Do They Bother You? (Editing)

Chapter Fifteen

Tuesday- Three days to Graduation

Finn and LJ were arguing again.

They'd been doing it a lot, but always made sure to walk just far enough down the hallway so that I couldn't make out what they were arguing over. Even so, I had a pretty good idea.

LJ had been distant. Matthew said he had been with me every second I was unconscious, but now that I was awake he only showed up occassionally. Finn was the one constantly at my side, reading to me and playing card games with me.

Most of the time, after an arguement, Finn would come back into the room and LJ would stalk down the hallway, heading for the parking lot. Today, though, Finn was the one that headed down the hall as LJ walked hesitantly into the room.

"Hey, Lena," he murmured, shutting the door behind him. "How are you?"

"Fine," I said. "How are you?"

"Fine."

He stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor and not walking any closer. I stared at him, trying to get him to meet my eyes.

Finally, I just voiced the thought that had been nagging at me for the past few days. "Are you breaking up with me?"

His head snapped up so fast I thought he might have hurt himself. "What?!"

"Are you breaking up with me?" I asked in the exact same tone of voice, gently running my fingers over the bump on my head like I had become prone to doing. He stared at me for a moment with a completely stunned expression on his face.

"No, I-I...no! No, Lena, no. Of course not," he said. But he didn't move any closer.

"Than why are you acting so strange? Why are you and Finn always fighting?" I asked.

"I...he, I mean, I..." he swallowed, looking at the ground again. "I...I don't want to push you. Or overwhelm you. I know you haven't said anything, but..." he took a deep breath. "But, I'm worried, that if I try to touch you, or kiss you, that you'll push me away. Because even though he didn't do anything, there was still that threat, and I don't know how that affected you, or us, or if it brought back memories for you..."

"LJ," I whispered. "LJ, come here."

He came over and sat down in the chair on my left, hunched over so that I still couldn't see his eyes. The dim light wasn't helping either.

"J? J, please look at me?"

He raised his eyes slowly to look at me, tears glistening in their blue depths. Seeing him cry brought tears to my own eyes, and I grasped his hand tightly.

"Ethan will never come between us," I said fiercely. "Okay? Never. And I don't think it would ever matter what happened to me, because I will always welcome your comfort. I love you, J. How could you think that would change so quickly?"

He rested his forehead on my shoulder, careful not to hurt me. "God, I almost lost you," he whispered, his voice slightly muffled. "I almost lost you, sweetheart. And it nearly killed me."

I brought my arm around so that his head was resting on my chest, and I stroked my fingers through his hair as he cried quietly. My own tears fell into his hair, but he didn't seem to mind- just like I didn't mind his tears soaking my shirt.

"I'm sorry I acted like such an idiot these past few days," he said, finally. "I just wasn't sure..."

"I know, LJ. I know."

He looked up at me, then, his eyes slightly swollen. Gently, he shifted so that his lips brushed mine.

And it felt like coming home.

After a moment he pulled away, and we shifted carefully until he was sitting up on the bed with me and I was tucked into his side. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, careful of the bruise on my jaw and the knot on my head.

"I love you, you know," he said softly into my hair. "More than I think I should."

I smiled. "That's okay," I murmured. "Because I think I love you just as much."

The End