Thank You Turned Bad
I don't own Lucian
Ian's POV
I have just hung up from a phone call with my distressed co-star Lucy Hale. It's currently eleven o'clock at night on a Thursday. Lucy is clearly distraught and upset over something at the moment; I could tell from her voice that she had been, and still was, crying. Lucy asked if I could come pick her up and take her home since she doesn't have her car with her and was unable to get a taxi. I assured her it wasn't a problem, I'd be right there to pick her up.
My heart stopped when she told me where she was.
The emergency room.
I knew Lucy was too upset to ask questions right then so I scurried to my car and began the drive to Lucy's location. That brings me to where I am right now; pulling up to the entrance of the emergency room doors. However, there are two cars parked under the awning at the entrance therefore blocking the entrance. Taking a left I direct my car over to the parking lot to park in the closet spot I could find. Due to the lateness of the hour the parking lot was damn near empty.
Climbing out of my white Audi I lock the car as I stride across the parking lot and into the building. Entering the double set of automatic sliding doors I find myself standing in the open lobby. I glance around for Lucy only to find the petite brunet curled up in the corner on an uncomfortable looking chair. I'm assuming she is keeping her head down in order to prevent herself from being recognized.
There are a few other people siting scattered throughout the waiting room waiting on care. Walking up to Lucy I say her name softly causing her to snap her head up at me. Streaks of mascara mar her porcelain cheeks. She quickly wipes away the tears with her left hand. My eyes bug out of my head when I notice the light blue cast on her right arm.
"Lucy what happened?"
Lucy shakes her head softly, "Can we talk about it later?" Her gaze flickers around to the other people in the waiting room with us.
Silently, I nod my head and reach my hand out for her. Lucy slowly rises to her feet, wincing as she does so. My eyes take in her body carefully. Clearly there are more injuries than her broken arm. I watch as she winces again and audibly gasps when she bends over to pick up her purse from the ground. I halt her movements with a gentle hand on her back. Leaning down I grasp her black purse in my left hand before guiding her out of the ER. My hand doesn't leave the small of her back as we do so.
Once outside I notice Lucy shiver as goose bumps rise along her arms due to the cool breeze outside. The wind blows her hair around in light whips making her look even more beautiful than usual. Even with tears staining her cheeks and a cast on her arm she looks breathtaking. I shrug off my lightweight jacket and slip it up her arms for her.
"Thank you," Lucy murmurs softly.
I notice Lucy pause for a moment and look off to the side as if she heard a noise or something caught her eye. She passes it off with a light shrug. My hand finds its way to its previous placement on her back as I lead her out to my car. Opening the passenger door for her she gracefully drops into the seat. I sit her purse down on the floorboard for her then round the car to my side.
During the drive to Lucy's apartment I subtly glance over at her from time to time. Each time she is looking out the window with a distant look on her face. The drive to her place is only twenty minutes. When I park the car in front of her building I get out to follow Lucy upstairs ensuring she arrives to her place safely.
"Do you want to come in?" Lucy asks me softly. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she is hopeful I will accept.
I nod my head in agreement and follow her inside the large apartment. We walk into the kitchen where Lucy opens her fridge to retrieve a bottle of water for the both of us. She gasps once more when leaning over.
"Lucy?" I ask worried. She straightens her torso while backing up to lean against the counter to breathe deeply.
"I think I'm just going to take a bath to sooth my muscles and wash my hair then go to bed. I feel really grimy and desperately need to clean up. Would you mind filling up the tub for me? I can't exactly lean over right now."
I stare her for a moment. We both know she is brushing past the topic purposely. I let it slide because it is clear she doesn't want to talk about it. I agree to take care of the bath for her without hesitation.
Lucy sits on her bed while I enter the bathroom to fill it up for her. I add a bubble mixture she mentioned from underneath her bathroom sink. I add plenty of the mixture to the water as it fills up. There is no possible way she is going to be able to wash her hair with a broken arm and the lack of mobility she clearly is suffering from. I have no idea what happened tonight but I hope she opens up to me shortly.
When the water is filled up to the edge I shut the black facet handles to the off position. Entering her bedroom I tell Lucy it's ready for her. Lucy enters the bathroom, pulling the door partially shut behind her to strip down before climbing into the warm water.
