Lost Stars

Chapter Twenty Nine

-Athena's POV-

At first we both just locked eyes. He panted, his breath echoing in my empty house. The light casted shadows on his face, making him look tired. He smelled more like alcohol than I did and I just left a bar.

I knit my eyebrows together. I hissed in his face, "what the fuck are you doing here!?"

He smiled unevenly, looking like a jack o' lantern. "I-I came to see you," his words slurred together.

It was so unlike Dick. He never got so out of control that he couldn't control himself. Dick was cautious. He liked to have fun, but just like every other Bat boy, it was predicted fun.

I sighed and got off of him, pulling my knees to my chest. Dick managed to sit up after struggling for a minute. I could tell he was staring at me. He leaned against the chair of my couch, his head lolled to the side, his eyes concentrated on me.

It was like he was studying me, trying to memorize everything about me. Before, that look would've made me melt. But, things were different. He had a girlfriend. And I...I was trying to be okay with that.

"Do you want something to drink? I think you need some water," I moved to get up, but his fingers secured around my bicep. It was just like old times. I would try to leave, and he would grab my arm. His grip wasn't very strong. I could've broken it, but a part of me refused to move it. Tiny electric shocks sparked on my arm where he touched.

"Don't go," he whispered, his voice heavy and deep. My heart and breath quickened. Desperation filled his face. How could I leave when he was staring at me like that?

I sat back down. He hummed happily, his head falling onto my shoulder. I gasped quietly. His hair brushed against the soft skin on my neck. I was stiff as a board, but he didn't seem to notice. He was floppy like goo.

I let him stay like that for awhile. I couldn't move, my body refused. His eyes were closed, his hair falling into his face. I sighed, brushing it back behind his ears. He looked up. His eyes seemed even more blue. He grabbed my wrist before I could take my hand away from his face. His eyes trailed down, washing over my arm. Slowly, he laced our fingers together, pulling our joined hands to rest against his chest.

I could feel the beating of his heart. It wasn't nearly as fast as mine. It was consistent. Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum bum.

"Dick," I jumped back into reality, thinking of his red-headed girlfriend, "you can't be here."

I yanked my hand out of his. The force of it sent him falling back onto the floor. I felt bad, but the shock seemed to knock him into the real world. The lustful gape he was sending my way had disappeared.

His lips pouted down into a frown. His eyes seemed distant and even less focused than before. Dick stayed laying against the floor, looking up at the ceiling.

A few seconds of silence passed. I was about to check if he had fallen asleep when he spoke into the void.

"Why did you leave me?"

I wasn't prepared for the question. I sucked in a deep breath. "Well," I started, but couldn't find the right words.

"Athena, please," Dick bent his neck to face me, "tell me the truth. Please. It hurts."

Dick laid back down. It got hard for me to breath. It felt like someone had reached into my chest and was tightening their fist around my lungs. Water gathered at the corners of my eyes, but it didn't spill over. I tried to compose myself. Dick deserved an explanation delivered by a sober person.

I rested my head on the cushion, bringing my knees as close as they could to my chest. "I did it to protect you, Dick." I spoke clearly and honestly.