Natasha reaches out and takes his arm, bringing him back to reality. He frowns at her and then me and
follows obediently for a second, releasing his hold on me.
“Wait. Where are you going?” He turns back to me when he realizes I’m not following him. Eyes
suddenly clear and confusion ruling instead, a snap of instant despair in those beautiful depths.
I guess he really was not listening after all. I blanch at his sudden mental presence, thinking he could
have snapped back to the present a bit quicker than this, but now is not the time.
“Home. Bring my jacket later when you come back, I’ll get a cab. I have my bag here and money.” I
point at the little tiny clutch that’s been nestled on me all night. A thin chained strap over my body that
makes it almost invisible. I have everything I need to get home to his safe apartment.
“No, Sophs … I’m taking you home, I’m coming with you. I take care of you! I always take care of you.”
His eyes burn into mine, his speech slurred yet intense, and I start getting ready to self-implode as
Natasha’s face crumbles beside him. I haven’t got time for tears and guilt and dealing with him like this
too. I just want to rip my hair out, at both.
“I’m fine, I can handle it. Please, go with your girlfriend and I’ll go straight home.” her face straightens
out a little, as she regards me strangely and tugs him once more. I’ve no idea what’s going on in her
head and really, I do not fucking care anymore. If I don’t get out of here, I’m going to end up having
some sort of breakdown. That bitch Camilla is still strolling around and would most likely get all my rage
pounded into her face if I don’t leave. Nodding at them both, like a mom directing kids with a frown, I
turn and move fast before he can haul me back.
I duck my head as I get near a crowd out front, and catch a girl telling security they need a medic while
I curse under my breath. Moving fast and hoping no one clicks I’m anything to do with this. I thank my
stars that Camilla has never met Arrick, she won’t be able to piece this together, and I doubt she will be
telling anyone about it anyway. Her little porn thing she had going is not exactly legitimate, considering
the bitch tried to drug me and then palm me off to some abusive rapist.
I walk out into the foyer of the club and walk faster until I get out the door and onto the dark street, cold
air hitting me hard, making me wide awake and alert, less dreamlike and hazy. Completely sober, heart
hammering through my chest, legs shaking from adrenaline. I stop to check to see I have Arrick’s spare
key card for the apartment in my bag.
My coat slides over my shoulders from behind me, making me jump a mile and I spin back to see Arrick
looking at me intensely, with his own jacket on and a lot more pulled together. I glance past him,
expecting to see Natasha, but it’s just him and he tugs me against him, so my body is yanked in tight.
“You’re really okay?” He questions me again, this time his voice seems normal, if a little unsteady, and
even though he’s still very drunk he’s a little more focused and with it. I guess it’s partly that crazy
mode he goes into when fighting is involved, that made him weird.
“I’m really okay, now go. Go back in.” I shrug his hands off and move out of his embrace. Determined to
get home and burn this stupid dress, bleach the shit out of my skin to remove that vile prick’s heat from
memory. I slide my arms into my jacket, relieved he brought it as it’s pretty cold out here, and I haven’t
quite met with the reality of what just happened to me. I’m already starting to shiver in aftershock.
“I’m taking you home, I always take you home, Sophs.” He slurs softly, keeping up with me as I hurry
along the sidewalk towards the row of parked cars in the distance. This is a hot spot for cabs at this
time of night, so getting home will be easy. I just want to get out of here and back to safety.
“This is different. I’m not even drunk, and I’m going back to your apartment. You have Natasha in there,
probably wondering where you are.” His hands land back on my waist, trying to bring me back to his
embrace and it makes me want to yell at him. My body is bristling with adrenaline and so many fucked
up emotions, anxiety reeling and he’s only making me antsier. I hate being touched when my head is
this way. Arrick knows this normally when he’s levelheaded and sober.
I feel like Natasha’s eyes could be everywhere too, and more than aware that this isn’t how he should
be behaving. It feels claustrophobic, like a boyfriend mollycoddling you. I have enough guilt already,
without this to add to it.
“She’ll understand … she always understands when it comes to you.” He utters at me, pulling me
against him again, halting us on the street, so we’re moving nowhere fast. Making it clear he’s coming,
no matter what I say. I stop dead in my tracks and turn on him.
“Wait. She doesn’t even know you’re out here. Did you even tell her you were leaving?” I ask in shock,
blanching at his total disregard for her feelings. Not a cool move. Definitely never an Arrick move and I
can’t believe he would be that shitty to her, after everything. I turn back towards the club, some crazy
notion that I’m going to make him march back in there to stay, or at least tell her he’s going. I get the
heart-breaking visual of her searching the empty club like some lost freaking puppy, and it does weird
shit to my heart that I really don’t like.
What the fuck is with this sudden Natasha love? Fuck off out of my head.
“I’ll call her when I get us in a cab. I’m coming with you, Sophs, whether you want me to or not. I want
to come home with you. Take care of you. That’s my job, my sole purpose in life.” His endearing words
make me break, unable to deny him anything when he’s looking at me like this. My beautiful golden-
hearted protector, and the guy I’m hopelessly in love with. He’s never let me down when I needed
protection and he’s right. I have always let him be the aftercare to my chaos.
I sigh, knowing how crappy a person this makes me. Part of me wants him to come with me, even
though sense, guilt, and some weird, shitty new feeling I have for that girl, has me telling myself he
should go back to her. I don’t even know what they are to each other, seeing as I was not privy to their
heart to heart upstairs. I sigh and let him come, despite all of it.
“Okay... But when we get home, we go to bed, and we don’t talk about this. I need a shower and some
alone time, so leave this until tomorrow, okay? I need to process this.” I command bossily. Arrick nods,
paler than normal and definitely a lot more somber than I have seen him in a long time. He moves in
close to me silently, eyes trained on mine and runs a gentle thumb down my cheek tenderly like he’s
assuring me I’m safe, or that he’s here, or God knows what. I can’t think anymore, and I’m starting to
freeze out here.
I take his hand from my face, clasping it securely and pull him with me, stubborn and determined to go
and looking for the first available cab.
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