Guns and Roses

Fifty ~ Rya

I practically sprint up the stairs and into the foyer again. I can hear Quinn right behind me as I meet my family again.

Switch appears to have just arrived back too and is chattering excitedly at Artie. Mum walks over to see what the fuss is about and then her eyes light up when she sees me.

Fuck. He told them.

"What did you say?" I growl at Switch.

He grins widely. "I only told them what I saw."

If only he could explain what he saw because I dont have a clue what happened.

Today has been weird. From telling Quinn I love him, to nearly being killed and then nearly kissing him in the basement. I'm blaming lack of sleep.

"We're going upstairs." I say and grab Quinns arm. I dont even have to look at him to know that his face has gone beetroot red.

Mum raises her hand to stop me and I stare pointedly at her. Every second in this room with them staring at us like that is torture. A small smile plays on her lips, "Remember to stay safe," she says.

I frown at her. What is so dangerous about upstairs?

"Dont be silly, wrap your-"

"Oh my God! Shut up!" I yell ad I get what she's saying a little too late. "Fuck's sake" I yank Quinn who looks completely mortified and is looking anywhere but in Dads direction as we run up the stairs.

"Ugh," I say once we're out of earshot, "Are your parents this embarrassing or is it just mine?" He looks stumped for a second and then I realise my mistake. Shit. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about your parents."

He starts to laugh then and I relax. I thought I had really upset him and then I dont know what I would have done. I'm shit at dealing with emotion.

We walk into my bedroom and I shut the door over, locking it and then unlocking it again just incase anyone takes the locked door the wrong way.

"My grandpa is really embarrassing sometimes," he says as he bounces onto my bed, "He likes old-fashioned romance and is constantly trying to give me tips."

I laugh but it dies quickly, "How is he doing? I know he wasnt injured or anything but he was gone for nearly a month. That's got to be traumatic or something."

Mum hasn't shown anything that's made me worry about her but I know that the past month has taken it out of her.

Quinn shrugs and I sit down beside him. I swing my legs up and lay them across his lap. Strangely, he doesnt push them away again but just sort of rests his hand on my calf. His thumb starts to draw little circles and suddenly it's all I can focus on.

"Bella kept him safe I think. She took the brunt of everything they did to them because they thought she would be more useful." He explains.

I nod along and then he grabs my hand. "How are you doing?" He asks me.

"I'm fine. Why would I be anything else?" I ask him. I mean, sure, my rubs hurt but they have done for weeks. And my wrist's broken but I break my bones all the time.

He squeezes my hand tight, "You thought you were going to die. I thought you were going to die for a second. You must have been terrified."

I nod as I remember the second where everything went dark and I couldn't get my body to respond. The sheer terror as I lay there on the cold floor with my life being squeezed from me.

I shake my head. "Today was nothing compared to what I felt at the docks." I tell him. "Just before I passed out, I realised that I was completely alone. I was going to bleed out slowly and I was going to do it alone..." I trail off as I remember waking up briefly and seeing the blood around me on the ground and I couldn't feel anything. Nothing but fear because no one was going to reach me in time.

My eyes start to burn and I realise that I'm about to cry and theres nothing I can do to stop it. I can feel my brain spiraling as everything catches up to me. Losing mum and dad only to get them back again. Being tortured and left for dead. Alexander being shot. Killing Mika. Killing Ellie. Kira going missing and then finding her again.

Everything that has happened over the past month has hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Hey," Quinn says softly and his hand is on my face, wiping away the tears as they fall. His arms wrap around my body and pull me close to him. "Its all okay now," he whispers, "I've got you."

I inhale his scent and keep my eyes focused on the yellow pollen stuck to his black sleeve. I focus on his soft hands on my back and his warmth seeping through his clothes and into my body. I focus on the intense feeling in my chest as I listen to his heart beating so much louder than my cries.

I've fallen so hard and so quickly for him and it's going to destroy me when he leaves.

I turn my head up to look at his face. His open, kind face as he looks down at me. "I told you I loved you," I whisper. I hadn't planned to do it but I dont regret it.

Usually after I've cried I feel pathetic but I feel good. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Something flashes across his eyes so quickly that I dont have time to identify it. "I think I meant it," I tell him before he can reject me, "You make me feel a way that I've never felt before. I feel more at home in your company than I ever have in this house."

A smile spreads across his face and he presses his forehead against mine. "I think I love you too, Rya."

My heart flutters and I cant stop the giggle that bursts from me. Even after everything that happened today, everything I found out, I'm happy.

I'm in love.

An early chapter because I just wrote the final chapter of this book!