Plastic Hearts (Being Edited)

Chaper 13: Jaded Lines

The wind hummed a lullaby through the tall canopy that just permeated my dozing mind. In an instant I wasn't just seeing an endless loop of black, I was aware of the tiniest sounds around me. The rush of an owl's wings, the hesitant footsteps of a doe and her fawn.

However, reality soon came crashing down on me like heavy rainfall. With a jolt, my weary eyes shot open, while my mouth desperately gulped for large lungfuls of air as I tightly gripped the sheets in my balled fists.

My red laced eyes trained around the unfamiliar room, frantically. The window was ajar, as was the door. My sneakers seemed to be on a heap of neatly folded clothes.

The last thing I remembered was that I was in a car accident with Copper. But the reason why I had awoken in a foreign room didn't add up.

I carefully and soundlessly crawled out the bed and exited the room, after I'd worn my shoes while ignoring the sharp ringing in my ears.

Through my line of sight, it was safe to assume the upper hallway was clear. I promptly tiptoed my way downstairs, with relative ease. The front door was now in view, and lay only seconds away. However, just before I pulled the door handle, it had opened before me.

I was scared shitless. My body became rigid, ignoring all orders from my brain as the door creaked open, exposing me to a cold breeze.

"What are you doing?" Dex asked quizzically as he stood at the threshold.

"Dex?" I queried in disbelief. "Dex" I repeated again but more affirmatively.

"I believe that's my name" he sarcastically pointed out, before he'd closed the door. "You should be in bed" he mentioned as he hung his jacket on the coat rack.

"So this is your house?" I furrowed my brows.

He eyed me before he'd even bothered to answer. "Are you just playing dumb now?" he asked apathetically.

"No I just-" I paused before gathering all my thoughts. "What's going on?" I asked. "Why am I here? Why did Copper ask me to tail those guys"

"Simple" he answered. "She was doing her job and you weren't"

"I'm a journalist, when did having impulsive car chases become part of my job" I raised my voice at him, though I soon regretted it after the ringing in my ear seemed to have intensified. I hissed quietly as I held my head and took an unsteady step backward.

"I told you to stay in bed" he muttered under his breath before rushing over to steady me.

"I'm fine" I murmured, my tone losing all it's finesse. "I'm just a little dizzy" I admitted bashfully.

His eyes barely faltered, but they seemed more inviting all of a sudden. As if there was thinly veiled concern beneath the curious and irritated look on Dex's face.

Before long I was seated on Dex's couch and excessively wrapped with blankets, with a mug full of hot chocolate.

After Dex reentered the living room, I gripped onto the mug tightly. "There's a few things you're not telling me" I addressed the elephant in the room.

"No there's a lot of things I'm not telling you"

"I almost died today cause you didn't tell me what I'd be walking into" my voice slightly croaked, as I tore my eyes from the mug to glare at him.

His facial expressions remained constant. Not a blink, not a highly raised brow and not even as much as a flinch. He simply just stared at me as if he had every other day.

After a deafening silence, he let out a defeated sigh.

"What do you wanna know?"

I analysed him carefully to indeed make sure he was serious. However, it didn't really help as his face looked the same as before.