The Fallen

Amirèe

I woke up in my room. My whole body was aching, and I was groggy with sleep. I knew it was late in the afternoon because of how brightly the sun shone through my window. The house was quiet, and I was completely alone.

The silence suddenly terrified me, and I rolled out of bed, rushing to get out of my room. I was wearing my school shirt and some underwear, my skirt was on the floor where I must've kicked it off last night.

I didn't care, I was at home, no one was here that hadn't seen me like this before, so I nearly ran down the stairs and into Kevin. I'd forgotten he was here. He looked away from me immediately, eyes focusing on everything else when he spoke.

"You okay?"

"I don't want to be by myself." heat crept though my skin, I was completely embarrassed. I hated being afraid, and more than that, I hated telling people that I was.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" He was eyeing a space just above my head, studiously not looking at my lack of clothes. I slipped my hand through his and made my way back up to my room, dragging him behind me. There was no way I would answer him. I refused to sound like a fearful idiot.

I opened my door and pointed at the bed for him to sit down. He plopped down as I grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from my dresser and went into my attached bathroom to shower. I closed the door and let the hot water run, basically ripping off my clothes, and tearing my hair from its braids ruthlessly. I stepped into the practically scolding water and scrubbed at my skin with soap until it was red, and then I attacked my hair with shampoo, scrubbing at my scalp vigorously. It didn't matter how much I scrubbed at myself though. I still felt the metal of the manacles and chains biting into my skin. I was still lying on the cold concrete in that dark warehouse.

I grabbed my bar of face soap and washed my face, wishing I could wash away last night, but it wasn't going to go away. No amount of soap would make me forget. I was stuck in a dark room with no escape, chained and bound to the floor with a killer, and he wasn't going to free me.

I cut the water off, feeling more alone than I had before. I went from an empty shell to a cracked one in a few hours, and I doubted I would ever feel normal again. Not after that, not ever.

I dried off and pulled on my clothes. My hair was still dripping with water though, soaking my t-shirt. I opened the door to see that Kevin hadn't moved an inch. I studied him for a moment, his shoulders were broad, and his arms were strong and muscled. His black hair curled slightly around the nape of his neck, and his skin was tanned. He really was handsome.

"You took forever." He said when I sat next to him. "I was about to go to sleep."

"I'm sorry." I ran my fingers through my hair, untangling it slowly. We sat in uneasy silence for a while, I couldn't bring myself to speak again.

"I wish I'd found you sooner." He looked at me, eyes full of regret. "I didn't really save you from anything." He ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his face with his palms, as if he could massage his emotions.

"If you hadn't come, there's no telling what would've happened to me." I lightly pulled his hands away from his face with a sweet smile. "I would've been through so much worse, anything could've happened, I could've been raped, tortured, murdered, sold." My voice cracked at the possibilities. I hadn't even noticed the tears until he reached up to wipe my cheek.

"Amirèe,"

"Let me finish," I cut him off, taking a deep breath. I would will myself to be strong, I would not even let him acknowledge the fact that I was crying. I knew I was being prideful, but if I let myself start crying again, there was no guarantee I would stop. "Had you given up on finding me, I wouldn't be here," His hands were warm against my cheeks as he rubbed circles on my cheeks with his thumbs, sending small shivers down to my veins. "Thank you so much."

"You saved my life, the least I could do was save yours."

"I didn't fight countless strangers in the middle of the night, I found you laying in someone's bushes." I laughed, having no idea why. This was just so ridiculous.

"I wouldn't have stopped looking for you. I would've burned down the whole city for you." His voice was low and serious. He pulled his hands back, running them through his hair again nervously. "And even though I found you, you still suffered so much. Your arms are bruised, I saw you limping earlier too, you sprained your ankle, didn't you? Then your shoulder, it's got to be in pain for someone as small as you to bust through that door. You're terrified still, I don't know how I know, but I do, and I can't do anything to help you. It's driving me crazy, because you were so determined to help me, and I can't do anything for you."

"You saved me, you found me when I needed you most, and no one else would've found me. It would've been too late. You put yourself at risk for me," I leaned closer to him and pressed my palms against his cheeks like he had for me, rubbing circles with my thumbs. He dropped his arms to his sides and looked at me with startled eyes. They had been cloudy with emotions, but now they were as clear as day. "You have no idea how many ways you've helped me." I spoke softly, he covered my hands with his own and closed his eyes.

I studied his face, relaxed against my palms. He looked so young, I realized in surprise. When his eyes were closed, and he was calm and relaxed, Kevin was like a different person. A ball of warmth rose from my belly button as I watched him breathe. The silence between us wasn't awkward at all, it was peaceful.

His hands trailed down my arms slowly, and I went rigid. My pulse was racing as he wrapped his arms across my back and pulled me into him. "You are too strong for your own good, you need to be comforted so much more than I do right now." He whispered in my ear. I held onto him, clutching his back, fists balled in the cloth of his shirt. I'd never felt so safe in my life, warm and secure in his grip. He smelled like fresh linen and Dove Body Wash.

"How long can I stay like this?" I mumbled, face buried in the crook of his neck.

He didn't hesitate to answer, "As long as you need to."

"Forever?"

"If you need to."

"Thank you." I pulled him closer, if that was even possible. I had completely wrapped myself around him, legs straddling his hips, face pressed against his skin, and hands buried in his shirt.