"What are you—." Lucy begins to say only for me to cut her off.
"Lucy, you can hardly move without wincing, not to mention you have a cast on your arm. How are you going to wash your hair?"
Lucy tries to protest but I assure her I don't mind. Stepping into her shower I grab her shampoo and conditioner then kneel behind her at the side of the tub. Lucy swirls around in the water to bring her back to me allowing me easy access to wash her hair. She sighs softly in content as my hands massage her skull. Lucy leans her head back into my hands enjoying the pleasant feeling.
"What are you doing here?" Lucy stares at the man standing in front of her.
"Do you think that little stint you did was cute? Funny? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Chris Zylka shouts down at the 5'2 girl who stares up at the man towering over her.
My hands still when I hear a light sniffle emitting from Lucy.
"Does that hurt?" I ask fearfully.
"No, it's very relaxing." Lucy is silent for nearly a minute prior to speaking up once again. "My ex-boyfriend Chris came over today. Things got physical; he broke my wrist and as well as three of my ribs on the right side." Lucy's voice is barely audible.
"Oh Lucy," my voice is broken as I imagine the pain she is feeling. "I'm so sorry. Did he do anything else?"
"Aside from scream at me, curse me up and down, followed by the physical assault, no nothing else." Lucy takes the rag from the edge of the tub, dips it in water then uses it to clean her face of the remaining makeup on her face.
"Ian?" She looks at me over her shoulder after rinsing her hair of the conditioner. "Will you stay the night with me, please?"
"Of course. I'll go grab you a towel." Pushing up from the tile floor I walk over to her linen closet in the bathroom to grab a big, fluffy, brown towel for her. Lucy has already pulled the plug by the time I return to her side. I close my eyes for her discretion when holding the towel up for her to wrap around her body
I try to keep my own gasp to myself when I see the rather large bruise on her face and reddening cheek. Clearly she had covered it up with makeup prior to leaving her apartment. With a second towel in my hand, due to Lucy asking for it, I follow her to her bed. Lucy slowly climbs up on the large mattress in hopes of keeping from hurting her ribs.
Lucy attempts to hand dry her hair with her left hand only to grow frustrated with the lack of energy and the great amount of soreness within her body. Without a word being spoken, I take the towel from her, climb up on the bed behind her, and then start drying her hair. I'm not surprised when Lucy's body starts to sway slightly as she begins to fall asleep. It doesn't take long for her to drift off in my arms. I finish drying her hair then get off the bed. Taking the blanket from the end of her bed I unfold it then drape it across her towel clad body.
I turn off the nightstand light before walking out to the living room. My eyes land on a vase that lie broken on the floor, glass scatted everywhere. Rubbing a hand down the front of my face I look around for a broom to clean up the mess. I glance around the rest of her apartment looking to see if anything else is broken.
As I am returning the broom to its original location my body halts, my muscles tense up. An ear piercing scream emits from Lucy's bedroom.
Lucy's POV
Sitting on my couch I cannot separate myself from my guitar. I have been sitting here curled up with my guitar and the black leather bound notebook I use to write song lyrics in. Leaning forward I grasp my cup of tea from the coffee table to take a little sip of the refreshing liquid. I adjust a few words for the chorus I am working on at the moment only to have my train of thought interrupted by a sharp knocking on my door. Glancing up at the clock on my wall I am surprised to see it is already nine o'clock in the evening.
I drop the pen from my hand down on the open page, sit my guitar off to the side, and then stand up from the couch. Smoothing down the fabric of my skirt I quickly make my way to the door when the knocking repeats.
"I'm coming!" I shout through the vast apartment. My bare feet pad against the hardwood floor as I make my way to my front door.
"What are you doing here?" I ask in complete shock at the man standing in front of me.
"Do you think that little stint you did was cute? Funny? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Chris Zylka shouts down at the 5'2 girl who stares up at the man towering over her.
The color drains from my face. "What are you talking about?"
I cross my arms over my chest and attempt to keep myself composed. He is a part of my past. He brought me down and made me absolutely miserable. I will not allow him to hold that affect over me for a second time. He won't take away my happiness any more.
Chris pushes his way into my apartment before I could shut the door on him.
