“Fuck off Shane, I have nothing left to say to you!” I shout.
Another twig cracks as something moves closer.
“I told you, I—” My torch illuminates a blue T-shirt. “Bailey?” I say quietly.
He takes a small step towards me, squinting against the light.Jesus—his face is even more messed up than mine, with a swollen nose and mouth stained red with blood.
I ease forward, my hands having a mind of their own as they reach up to pinch his chin. I turn his head left, then right, checking whether his nose is broken. He flinches, and heat rushes to my cheeks. I don’t even know him and I’m cradling his face like I have the right to. I drop my hands as though I’ve touched an open flame. “Sorry,” I mutter. His arms wrap around his middle, silently staring off to the side. I frown at him, confused why he’s not talking. “Are you okay?”
He swallows before opening his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I look around, unsure what to do with him. I can’t just leave him alone in the woods. “Do you want help cleaning up?” I ask. He sways a little, and I watch him carefully, worriedhe’s close to fainting. A crease forms in his brow, then he finally looks at me, giving a small nod.
Okay then... I pull his arm from around his middle and guide him to the water. “Sit here,” I say, nodding to one of the rocks. “Lean over a bit.” He sits, following my directions, leaning over and resting his elbows on his knees. With nothing to clean him up, I take off my T-shirt and plunge it into the water, wring it out, then gently press it to his nose. He closes his eyes, lets out a little sigh, and relaxes his shoulders. I wipe away the blood that’s crusted over his mouth while staring at his face. He’s so determined to avoid looking at me that I have time to get a proper look. A breeze blows his blonde hair, a few strands sticking to his wet cheeks. Without thinking, I lean forward and brush the strands away, revealing a dusting of freckles. He sucks in a breath and his eyes dart up, locking onto mine. I stare into the rings of gold surrounding his pupils, watching how they blend into the blue. I’m held captive by them as they glisten in the torchlight.
I cough, and drag my eyes away from his. “You’re alright,” I say. “It’s not broken, but it’ll bruise like a bitch.”
Turning away from him, I wash the shirt out in the stream. “Um, the water … I’m not sure how clean it is, but if you want, you can come back to mine, and I can look in my ma’s first aid kit,” I say, standing and dusting off my trousers. “I need to clean myself up too, so we can help each other.” I point to the cut on my forehead that’s thankfully stopped bleeding.
He climbs off the rock slowly, and comes to stand next to me. I give him a lopsided grin. “I’m Theo, by the way.”
THEO
“Theo!”
I jump at the sound of Isla shouting across the field.
“WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE!”
Shit.
I stand between the cows, barely breathing, wondering if she can see me or if she’s just guessing that I’m out here.
“Theodore MacLeod, you better get your arse up here right now. Don’t make me come and get you.”
With a growl, I step out from my cow-cover. “Another reason why I don’t date, can you imagine if I ended up with someone like that?” I mutter.
Heather lets out an indignant huff.
“Of course you’d side with her.”
As I trudge back across the muddy field towards my cousin, I can see her face is pure rage. There’s no time to gather my thoughts before she unleashes on me.
“Your bloody face! Jesus Christ, what the hell is wrong with you? Did you hit one of my guests?”
Guest?I keep the stone wall between us as a barrier, almost certain she’d grab me if I were closer. “I could tell you that,” I say, “but I think you know it would be a lie, or you wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“Okay, smart arse. Now tell mewhy?”
I open my mouth to answer but find I have no excuse—at least not one I’m willing to give. Telling her my history with Bailey would mean dragging my nightmare into the light when all I want is to keep it in the dark.
“Robbie told me that you had a fight in the barn. I laughed at him, Theo, thinking he was joking, but then he said that he had to pull you off Bailey while you were choking him out!” Her voice rises at the end, and she runs her hand through her copper hair, getting visibly more frustrated as the wind whips it back into her face. “Then, Granda said you were annoyed with the music being too loud, and that you went off in a huff.”
I frown, wondering what that has to do with anything.
“So, please tell me you didn’t thump a poor boy just because you were hungover.”
The truth claws at my throat. I could open my mouth and tell her about him—what he did to me. But I know the first thing she would do is call the police. I can’t talk about that. Not now. Instead, I say, “Things escalated quickly. I didn’t realise what was happening until Robbie pulled me off him.”
When I peek up, her eyes have gone comically wide. She looks over her shoulder towards the barn, then back to me, her blue eyes sharp like daggers. “I suggest you go back up there and apologise to him. I have to now explain to Richard why his friend got fucked up by my cousin.”
