Abigail was watching Delsin get dressed, his back stretching out before her. Before he could get his shirt on, though, Abigail stopped him.
"I felt those scars last night. How did you get them?" Abigail thought back to the sex they'd had last night. Oh god, it had been amazing. She wished they could do it over again. It had been a while since she had had sex with anyone and she rarely ever wanted to have sex with the same person twice, but Delsin was different. He wasn't rough, but it wasn't gentle, either. It was just…well, perfect, really.
Delsin sighed. "I got them when I was seventeen. I was madly in love with this guy, but when dad found out, he went crazy. He said it wasn't right. I'd been sneaking out to see him for ages, making excuses to my father. When he found us, we were about to…it was my first time. Dad told me that I couldn't see him anymore. He was so angry. He just started to…Reggie…he…dad beat me, and when Reggie tried to stop him, he just…he hit harder and harder. It started to bleed. Reggie stepped in between us, but dad didn't stop. He was in a state."
"Sounds like your dad was an ass."
"He was."
"What was your boyfriend like?"
"He was gorgeous. And kind. His name was James. Three weeks after that, they found him. He'd hung himself. When they cut him down, no one but me went to him, but when my dad turned up, he dragged me away from him. We stayed on my insistence, and Reggie held me because I couldn't stand up. No one else went to him. His parents looked relieved. His 'friends' were talking and giggling. After that, my dad…he withdrew into himself. I could tell what he was thinking; if I can kill him, it won't be my problem anymore, but the thing was…so did Reggie. He saved me. He told Betty about what dad was planning to do. She never left me alone, then. In those days, I figured it out. James hadn't hung himself. His parents had killed him. My father would have killed me if he'd had the chance." Tears had started to stream down his face, his back still to Abigail. She could see him in the mirror. His voice was shaking as Abigail walked to him and reached around his waist.
"Reggie killed him when he tried to kill me. Reggie was so brave. But I promised myself that I'd never date a boy again. It had made people hate me. It had made people hate him. I never wanted to make that happen to anyone ever again. So I dated girls almost ritualistically. But they could never compare to him. My show of affection for them was always fake. I started to hate myself for what I was doing. It was so easy to have them fall for me. All I needed to do was to turn on the fake charm and they would practically faint. But then I met another guy." Abigail was so caught up in the story that she gasped. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
"Well, what happened?"
"He was great. A womaniser to the core. I followed him everywhere. For two months, my life was going in the right direction. I was happy. But everything fell apart when one day, I lost control. I loved this guy more than anything in the world and with one too many drinks, he was gone. I'd misjudged how much alcohol I'd had. In those two months, I'd never gotten drunk. I'd drunk enough to make him think I was drunk, but I was always aware, always careful to keep my wits, but that night, I was careless. It was too late when I realised how drunk I was. We shared a hotel room to save money, so when he came out of the shower, I was there. The sober part of my brain tried to fight against the drunken part, but the drunken part was bigger and it won. I took his face in my hands and kissed him. It was over in seconds, but the damage was done. He threw me out after that, and he looked ready to do something more. He was scared of me. So now I was not only running from men but alcohol, too. My options were running out. I knew this couldn't continue, so I went back to my brother. I was a wreck. I was on the verge of taking heavy drugs to numb the pain. I even had them there," he felt Abigail's arms tighten when he said that, but he continued anyway. "But every time I went to take them, my brother would guide me away and talk me out of it. My brother pulled me back from all of that. I owe him everything."
"Your story is about boys you loved. Have you ever loved a woman like you loved them?"
"Yes. It happened quite recently, actually." He cupped her face with his hands. "I met this really pretty girl. She has pink hair. I think her name it Abigail, but I call her Fetch. I'm not sure if she feels the same way, though."
"Oh, D, how could I not love you? But…that means that I'm the first girl you've really loved?"
"Yeah, and you'll probably be the last. I love you, Fetch."
"I love you too, D."