"I saw the 'thank you's' in that little album of yours. Calling me 'CZ' and pulling that bull! And to top it all off you fucking tweet someone saying you had to thank me for being a bad influence what the fuck is that?" He screams at me in a full blind rage.
I shrug my shoulders and roll my eyes. "What can I say? Because of your pompous, douche, asshole of a personality and the way you treated me I was able to create a song about kicking your worthless ass to the curb and moving on. Which if you recall is exactly what I did." I smirk at him with power shining through my eyes.
"You are such a bitch." He sneers at me spitefully.
Before I can even open my mouth to shoot another witty comment back at him before kicking his ass out of my apartment he approaches me. Within a blink of an eye there is a sharp sting spreading across my cheek and I feel my body crashing into my coffee table. Tears pool in my eyes the moment my ribs come in contact with the sharp edge of the solid wood. My hand instinctively reaches out to catch my fall only to cause a loud snapping sound followed by a choked whimper from my lips.
"Get out!" I snap at him with a growl.
"I'm nowhere near done with you. Just you wait. I will not let anyone make a fool out of me."
"Please, you make a fool out of yourself all on your own." That snide remark earned me another slap.
My vision is blurred due to the tears although I can clearly see the silhouette of his body exiting the room. It is confirmed he has left when I hear the door slam shut behind him. My head drops down against the hardwood floor as I roll over onto my back. I cradle my wrist against my chest. It is aching in pain along with the rest of my body.
I'm unsure how long I lie here on my floor for. Before long I force myself to get up, gritting my teeth through the pain. As I try to cover up the bruising and redness on my face with makeup I formulate a story to tell the nurses at the ER when I arrive. Knowing I am in no condition to drive I call a taxi to make my way to the emergency room.
I wake in a cold sweat with a worried looking Ian by my side. My body is screaming in pain from me jumping up into a sitting position. I slowly lay back down sinking into my pillows and welcoming comforter.
"Did you have a bad dream?" Ian asked knowingly.
I nod my head, running my left hand through my hair. "I kept thinking about what Chris said to me before he left. He isn't going to let this go Ian. I publically embarrassed him and he is pissed about it."
"I won't let him hurt you again Lucy Goose."
I smile softly at his words; Ian has always been protective of me. He is truly the sweetest man imaginable.
"Will you stay in here tonight?" I ask him shyly.
Ian agrees without hesitation. When I move to try and shift under the comforter I realize I am laying naked underneath a blanket with only my towel from earlier which has left my body long ago. A blush instantly spreads across my cheeks.
"I'm going to get dressed," I bite my lip nervously while trying to discreetly get out of bed without flashing him.
"No, you stay here. You don't need to be moving around with your ribs broken. Tell me what you want and I can bring it to you."
Ian retrieves a tank top and shorts for me to sleep in. Now time for the underwear, well this shall be interesting. I tell him which drawer to open from the dresser in which my TV resides on.
Without a doubt his fingers have landed on my lace lingerie. Ian grabs the first thing his fingers grasp and tosses it my way. I smirk when I see it is a black lace thong.
"Usually I wouldn't mind wearing a thong, however, I'd prefer something else right now please." Tossing the lingerie back at him I refrain from giggling at the priceless expression on his face.
Being the respectful man that he is, Ian steps out of the room while I carefully dress myself with minimal movement.
Upon returning to the bedroom Ian climbs under the covers with me. I sleep on my left side finding it the most comfortable. Ian's warm body is only a few inches away from the backside of my body. I soon drift off to sleep feeling a sense of safety with Ian in bed with me.
"You bitch. I always knew you were screwing him behind my back."
"You deserve everything coming your way."
My eyes shoot open in a panic. I swear I heard Chris's voice. My chest heaves up and down rapidly as I try to process if this was a dream or reality. I reach my hand out for my phone to check the time only to bump my hand into an unknown item on my nightstand. That's weird. I don't keep random things on it causing my interest to spike.
Not wanting to wake Ian I hold the small item in my hand before flipping on the flash from my phone to look at it. My heart stops and drops down into my stomach at the item in my hands. An open Marlboro Cigarettes box sits in my palm. That's the kind Chris smokes.
"Ian… Ian wake up!" My ribs scream out protesting my rapid movements but that is the last thing on my mind.
