Stay

Chapter 8

Peyton pulls up five minutes later; good thing too because I'm starting to get cold. I stood up from the wooden bench and before I know it, Peyton is helping me walk to his car. I place my arm around his and felt him up. He's more times than I thought he is. He opens the car door for me and lefts me in then closes it for me. This boy really has manners and I'm loving it.

"Thank you." I smile up at him.

"No problem. It's a mans job to take care of his woman." Before he could think of what he said, it clicked on my mind when he said 'his woman.'

"I didn't mean it like that, Dakota." Peyton defends himself as he slides into the driver seat. I'm now starting at him, and he smiles back at me. He keeps starting at me before he realizes that we have places to go.

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" We are now moving, and I'm waiting for Carson to tell me what movies Peyton bought him, but he's passed out. Maybe now I'll be able to talk to Peyton without worrying that Carson will listen in and ask questions later when we are alone.

"Peyton?" The pink sky is turning darker by the minute, making watching the scenery complicated.

"Dakota." He replies. That's now what I expect him to say, but it'll do.

"Who's the girl in the picture with you in your apartment?" I'm glancing at him ever few seconds to make sure he's not looking over at me for seconds at a time. Maybe I asked the wrong question at the wrong time.

"In the beanie?" He double checks that we're talking about the same girl.

"Yeah, her." I bluntly answer. I remember how big he's smiling the photo, and his eyes are glowing I want to make a guy smile like that at me. I wan his eyes to sparkle when he's looking at me. I just want someone to love me unconditionally.

"She's my sister. She was murdered and I still have yet to find her killer. If you want the files are in the glove box." He briefly explained. I think he became a detective when his sister was murdered. Maybe he's trying to bring peace with her, or maybe himself.

I open up the glove box and there's a folder with papers, and photos that falls out as I pull the folder out. I pick them up to see that they're graphic. My stomach drops at the sight of all the blood.

Walls and doors are covered in blood; her body is in a thick puddle and she's stabbed, everywhere. I shove the pictures back inside the folder them pull out the papers to read over all the evidence.

She was murdered four years ago around this time of year. I read over all the details of the evidence and what the house looked like, what was missing and more.

As I read over the information, I feel pity for Peyton. What did he feel when this all happened? I can only imagine what he did when he found out what happened to his beloved sister.

"Peyton, can we just stay at your place?" We haven't even left town, so he agrees with me and we turn around. Now I feel bad for making him waste all this gas but I'll pay him back.

"I'm sorry about your sister. By the looks of it, you really loved her." I whisper. He nods his head as if he's trying to block out that day. The day he found out or maybe the day her funeral took place on.

~*~

I carry Carson inside and lay him down on Peyton's couch. He doesn't wake up, so he must've been up all last night. Hopefully he didn't hear what his father was doing just down the hall from him.

Peyton takes our bags and the papers to his bedroom. I follow behind him and he sits down on his nicely made bed. He waves me over, so I go and sit down next to him. His hand lands on my leg, but I don't move him or my leg. It feels so right, but so wrong for what he's about to say.

"I was 16, so you can only imagine how pissed, no angry furious frustrated I felt, yet my heart broke into pieces. My sister was my best friend. Sounds silly coming from a guy, but she would always take time out of her day to ask if I need help on homework or if I need to talk about anything. Whenever I felt alone, she was there. Then one morning I wake up and the cops are at my door informing me that she's been murdered. I broke down and cried in front of them. My mother told me to go get dressed because we are going to verify her body then begin to plan the funeral. That day was and is the last day I cried. I didn't cry at her funeral, I punched things. I punched a tree and flipped my car. I planned that I will go to law school, I'll become a detective to find her killer. To find the person who took my best friend."

I hear his heart racing. He can't take all the memories flooding in his mind because he's hurt. He's broken like everyone else. I'm going to make a promise to myself that I'm going to help him find we murderer.

His hand is shaking, so I put mine over his and it stops. I lean in closer to him and place my hand on his back to rub it for comfort. He leans into my arm and looks at me. I'm not crying, but I know that a sorrow look is on my face. He lifts his free hand to caress my face. He smiles as if he knows he shouldn't be sad for her.

I lean my face into his hand and closed my eyes. When I open them I see Peyton admiring me like a piece of cake perfectly cut.

"What?" I whisper. He keeps looking at me like that, but I don't question it again. I just kept quiet until he told me to close my eyes.

"Why? Are you going to run away or knock me out?" I ask him jokingly.

"Trust me. Just do it." I don't argue with him this time and do as I'm told. I close my eyes and rest my hands in my lap. I wasn't prepared for what he did. This feels wrong, but it feels so right.