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"You mean hit me? That’s all that was left. You ignored me for most of my life, and when you finally decide to notice me, it’s to fuck my girlfriend. You don’t have a shred of decency in your body, do you?"
"I don’t," I concede. "It’s winner takes all, boy. You take your eyes off the prize and you lose it. Surely, you know that by now."
"I’m not a prize, you assholes," Lena cries.
"I fucking hate you." Isaac peels back his lips. "I’m going to smash your head in."
I chuckle, "I’d like to see you try."
He takes a step forward. So do I. That’s when Lena jumps down from the bed. The sound of shards of glass being crunched underfoot reaches me. I wince. Lena gasps. I follow her gaze to where she’s standing on slivers of broken glass.
"Jesus, Lena!" I leap toward her and pluck her off the ground.
"Let me go," she huffs.
"No fucking way." I head away from the glass and into the bathroom, then deposit her on the edge of the bathtub. "Stay there."
She scowls. "You can’t order me around."
Before I can reply, Isaac’s petulant voice interrupts me from the doorway of the bathroom. "He’s right… On this occasion."
Both Lena and I whip our gazes in his direction.
I stare.
Lena glowers at him. "You’re agreeing with him?"
"Unfortunately, yes. But it’s about your safety, so I don’t have a choice." He glances down at her feet. "You’re hurt."
"So are you." I jerk my chin toward the bathtub. "Have a seat, I’ll get some antiseptic for the both of you."
He opens his mouth, no doubt to protest, but I spin around and walk toward the cabinet on the far side of the spacious bathroom. What a mess. I shouldn’t have fucked her, but I don’t regret it. It was worth every fight with my son, every possible breakdown in the relationship with the one person I wanted to have some kind of a connection with.Was it, though? Was it all right to choose his girlfriend over him? Is that what I did, though?That’s how he’s going to see it, but really, I followed my instinct. The two of them are wrong for each other, I can see it, but can she… Can he?And you’re right for her?
I’m better at taking care of her than Isaac, any day.And you’re not looking for a relationship; not with her, not with anyone else. But if you were looking for some kind of bond, some kind of association, a companion for a short period of time, then…I’d choose her, in a heartbeat. That I’m not going to fuck her and leave, I accepted a while ago. But this… This need to hold onto her for some period of time, to risk a liaison of the kind I’ve never allowed myself before, would be… Dangerous. Unprecedented. A first, of sorts. A chance to redeem myself, perhaps? I grab the antiseptic, the bandages, and the first aid box, then turn toward them.
The two of them are seated as far away from each other as the length of the bathtub will allow.
I reach Isaac, hand over one of the bottles of antiseptic, some cotton and bandages, then walk over to her. I squat down in front of her and spread out a clean towel to place my supplies on it.
"Let me." I reach for her foot, but she shies away.
"Lena" —I tip up my chin— "I won’t hurt you."
"Not more than you have already," she mutters.
I wince. "I need to pull out the glass pieces and disinfect your foot."
She blows out a breath. "I can do it myself."
"Can you?" I narrow my gaze on her.
She firms her lips.
"Jesus, woman, let me help you, okay?"
She folds her arms across her chest.
"He’s right," Isaac mutters. "He’s a bastard, but again, he’s right. He needs to remove the pieces of glass, Lena."
