A Deadly Affair

Nineteen

It's three in the morning when something falling in the kitchen startles me from my restless sleep. Ryan's been at Mack's since six, a little after Liam went home; when I'd finally crawled into the bed around eleven, I expected sleep to come easily. However, knowing Ryan was at the bar, and could get hurt at anytime kept me up for almost an hour. Then, my thoughts took a turn as the branch from the tree next to the window smacked against it, and I wondered if Miles figured out where I lived now. Could he have figured out who Ryan is and found us? I debated calling Ben to come stay with me: but then I didn't know if Maya was still with him and I didn't want to ruin that, so I opted for putting on an animated Disney movie; which was able to lull me to sleep. Until that crash in the kitchen; now, I'm padding toward the door, umbrella in hand, and peaking out the door. "Hello?" I call quietly, gripping the umbrella tighter as I stare into the darkness.

"It's me, Jules."

I sigh in relief, letting my shoulders sag as I prop the umbrella against the wall. "You scared me." I laugh shakily, walking into the kitchen and flipping on the light. Ryan's standing with his back to me, and I walk up leaning against him. "Rough night?" I furrow my brows, something's off; he's oddly quiet.

He chuckles, but it's breathy. "You could say that."

"Ry?" My worry increases and I reach up, pulling his face toward me to look into his eyes. "What's-"

"Promise you won't freak out?" He asks, his eyes showing how tired he is. I notice now that he's holding his side, and reach over to run my hand along his abdomen. He hisses in pain, and I recognize that his skin is warm. Swallowing, I pull my hand away to inspect it, finding it soaked in blood.

"Ry," I gasp, moving him so his injured side is toward me, and lifting his black tee up. I'm greeted with a jagged cut along his torso, bleeding steadily. Someone pulled a knife on him. "Sit." I order, leading him to the kitchen chair, then hurriedly grabbing a towel from under the cabinet. "Apply pressure, I need to grab something." I press the towel to his cut, causing him to groan in pain, but he abides by my order, holding it tightly against him. I run down the hall to my room, grabbing my nursing bag and rushing back to him. I lead him to the couch, making him sit before kneeling down so I can see his cut better. I take the numbing gel, applying It as gently as possible; to his credit, Ryan stays quiet. I force myself to stay calm, knowing I need to stop the bleeding before I fly into the panic of the fact that my boyfriend was cut with a knife. Once I'm assured his skin Is numb, I clean his cut, before grabbing the needle and thread, taking my time to sew the cut. Why would someone pull a knife? Why did Ryan have to become a bouncer? Why couldn't he have just stuck to being a software developer? Sitting around the apartment, typing in codes and looking sexy in his glasses. I drop the needle and thread back into my bag, noting I need to sterilize the needle again, when Ryan extends his hand.

"Come here," He tells me, and it isn't until I see the softness in his eyes and taste salt that I realize I'm crying.

"Someone pulled a knife on you." I state through tears, which I angrily wipe away. He grips my hand, pulling me up and into his lap. I start to protest, worried about the stitches I just gave him, but he shakes his head, silencing me.

"I'm okay, alright?" He assures quietly, and I cover my face with my hands, burying my head in his neck as tears spill over. He holds me tightly to him, whispering assurances into my ear as I try to calm down. Who hurt him? Could it have been worse? Was he hurt because someone fought dirty? How can I live knowing every time he leaves, he has a high probability of being hurt again?

"What happened?" I ask quietly, wiping away my tears but staying close to him. He stays quiet, running his hand over my hair, calming me.

"We have to talk." He tells me seriously and suddenly I'm not in the mood for knowing the story. I nod, sitting up and looking at him.