The scars on my neck...

Chapter III

I woke when he decided to get up and stumble off me. I could sense he was trying to not wake me up, so I wasn't too mad at him.

"Morning, love."

"Oh, good morning." He said. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"I don't mind, what time is it?"

"9." He answered calmly.

"Are you going to work today?"

"Yeah, I will. I look like sh*t though, want to help get me ready?"
"Uh... sure?"

"What? I'm in a hangover," he said, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"And who's fault is that?" I said, smiling back at him.

"Our waiter."

I laughed a little.

"I'm putting makeup on you," I said, just because I could.

"Gross, you're the sub."

I started blushing but, even in the dim morning light, it was really obvious.

"See? You're blushing."

"Fine no makeup for you," I said. I got up out of the bed and helped get him dressed.

After he left, I rushed back to the mirror. I wanted to see how bad the marks were.

There was a small bruise under my left eye, and the bite marks on my shoulders were easy to hide, especially in September, in colorado. I touched the bruise on my cheek. I cringed a little from pain.

"Ryder why..."
I started talking to myself, then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket so I pulled it out and looked. I'd gotten a text from Gabby, my best friend since our junior year.

"Nate! Have you seen Charlie? He ran away yesterday."

Charlie was Gabby's pet Corgi. He was young and very energetic. He had jumped on me last time I went to her house. Gabby didn't have a boyfriend, she said she didn't need one so long as she had Charlie. Which I found weird but who was I to judge?

"No. Where'd you last see him?" I responded over text. I hadn't noticed until I tried to type but I was shaking a little.

"Last night, in my backyard... If you're not busy would you please help me look for him?" She typed back quickly.

I thought about it and perhaps getting out of the house is what I needed.

"Sure. I'll be there in 5 minutes." I turned off the lights and locked up. For a moment I thought to myself if I needed to tell Ryder where I was going. I decided it would do more harm than good if he was in a meeting or something. I started walking to Gabby's, she was only two blocks away after all.

On the walk, I saw what looked like a husband and wife. They were across the street and the wife waved at me. I didn't really know how to feel so I just waved back. The man tipped his hat at me and I was truly confused. I'm surely thinking too much about this, but it gave me something to focus on until I got to Gabby's.

I rang the doorbell.

"It's open!" She yelled from inside. I stepped into her apartment. It wasn't big, but she didn't have much stuff.

She stepped into the hallway.

"Glad you're here." She said, putting on her boots. The girl loved her combat boots. She was wearing a deep blue sweater that fits well with her emerald hair. She was always a brave and interesting person.

"Alright. Here's some dog treats." She handed me a bag and then stepped out into the sunlight. I followed her out of the house. The second I got into the light she stopped cold.

"You okay? What happened to your cheek?" I hadn't even come up with a good lie.

"Uh.. I... walked into a door." What the hell kind of lie was that?!

"A door? Really? It looks more like someone hit you. Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just got into a little bar fight." She seemed sceptical, she knew I didn't drink.

"Honestly, I don't really believe that. I know I can't make you talk but... I'd really like to know what's going on." She said, trying to be kind.

She paused.

"Who did this to you?" She said, eyeing me carefully.

"Just some drunk guy..." I lied. She wouldn't understand why Ryder hit me. It wasn't out of hate. With any luck, he'll be feeling better soon and he won't need to hit me anymore.

"Nate. I'm worried about you. Please talk."

"Its nothing, really I mean it. Let's go find your Corgi."

She didn't answer, only nodded her head and closed the door behind us.

We stopped for lunch but we were out really late. It was roughly 6 when I got back home. I haven't done much studying, but I had all tonight, so hopefully, it won't be too bad.

I walked in the house and Ryder looked up from the dining table.

"Where have you been?" He said, standing up.

"I missed you" he pulled me into a hug and rested his chin on my shoulder.

After 10 seconds of hugging, he pulled back and said in a soft voice.

"Please tell me if you're going somewhere." His expression shifted and he hit my ribs, hard enough I dropped in shock.

"You don't mind this... right?" I could hear the hurt in his voice. I swallowed my spit and tried to hold back my tears, despite this my voice came out soft and sweet.

"Of course... hit me as many times as you need, love..." I said.

He did it twice more after that. One on my chest, the other on my thigh.

"I'm sorry, I was just... just worried you weren't coming home. I need you here Nate. You're my everything." He said while helping me stand.

"Aw... you shouldn't be worried. The marks on my body are proof of our love."

He smiled when I said it,

"That's a nice way to think about it." He sighed.

"I have a confession" he paused for a second.

He rolled up the sleeve of his jacket to reveal two new cuts.

"Honestly I was going for a third if you hadn't shown up."

"Im so sorry. Ryder please please stop" I completely forgot about myself and started licking the cuts. I didn't like the taste of blood, but I couldn't stand the sight.

"Mm~" he murmured. "Feels nice." I kept licking his skin.

"Please don't... it makes me sad to see you hurt..." I said, hugging him.

"Hey, I'm okay now." He hugged me back.

"Gabby saw the mark on my on my cheek." I started.

"Don't tell her how you got it, other people wouldn't understand."

"Exactly. And I won't." I said, smiling at him.

"I love you, Nate." He said, sniffling a little miserably.

"I love you too." He stepped back from me and picked up the knife.

"Let's get that away from you okay?" He nodded at my words and gave me the blade.

I felt sad when I looked at it, someone as great as him had fallen so low, as to hurt himself so often, enough so it had to hurt me too.

I put the knife in the sink. I suddenly remembered I had school work to do, so I ran over to my laptop, and started working on the project.

The next couple days Ryder seemed happier. He didn't hit me, cut, or drink. I don't know what had made him so happy, but I was glad for it. He was also really cuddly, especially at night. It was strange for him, but I wasn't complaining.

Maybe he really was getting better.