Part of Your World

Safe With Me

I dabbed the cut on Aria's swollen lip, her eyes watching my every move, rimmed in red and bloodshot. I frowned, attempting to keep my anger reigned in for her sake. I was still bitter with her for running off, but that was nothing compared to how I felt about that fucking jackass putting his hands on her. She was perched on my bathroom counter, hands folded in her lap, hair wet and fragrant, combed back behind her ears and giving me an unobstructed view of her oval face.

I'd curled her into my lap on our way home, her frigid body spasming, her teeth chattering as I'd chaffed her, worried about her getting pneumonia. She'd showered for what felt like two hours as Niko attempted to calm me down. I still had no idea of the extent of her injuries, other than what I could see on her face, and the unknown was killing me.

She winced as I dabbed too hard, pulling away.

"Sorry," I muttered, dropping the gauze and antiseptic into the garbage can. She continued to twist her fingers until they turned purple. I placed my hands on either side of her hips, palms flat on the cold surface. She was clad in a grey sweatshirt and leggings, still shivering every once in a while. She dropped her eyes to her lap, avoiding me.

"I just..." I said, my voice rumbling from exhaustion. I took a steadying breath as she glanced back up at me from under her lashes.

"I don't need a play by play, Aria, but for my own selfishness, I need to know what happened...so I can make sure I don't...fuck up, so I don't do anything that you..." I said, struggling for words. I wondered how the fuck Nick had dealt with this. I knew it was a bitch to get over Ellie's trauma, to get to that place where she felt safe with him, and my heart sank at the very thought of Aria being subjected to that. She was innocent. She didn't deserve to be treated like a rag doll.

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head a small bit, familiar blush rising in her cheeks. I narrowed my eyes at her, unsure what exact unasked question she was answering.

"Be blunt, please, I'm not good at reading between the lines," I said, eyes swishing between hers. She clamped her mouth shut, raising her hands to sign.

He only hit me

"You sure?" I growled. Eyes watering with a fresh wave of tears, she nodded.

"He had drugs on him, do you remember every part? There could be things you don't—"

Again, she shook her head, more forceful this time. I nodded, stepping back, crossing my arms. She peeked at me, holding up her hands as though she wanted to text. I pulled out my phone, handing it to her. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as I attempted to read upside down. After a minute and some lengthy hesitation, she passed my phone back to me.

I went to get coffee and wanted to walk to clear my head. I started heading back and Claire called and it was pouring down rain, so I went into the bar. We talked for a long time, and I was mad at you. I ignored your texts. He sat down next to me and kept buying me drinks. When he thought I wasn't looking, he dropped those pills in my drink. I left right then, but he was mad and followed. He hit me, so I threw my bag at him and hid and then you found me...

I grit my teeth, reading and re-reading her explanation. As much as I wanted to place sole blame on her, I knew I couldn't. My blame was deserved. But her hiding place was shit and her self defense tactics were fucking awful.

I eyed her, ensuring she wasn't lying. I knew when anyone lied to me, used to enjoy that little game of cat and mouse. But not with her. I wanted her honesty more than anything.

"Ok," I said finally, leveling her with a look.

"As punishment for wandering off and not telling me out of courtesy, you're not allowed to work the rest of the week," I said, smirking as she began to panic and wag her hands at me. I cocked my brow.