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TEMPERANCE
While my bed was pretty soft, and my sheets were a relatively good thread count, whatever I woke up in was ten times better.
The sheets felt like magic, and the bed felt as if I were laying on an oversized pillow. It was the single most amazing thing I’d ever felt. Opening my eyes, I looked around to see plush, white bedding, more pillows than any one person could ever need, and a room that was big enough to fit my entire dorm apartment inside.
As I sat up, a light throbbing in my head reminded me of the events from the night before.Eric. That rotten bastard. While I wasn’t entirely sureexactlywhat his plan had been, I sure as fuck didn’t want to sit around dwelling on it.
But Iwouldget my revenge.
Whatever Damian, Asher, and Justin did to him the night before, that was to satetheiranger. It sure as shit settlednothingfor mine. Assholes who hurt women didn’t deserve to breathe, let alone get away with a beating so they could do it again. Sure, he may never touchmeagain—great—but what would happen to some other girl? Had he hurt others before?
Thinking of that bastard made my headache worse, so I pushed all thoughts of him aside as I rested against the padded headboard. I had no idea what kind of material it was, but it was soft and comfortable.
There was a soft knock on the door, and I looked up. “Come in.”
Justin walked in, shirtless and black satiny pajama bottoms riding low on his hips. He looked good enough to eat, and not even the headache could deter me from licking my lips as I thought about it.
“Need me to give you a moment?” he asked, amusement in his voice.
I furrowed my brows. “I’d throw a pillow at you if it wouldn’t hurt so much.”
He shrugged. “It’s notmyfault you keep looking at me like you want to eat me.” Interesting choice of words, since that’sexactlyhow I’d felt about how good he looked. He walked across the room and cradled my head in his hands as he gently lifted me forward. His fingers lightly pushed my hair aside in the back as he inspected the area I’d been struck. “The swelling went down. That’s good. Can you see okay?”
I nodded as he sat on the edge of the bed next to me, his arm over my lap as he leaned his weight over on his hand. “I can see fine today. I got a little worried last night.”
“Good, I’m glad. You remember what happened?”
“Yup. I remember that, too, not that I want to. Fucking bastard.” I looked down and noticed the knuckles on his right hand were wrapped in white gauze. My eyes moved to meet his. “Is that from last night?”
He inhaled deeply through his nose and sighed before nodding. “I know Eri-cunt wasn’t who you meant when you said you were in danger, but I made you a promise that I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you. I meant it. No one touches the people I care about.”
“You barely know me,” I said. “I feel like I’ve been at Crestview for an eternity, and it’s beenone week.”
Justin smiled and nodded. “Yeah, and in that week, you’ve been through absolute hell and proven you deserve to be here. You take no shit from anyone. Do you know how incredible that is? How incrediblyrarethat is? People try to suck my ass daily because of how rich my family is. I couldn’t give a damn less. I proved that when I pissed my parents off once, and my dad cut me off. I went and got a job at a clothing store for ten bucks an hour like a normal person and worked for the money I had. He quickly figured out money doesn’t control me, and it doesn’t control you, either. Luna’s the same. It’s why we’re so close. She doesn’t care about the power or all the expensive shit. I gravitate toward people who care deeply about others and know what truly matters in life. My gut is never wrong. Trust me—a week has been long enough.”
That warmed my heart to hear. He was so kind, and it was much needed. Like with most things since being at Crestview, I felt conflicted. I had become uncomfortably aware of a part of me growing to want Justin in a greater capacity than just “friend,” but it was obvious how he saw me. My pessimistic side told me that I was no different than Luna to him. Only his friend, and that was okay. I enjoyed having a friend who loved me as I was and accepted me and my secrets with no complications. No questions. No worries.
With everything going on with Damian and Asher, I knew what I valued most. What Ineededmost.
Justin told me when we first met that he didn’t even notice someone in a sexual way unless they made the first move. A more hopeful part of me wondered if that was why he’d never truly made a move on me. Me gawking at him wasn’t me hitting on him. I wondered how he would react if I did?
I looked down and shifted uncomfortably as my mind wandered to places it shouldn’t. As I did, I took in the large white t-shirt I wore. At that moment, I realized I wasn’t wearing a bra, and I was wearing loose pants.
“Uh, who changed my clothes?” I asked.
“That was before the doctor came,” he said. “Luna tried, but she said you’re heavier than you look—and she didnotmean that negatively.”
I laughed. “No, I’m well aware I weigh a ton for my size. It’s the muscle. Dead weight probably wouldn’t have been easy. So, uh… you helped?” The thought of him seeing me pretty much naked both thrilled me and made me nervous.
He shrugged. “My friend was hurt and needed help. I tried to let Luna handle it, but when she couldn’t, I stepped in. I saw, but I didn’t look, if that makes sense.”
There was honesty in his expression, and he looked completely relaxed. Talking about seeing me completely naked didn’t affect him at all, just like it didn’t the first time he saw me without a shirt the day we met.
A whole ass few days ago.
Fuck, it really has been an eternity in such a short time!
While I felt a little deflated, I was also happy. He was every bit the guy he presented himself to be. He wasn’t hiding a weirdo perv in there anywhere.
