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"Pretty Girl, you can't just lay in bed for the next month. You have to get up and do things," Rad mumbles, kneeling at the side of the bed. "Don't waste away," he mumbles, kissing my cheek when I sigh. "Come play with me?" he asks with a hopeful expression, giving me his best puppy dog eyes and puffing out his lip.
"Not today," I whisper, leaning into his fingers as they stroke through my hair and disappointment pulls at his face.
The fact is, I'd rather hide away in my damn apartment than show my broken face to the world. Not until it heals. The moment they showed up and barged into my hospital room, I wanted to hide and not let them see me. Somehow, they've peeled back every layer protecting me, getting right down to my vulnerabilities. They see the real me hiding behind my snark and knife—the real River. A cold sweat covers my skin at the realization, and I blow out a breath.
"I-I know," Callum says, scooping me into the side of his body, infecting me with his warmth. Snuggling deeper into him, I sigh, basking in his comfort and letting everything else disappear.
"Kieran and Asher will be off house arrest soon," Rad says with a determined look, clenching his fist.
"Why haven't they ever moved in with you?" I ask, peeking an eye open, feeling something open up in the pit of my stomach.
They both avoid my eyes, staring at the comforter, the floor, and each other's eyes with an intense stare. Shaking their heads in unison, they blow it off. But I know something is up with Asher's dad. I remember him from years ago. The man who marched through the complex in a tight suit, sticking his nose in the air. Once he made it to Gloria's apartment, he'd promptly kicked Kieran out, sometimes without shoes. Then, we'd meet on the hill and bask in each other's company.
"Their-their father's the biggest dick around," Callum mutters, burying his nose in my neck and hiding the guilt crossing his face.
"They'll be out tomorrow. Thank God. One bark from Asher, and you'll be out of bed before he can slap you with his dick."
I wrinkle my nose. "They're twenty-one…why're they still listening to him? Like they're grounded? That's stupid." Swallowing hard, I wonder how hard life is for them. If they can't leave, he has some sort of hold on the boys, keeping them there. But how? And why?
Rad's lips turn down, and his face softens. "I know, Pretty Girl. It's hard to understand. Believe me. We've tried to get them to move in and say screw school and go all in for the band…." He shakes his head, running a hand through his unruly mullet. "They just can't, babe. They…he's…."
"He's holding something over them and-and, I don't know what he does to them, but I don't think it's good. Not with Nigel Montgomery hanging around," Callum mumbles with sadness, tinting his tone.
"Does he?" I ask, swallowing my words before they can even leave my tongue.
"They don't say," Rad says, picking at the comforter and scrunching his face. "But we do what we can. However we know how," he mumbles, swallowing thickly.
"Okay," I whisper, unconvinced of their words. Someone has to be able to get them out if they're in a bad situation.
Clearing his throat, Rad straightens up and takes my hands. "Well, Pretty Girl. You're staying here with Callum today. Make sure you corrupt him a little," Rad says with a wink, kissing my cheek one last time before jumping to his feet.
"No shirt?" I ask when he pulls his sneakers on and shrugs off my comment.
"No shirt, panties in my pocket. This is all I need for good luck," Rad says, jumping to his feet. "I'll see you later!"
And with that, Rad marches out the sliding glass door toward the parking lot. A loud rumble sounds as his dirt bike sparks to life and reverberates through the walls, making my brows dip. Did he seriously bring that here and leave it outside? He's lucky the thing is still there.
"Looks like it's just me and you, hot stuff," I mumble, turning in his arms to look up at his beautiful face.
His gray eyes cloud over with some emotion when his hand brushes back the hair from my face and tucks it behind my ears.
"Looks-looks like it," he breathes, roaming his eyes down the dark bruises on my cheeks. "How's it feeling now, Little Star?"
The first night after my attack, Callum pulled into himself more, relying on his earbuds to guide him through the trauma. My heart broke for him when he broke down with tears in his eyes, telling me he could barely look at me.
"It's not-not because of your looks," he sniffles, wiping away the tears on his cheeks. "I just… I can't look at you and see the mess he left-left after hurting you so badly. If I have to remember those bruises for the rest of my life, I'll hunt him down and kill-kill him," he breathlessly proclaims, growing increasingly agitated by the second.
Gripping his hand tightly, I lean my head on his shoulder, keeping my eyes down. "I know," I mutter, emotions digging their dirty claws into my throat. "I'm sor-"
"Don't you dare," he hisses, pushing his fingers through my hair and bringing his face to mine. Stormy gray eyes blaze into mine, and he shakes his head, lightly pressing his lips into mine. "Don't ever be sorry, Little Star. Not now. Not ever."
As the bruises darkened and then moved into the healing stage, he managed to look at me for more than a split second. I don't blame him for his caution. Callum has to take care of his needs in any way he knows, and I respect that.
Placing my hand on his, I intertwine our fingers together. "So much better now. I think the medicine is finally kicking in," I hum, finally feeling the relief run through my veins and take away the bits of pain left over. Thank God for pain meds, or I'd have rolled over and died from the pounding taking over my nerves.
"Good," he whispers, examining me again until his eyes fall to my lips. "Can I kiss you, Little Star? I've been aching to put my lips on yours," he whispers an inch from my lips.
I nod, sighing into the soft kiss. Whenever his lips touch mine, it's like coming home, and the sun shines through, warming my entire being. Bravely, his tongue brushes along the seam of my lips, begging for entry with a small, desperate moan.
