What Keeps You Alive

WKYA Chapter 7

We left the diner together and I felt happier than I had in weeks. I felt like a piece of my heart had molded back on. I was healing.

"Hey, so what do you have going on today? I was thinking maybe we could do something." He shrugged awkwardly and it was adorable.

"Declan, I'd absolutely love that. If you could take me home and let me get ready, I could be ready at 8 ish?"

He smiled this big beautiful smile and my heart skipped a beat. We drove in silence for a couple of miles and then he reached over and touched my fingers. His were soft and warm and I entwined them with mine. He smiled and a light blush came across his face. 

We pulled up at my house and he got out and opened the back door to grab his crutches. I opened the door and met him on his side, I leaned up and kissed his cheek. He blushed and did this cute thing where he shuffled awkwardly on his crutches and rubbed the back of his head. 

He walked me up the sidewalk to the front door and cleared his throat. "Okay, so eight?" I nodded and threw a wink his way.

I ran inside and closed the door with one last look at him, before running up the stairs with the goofiest smile on my face. Cav was leaning against my door with one brow cocked. 

"Well, you look extremely pleased with yourself." He smirked.

"Cav, I told him everything and he still likes me!" I ran up and gave him a huge hug. 

"Of course he does, Arya! You're wonderful and nothing that happened to you was your fault. Gosh, he would be crazy not to like you...and he's a good guy. I like him." He shrugged and flicked my nose in an annoying way only older brothers can.

"Well, he's picking me up in like forty minutes, so I'd better get ready." I kissed his cheek and ran into my room. I was in and out of the shower in record time and dried my hair. I curled it loosely and put on some eye makeup and a little blush. When I was done I ran to my closet and grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a flowery t shirt. I grabbed a ponytail just in case and slipped into some sandals. I ran down the stairs and right into my mom.

"Hey hunny, headed out?"

"Yeah, Declan wanted to take me out for the day." I smiled. Mom always looked good, even now in a satin robe with her hair in a messy bun and a face mask on.

I heard the doorbell and ran for it, " Love you, mom!" I swung open the front door with a huge smile on my face as I slung my purse over my shoulder.

What I saw at the door ripped the smile off of my face faster than anything had before. Declan was there. And Alex was watching me from across the street. He smiled in a way that sent chills up my back and I thought about the voice in my bedroom. What if he had been there? He knows where I am.

I began to hyperventilate and my eyes went hazy, I felt Declan reach out to grab me, but he couldn't get a good grip with his crutches in the way. I fell to the ground. I could hear everyone shouting around me. When I opened my eyes, I started to laugh hysterically. My moms green mask was the first thing I could see.

Then I felt a sharp sting on my cheek. 

"Cav!" It was my mom.

"She was hysterical." I had a feeling he slightly enjoyed it. I smiled. 

"Cav!" I opened my eyes, mom was yelling at him again because I was smiling and he thought I was going to be hysterical again.

I slowly sat up and found Declan was sitting right behind me where I could lean back on him. I did; I needed the feel of his arms around me, I needed to feel safe. 

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head. When I was breathing normally enough to speak, I told them what I had seen. 

"He was here, Alex, across the street." I felt the tears coming. " He knows where I am. I heard a voice in my room the other night. What if he was there? What if he was in my bedroom?" I felt my heart beating rapidly. Declan started to rock me back and forth and smoothed my hair. I felt him kiss my hair and I calmed down just a little. I stood up and pulled my hair over my shoulder, I put a strip of it in between my lips and pulled at it. It was my nervous tic I'd had since childhood. 

Declan smiled at me and reached for my hand. I held onto it, it was my anchor. 

"I'm going to kill him." Cav's voice echoed in the silence and I could see that he was brooding. 

"Cav, you can't. He's not worth life in jail. We will just have to figure out another way to get him." MY mom, always the voice of reason. I knew she was right, but the worst part of me wanted him dead. 

Declan pulled me to him and whispered in my ear, "We can still have a nice day." I turned around and looked at him like he had sprouted horns. If he thought I was ever leaving this house again, he was crazy. 

He didn'tanswer me, just used one crutch to stand up, pulling me with him, and then grabbed the other crutch from where it was haphazardly leaning against the wall. 

"Come on, Arya. I promise you'll be completely safe." He smiled and I looked at Cav. 

He shrugged and said, "I don't think he'd try anything in broad daylight, especially as long as you have someone with you."

"Alright, you win. But I'm bringing pepperspray. And a knife."

I started for the kitchen to grab the items from their drawer and heard Declan chuckle behind me. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Ari. Oh, and grab a swimsuit."

Four hours later I was starving. "Dec, can we be done now? I am going to eat you if we don't get some food soon." We had driven from Savannah to Hilton Head and We had played on the beach. We covered his casts in plastic bags and spent a good two and a half hours either sitting where the water could just barely touch us or walking in the tide and splashing and playing. It was definitely the most fun I had had in weeks, but my stomach was seriously going to implode. I ran away from Declan just as he turned to splash me hard. I ran up the beach, dodging people, and grabbed my white swim coverup. 

I pulled the soft material on, and watched as Declan made his way up the beach. I started to walk his way to help him with his crutches in the sand when someone caught me around the arm. I turned and found myself face to face with Alex. He pulled me into a bone crushing hug and all of the air left my body. 

"Oh, Arya, it feels so good to have you back in my arms." I pushed away from him as hard as I could, but his hands were like vice grips on my upper arms. I was about to yell for help when I felt a warm hand on my back. 

"I strongly suggest you let go of her." Declan's voice was ice and I looked back and found a deadly glare trained on Alex's face. 

"And what are you going to do about it, gimp?" Neither I, nor Alex saw it coming, but suddenly the blood was rushing back through my arms and right out of Alex's nose.

Declan pulled me into his arms and I leaned against him, just wishing the nightmare would be over already. He started to pull my away and I picked up the crutch that had fallen when he slammed his right hook into Alex's nose. Alex was still laying on the ground holding his nose and a crowd was starting to form. We quickly grabbed our stuff and hurried to the car. 

Once we were on the highway, Declan looked at me.

A shadow passed through his eyes, "He will never touch you again, if I have anything to say about it."

I was struck by just how wonderful a person he was, I leaned across the consul and kissed his cheek. His face softened a little bit and I smiled at him.

"So, Dec, take me to the best pizza place in town, preferably one that is close to an ice cream shop as well."