" I say giving him a sad smile. 

  "Wait right here" He says as he walks out of his room. I hear the hushed sounds of Michael, Luke and Steph asking Ashton what is going on in there but I don't hear his reply I just hear his footsteps coming back into the room. I look at him and see makeup wipes in his hand making me give him a questioning. 

  "I have a sister... and mother" Ashton says giving a half heartily chuckle but it doesn't reach his eyes making me frown. 

  "I am taking that off ok?" He says as he pulls one of the makeup wipes out and looking at me making me nod my head. His Adam's apple quivers as he takes a deep breath in and gently begins to take the makeup off my face. I close my eyes as he takes in the full damage done unable to stand the face he is making, a face torn between sadness and anger. 

  "All done" He says after a minute or so making me open my eyes as I watch him head to his closet. He grabs a shirt not even looking at it before he pulls the shirt he had on from his body as I watch in awe at how his arms contract with each pull, how his back looks tan and smooth making me want to run my fingers lightly down it making him shiver under my touch. All too soon the other shirt is on and he's  throwing the woren one in the hamper. Turning back to face me he looks at me before deciding something unknown. 

  "Hold on" He says to me as he walks out of his room again I stand awkwardly in his room as I hear a door close and his foot steps come back. 

 "What did you do?" I ask him 

 "Nothing. They just remembered they had plans....." Ashton says looking at me with a smile. 

 "That's such a lie!" I say laughing at him 

 "No it's not... they just we're not aware of their plans... until now"  He says smiling at me even bigger as he comes closer to me until I am backed wrapped in his arms. 

  "Why did you make them leave?" I say wrapping my arms around him. 

  "I don't know what you are talking about Peyton" He says as he pulls away and grabbing my hand as he heads towards his bed. He pulls back the blanket lays himself down and pulls me with him.