a speed demon…”
She smacked my wrist, but not hard enough to move my hand from my face. And then she wrapped her hand around me, pressing her fingers against the tender skin over my inner wrist.
“Thank you.”
I studied her perfect green eyes for a second. There was something there that I could get lost in, a need that spoke to something deep in my soul. I had to look away before it could suck me in.
I grabbed the first aid kit and busied myself looking for an antiseptic.
“You cut your lip. You should let me clean it up.”
“It’s fine,” she said even as she ran her tongue over it.
“It should be cleaned.”
I poured a little liquid from a bottle of hydrogen peroxide onto a gauze pad and held it to her lip. She hissed, but she didn’t pull away.
Strong girl.
“Are you hurt anywhere else? Did he…?”
She shook her head. “I think I might have bruises tomorrow, especially on my wrists, but I don’t think anything’s broken.”
“Good.”
I pulled the gauze away and studied her lip. It was swelling just a little on one corner. I ran my thumb over it, pulled it down so that I could see the actual cut. It was pretty small, just a little slit that was mostly on the inside, like she’d cut it on one her teeth.
“You’ll live,” I announced.
She smiled. “Thank you, doctor.”
I shrugged. “It’s all in a day’s work.”
Her smiled widened. But then she began to look around, noticing the overturned table for the first time. “I guess I should clean up,” she said.
“You are such a slob.”
“You think this is bad? You should have seen my bedroom when I was a kid. My mom used to say that if there was a prize for messiness, I would win the grand prize every time.”
“I think my mom would have said something similar if she was that poetic.”
She slowly climbed to her feet, clearly already feeling some of the effects of her struggle. I jumped to my feet and helped her by gripping her upper arm. She smiled at me, but there was a weariness in the look that loosened my grip. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel threatened.
“It’s kind of stupid,” she said, a little hysteria creeping into her voice, “but I really just want to take a shower.”
“Then that’s what you should do.”
She nodded even as she looked around at the floor, at the debris scattered there.
“Don’t worry about this. I’ll clean it up.”
Her eyes came back up to mine. She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly as tension stiffened her stance.
“Could you…umm…would you mind sticking around?”
That caught me by surprise. I figured I’d be the last person she would want with her now.
“Do you want me to call someone? Your mom?”
She shook her head quickly. “If my mom knew about his, she would make me move back home. I can’t do that.”
“What about a friend?”
She turned away, moving slowly toward the bedroom with deliberate steps. “It’s okay. You don’t have to stay. I just…I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
She paused in the bedroom doorway. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”
The smile came back, but it was only a ghost of the earlier one.
“Thanks.”
I watched as she disappeared behind the bedroom door, the firm click of the door closing a statement on her frame of mind. Stay. But not too close.
I quickly gathered the things from her purse, dropping them back inside without really paying much attention to what I was doing. I heard the thump of the old water pipes as the water came on, imagined her standing in a bathroom that looked a lot like mine, shedding the fine clothing she’d carefully chosen before going on her date that night, clothing that would likely end up in a wad on the floor of her closet, never to be worn again in fear of reminding her what happened. Just the thought made a ball of anger rise in my throat. I’d seen men do a lot of things they
She smacked my wrist, but not hard enough to move my hand from my face. And then she wrapped her hand around me, pressing her fingers against the tender skin over my inner wrist.
“Thank you.”
I studied her perfect green eyes for a second. There was something there that I could get lost in, a need that spoke to something deep in my soul. I had to look away before it could suck me in.
I grabbed the first aid kit and busied myself looking for an antiseptic.
“You cut your lip. You should let me clean it up.”
“It’s fine,” she said even as she ran her tongue over it.
“It should be cleaned.”
I poured a little liquid from a bottle of hydrogen peroxide onto a gauze pad and held it to her lip. She hissed, but she didn’t pull away.
Strong girl.
“Are you hurt anywhere else? Did he…?”
She shook her head. “I think I might have bruises tomorrow, especially on my wrists, but I don’t think anything’s broken.”
“Good.”
I pulled the gauze away and studied her lip. It was swelling just a little on one corner. I ran my thumb over it, pulled it down so that I could see the actual cut. It was pretty small, just a little slit that was mostly on the inside, like she’d cut it on one her teeth.
“You’ll live,” I announced.
She smiled. “Thank you, doctor.”
I shrugged. “It’s all in a day’s work.”
Her smiled widened. But then she began to look around, noticing the overturned table for the first time. “I guess I should clean up,” she said.
“You are such a slob.”
“You think this is bad? You should have seen my bedroom when I was a kid. My mom used to say that if there was a prize for messiness, I would win the grand prize every time.”
“I think my mom would have said something similar if she was that poetic.”
She slowly climbed to her feet, clearly already feeling some of the effects of her struggle. I jumped to my feet and helped her by gripping her upper arm. She smiled at me, but there was a weariness in the look that loosened my grip. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel threatened.
“It’s kind of stupid,” she said, a little hysteria creeping into her voice, “but I really just want to take a shower.”
“Then that’s what you should do.”
She nodded even as she looked around at the floor, at the debris scattered there.
“Don’t worry about this. I’ll clean it up.”
Her eyes came back up to mine. She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly as tension stiffened her stance.
“Could you…umm…would you mind sticking around?”
That caught me by surprise. I figured I’d be the last person she would want with her now.
“Do you want me to call someone? Your mom?”
She shook her head quickly. “If my mom knew about his, she would make me move back home. I can’t do that.”
“What about a friend?”
She turned away, moving slowly toward the bedroom with deliberate steps. “It’s okay. You don’t have to stay. I just…I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
She paused in the bedroom doorway. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”
The smile came back, but it was only a ghost of the earlier one.
“Thanks.”
I watched as she disappeared behind the bedroom door, the firm click of the door closing a statement on her frame of mind. Stay. But not too close.
I quickly gathered the things from her purse, dropping them back inside without really paying much attention to what I was doing. I heard the thump of the old water pipes as the water came on, imagined her standing in a bathroom that looked a lot like mine, shedding the fine clothing she’d carefully chosen before going on her date that night, clothing that would likely end up in a wad on the floor of her closet, never to be worn again in fear of reminding her what happened. Just the thought made a ball of anger rise in my throat. I’d seen men do a lot of things they
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