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๐ฉ๐๐! ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! ๐น๐๐๐
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โนหโ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ฐโหโน
โคท ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐, ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฌ.
The summer breeze drifts through the gap in your window, a small shiver rolling down your spine. You're tucked up in bed, the pink sheets pooling around your waist as you hunch over the book you're reading.ย
The lamp on your bedside cabinet glows a warm orange, and for just a moment, you feel relaxed. No responsibilities. No one is expecting anything from you. Just you, your father asleep down the hall, and a book you can escape into.ย
Followed by a few other unusual sounds from outside catches your attention faster than the speed of light.ย
Your eyes snap up, and your book snaps shut as you listen, now on full, high-alert. Quietly, you get up from your bed, your feet padding against the floor as you step carefully towards your half-opened window, your heart so high in your throat that you're sure it's blocking your airway.ย
Before you even reach the window, there's someone tumbling through it, all clumsy and uncoordinated as you fight off the instinct to scream, your body going stiff for a moment as you watch with wide eyes and the survival instincts of a curtain.ย
Luckily, your house is notย actually being broken into, and your life is definitelyย not in danger.ย
He practically rolls through your window. One foot tangled in the curtain, his hand bracing his fall as he curses the whole way and making probably the most sound he can.ย
"Chris? Seriously? What are you doing?"ย You whisper harshly, the familiar stench of pot clinging to the fabric of his clothes. Walking over to your window, you shut it quietly, taking a moment to allow your heartbeat to return to normal.
He sits up, his smirk still cocky, acting like he hadn't just fallen through your window face-first, "Hello to you too, sweetheart." He murmurs, sitting up and leaning back onto his hands, his eyes trained on you.ย
"Wha- why are you even here, in the middleย of the night. Are you tryingย to get me in-" The words stick to your throat as your eyes land on him, looking a little rougher then usual. There's already a bruise forming on his cheekbone, a large cut above his eyebrow and dried blood clinging to the skin beneath his nose.
"What happenedย to you, Chris? Why are you- what-" You trip over your words, still trying to be quiet but full of concern.
He just laughs like he doesn't look like he just came out of a street fight. He stands up, brushing off his faded shirt, "Sweetheart, I'm fine.. Just a few guys who.. whoโ"
"Who what? Beat you up? Jumped you? God, Chris, you're literally still bleeding." The words aren't meant to be scolding because for some reason you're not ready to admit, you're worried. You care.
Before he can react, you're stood in front of him, hands cradling his face with gentleness he's not used to. He hesitates for a moment, letting out a hitched breath. "I'm fine.ย Stop worrying so much." He mutters, noticing the concern swimming in your eyes, so much of it he could drown. He wraps his hands around your wrists, not moving them. Almost like he's holding you there, silently pleading with you not to let go.ย
You're not convinced, his tough persona not fooling you. It never did. "No, Chris.. this isn't fine. You're notย fine." You insist, eyes dropping to his bruised knuckles, littered with cuts and half-dried blood. "Jus'โ Just let me clean you up.. please?"ย
He can't say no. Not when you're the first person to show this much concern, the first person who truly cares if his cuts got infected or if the wounds would heal.ย
That's why he's now sat on the counter in your bathroom, back against the mirror as he mutters something about 'not needing help'. You've already brought out the first ait kit, playing nurse as you stand between his legs like it's the most natural thing in the world.ย
"Just stay still.. it's gonna sting a little." You warn quietly, bringing the antiseptic soaked cotton ball to the cut just above his eyebrow, gently dabbing over the dried blood and smudges of dirt.ย
He winces a little, sucking a sharp breath through his teeth as he grips onto the counter like it's his lifeline, his body tensing up slightly, "Fuck- sweetheart, that hurts."ย
You stop your movements for a second, the cotton ball hovering over his skin as you watch him, "Sorry, sorry.. I didn't mean to," You murmur, giving him a sympathetic look before gently going back to cleaning up his cut.ย
"S'fine." Is all he says, his eyes dropped to the floor, body still slightly stiff. The silence between you stretches, saved for the occasional hitch of Chris's breath whenever you apply a little too much pressure.ย
"What even happened?" You whisper, your eyes meeting his for a split second. You're not entirely sure you want the answer, but you areย sure he's not going to give it to you anyway.ย
"Nothing.. it's nothing." You know he's lying, his eyes are downcast and his shoulders are tight. You know the type of trouble Chris gets into, you know what he does when he's left to his own devices. He's cocky, he's arrogant, and his mouth gets him into more trouble than he's ready to admit.ย
"Doesn't lookย like nothing." You hum, words quiet, but the worry screaming louder than you ever could. He doesn't say anything after that, just lets out a sigh, his shoulders slumping.ย
You decide not to push anymore, there's no point. Chris isn't the type of person to give in when he gets pressed, not the type of person to open up under pressure. So you stay quiet, taking a small step closer to him. Your hand meets his jaw, fingers warm and grounding. Real. You hold his face with gentleness he's not sure he's ever going to be able to reciprocate, but he lets it happen anyway.ย
You don't even notice how close you are until you feel his breath on your lips. Uneven. Unsteady waves of warmth. Your eyes meet his, your hands still for a moment. Something in the air around you shifts, the atmosphere crackling with unspoken feelings, questions and everything in between.ย ย
You swear you're hallucinating when you see him lean forward, but you know you're not when it happens a second time.
ย "Uh- well, almost done, just.. just stay still a little longer." The tension fizzles out and you feel your chest tighten with that familiar ache. He leans back slightly at your words, his eyes gleaming with something akin to what looked like disappointment.ย
But he nods, letting out a breath he didn't even remember holding. Your hand still lingers on his jaw, but not so much holding anymore. You tell yourself it's to keep him still, but I think you both know it's not. Something about his warm skin under your fingertips makes your stomach flutter in a way you know it's not supposed to. Not with him.ย
"Just.. promise me this won't happen again, Chris." The words are barely above a breath, your heartbeat alone was almost louder. You don't look him in the eye this time, just focusing on cleaning him up while trying to ignore the warmth settling in the pit of your stomach, "Or at least you'll come to me again when it does."ย
He blinks at you, not expecting you to actually want to be the one to help him, the one to patch up his regret and bad decisions. But here you were, and here you'll always be. "Yeah.. you'll be my nurse from now on." He chuckles, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes, and the walls of humor and deflect crumble around the edges.ย
The edge of your lips lift, not a smile yet, but close. And in the solidarity of the bathroom, the soft lights, the steady breathing and the smell of antiseptic, your book waits on your bedside cabinet, and you've found yourself in a story you never expected.ย
ยฉ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐จ