EMILY

The Protector

Emily's POV

The veins in my head were throbbing in pain when I finally regained my consciousness. Groaning in pain, I opened my eyes, it took me a minute to adjust to the bright light glaring into my eyes and observe my surroundings.

I was on my own bed, in my own room. I had no recollection of how I got there. The last thing I remembered is how Damien tried to force me into intimacy and someone intervened right in time. I still don't know why he did what he did and the more I thought about him, the more my head throbbed.

"You're awake." I heard a voice coming from my side. Rotating my neck, I found Justin sitting on my study table, resting his head against the wall.

I suddenly got nervous because of his presence. I didn't know what he was doing here or what was his intentions. Maybe he was here to make fun of me and tell me that girls like me doesn't deserve to be loved. Maybe he was here to humiliate me, to show me how stupid I was to believe that a boy like Damien would be sincere with me.

He didn't say any of that. Instead, he walked towards me and sat down in front of me, keeping some space between us. I scooted away from him and wrapped my arms around myself. That's when I realized what I was wearing. It was a black T-shirt that smelled of Justin, reaching the middle of my thighs.

My legs were bare.

The memory flashed in front of my eyes, the image of Damien pinning my hands above my arms and forcefully pulling my pants out of my leg. Tears pricked the back of my eyes but I controlled the urge to cry.

"Did you... Are you the one who saved me?" I asked, looking down at my lap.

"Yes." he whispered.

I nodded and gulped before asking the next question. "D.. Did you dr.. dressed.. Um.."

"Yes." he said before I could finish my sentence. Blush crept up my cheeks and I bit the insides of my cheeks in embarassment. I could feel his heated gaze on me but I didn't have courage to look into his eyes.

"You can say." I said softly, covering my legs with the blanket.

"Say what?" he asked.

"That how dense I am for believing that he might actually like me and for not listening to you." I replied.

My words were followed by a long pause. He must be devising the perfect taunt for me in his devious mind.

"Why do you always think worse of me?" his voice was vulnerable, almost as if he was tired. "Do you really think I saved you so I could prove myself right?"

I tried to find the right words but couldn't. I was afraid that one wrong word would upset him and who knows what he might do, knowing that we were alone in the house and knowing what Justin was capable of. What if he does something worse than Damien and what if he succeeds?

'He saved you' a voice in my head told me.

'Damien saved me too, from Chloe.' I told that voice.

"Thanks." I decided to play safe. His presence in my room was making me jittery and no matter how hard I try to avoid looking at his face, I couldn't stop myself from admiring the innocence on his face. Rare innocence!

"Your Dad wasn't home so I called your friends. I'll leave as soon as they come." he said without looking at me. I felt like what I said hurt him but it's not like I didn't have any reason to doubt his intentions. I'm indebted to him for saving me but that doesn't mean I've forgotten everything he had done to me.

"Sure." I whispered and tried to get out of the bed. But as soon as I stepped down, pain erupted in my leg and I fell back on the bed.

"What happened?" he asked, looking between my face and my leg.

"It... It hurts." I winced. Before I could say anything further, he pulled the shirt away from my legs, revealing the large bruise on my thigh. I haven't noticed it before and by the look on his face, neither did he.

"Son of a bitch." he growled. His face contorted and his pupil dilated in anger as his eyes raked over the large bruise and few smaller ones on my leg. "I'm going to kill him."

I flinched at his harsh tone and pulled my lower lip in between my teeth. It's something I did whenever I was afraid or sad. His face softened at my paled face and his eyes lingered on my lips. There was something in his gaze that made my throat clogged, a strange intensity, a longing, hesitation, fear. Fear?

"Do you have first aid box in your room?" he asked and I nodded, motioning towards the cupboard.

He walked towards it and searched inside for the box. My face flushed crimson when my gaze settled on the pair of undergarments stacked neatly in a corner. I hoped he didn't see that, although it was quite impossible.

Once he found the box, he pulled out a pain relieving cream and applied small amount on my leg, his touch creating a large ball of nerves in the pit of my stomach. I was sure my face was red by now, judging my the heat radiating off it.

After he was done, he lifted his head and stared at my face. The room was silent, except the sound of our breathing. Somehow the distance between us had shrunk. His face leaned towards me, slowly, his eyes not leaving mine for even a second.

I wanted to stop him, I wanted to push him back, I wanted to create distance between us. But I couldn't. I was too tempted by the proximity to do so.

Just when our lips were about to touch, the door to my room shot open. We both jerked away from each other immediately.

"Are you fine Em?" It was Alicia. She looked really worried for me. Behind her was Sophia, who looked equally frantic. They both walked towards me and hugged me from each sides. From the corner of my eyes, I watched Justin who was now leaving the room. His eyes found mine once again and he smiled before stepping out of the door.

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This was a cute chapter.