Shaking Ian seems to wake him instantly. I have already flipped on the lamp from my nightstand successfully filling my room with light.
"Chris is here Ian! He was in here just now." I whimper in a state of terror.
"It's okay Lucy," Ian sooths. "I'll go check."
Nodding my head I remain in bed propped up with the covers tucked around my trembling body. I listen carefully as Ian walks through my rather large apartment to ensure Chris isn't here. My breath catches in my throat when I hear Ian mutter "fuck" aloud. I hesitate a moment before slowly climbing out of bed to find Ian. My mouth drops open in shock and harsh tears glaze over my eyes.
Spray painted on the wall in my entree way is the word "Bitch" in big bold black letters. On top of the 'B' he painted a large pink crown. I'm so taken by what he did I hardly notice the cigarette smoke lingering in the air from the cigarette Chris has clearly smoked and then put out. Without a doubt it was from the open box he left in my bedroom seeing as only one stick is missing.
"What's the crown for?" The words slip out of Ian's mouth before he can process them. He is quick to apologize and assure me that we don't have to talk about it right now.
"It means 'Queen Bitch' he's called me that before. In fact, he called me that tonight when he was here the first time."
"I don't know how he got through the front door because I made sure to lock it before we went to bed but it is unlocked now."
I nod my head not knowing what to say. He had no reason to do this. I know Chris has a sour temper but this is way out of hand. I remember he spray paints fast so it wouldn't take him long to do this, or anything else for that matter. Ian walks over to my side to encase me in his arms. I snuggle into his chest and proceed to breathe deeply in hopes of calming myself.
"A lot has happened here tonight; what do you say I take you to my house and we spend the night there? If you'd like I'd be more than happy to have you stay with me for a bit until this blows over or until you feel comfortable being alone."
Without extracting myself from his safety-net arms I nod my head. "I'm supposed to close on the house I bought in a couple weeks. He won't know where I move to so all I have to do is get through these next couple of weeks."
Ian places a kiss to the top of my head before walking us back to my bedroom to gather some clothes. I know he was only kissing my head in a platonic way like he has done countless times before, but I really wish it meant more. Ian's always been incredibly kind and chivalrous to me. I've had romantic feelings for him brewing within me all along. He's been dating Sophia for majority of the time I have known him leaving him to be completely off-limits. Maybe one day things will change and I will be sharing a bed with him every night like I am tonight.
As we pull into his garage I bite my lip nervously. "Will Sophia mind that I am staying here tonight?"
I know we slept in the same bed together at my place but Sophia has made a big deal about it in the past about me being over at Ian's house. I don't understand why but she apparently dropped little hints to Ian about it from time to time.
Ian shakes his head in negate, "we broke up a couple months ago."
I try to keep the excitement out of my eyes that had instantly bubbled to the surface.
"I'm so sorry Ian." I wasn't lying, I am sorry it ended because I know how much he cared for her. Though, I couldn't keep the excitement and hope from my mind on what this new information might mean for our relationship.
"Don't worry about it, things just weren't working out any more. Come on, let's go to bed it's already two in the morning and we have work in a few hours."
Ian grabs my bag from the backseat then we make our way upstairs. No words are shares between the two of us as we make our way to the welcoming bed. The room is dark with the exception of the moonlight.
I try several positions in attempt to accommodate the aching pain in my ribcage. Unfortunately I cannot find comfort until I move over to my side where I lay rather closely to Ian's warm body.
I can't stop thinking about what he said about Sophia. He gave me this look when he told me he was no longer in a relationship. My eyes roam over his body, his body that is only three inches away from my own. My eyes linger on his lips with temptation and desire taking over my state of mind.
"Ian?" I whisper softly, unsure whether or not he is awake.
"Mmmm?" He hums softly in response.
"Are you awake?" I ask timidly.
His eyes slowly open to catch my gaze. Before he can mutter anything from those powerful lips of his I close the gap between us to capture his lips with my own. The ten seconds our lips remain connected feel like heaven.
Pulling back I blush at my actions. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."
Within a second Ian reaches forward to gently grasp my face in his palm. The kiss is soft, delicate, and filled with passion. We are both grinning by the time we separate for air. Ian pulls me into his side where I snuggle into his torso with my head on his chest and cast resting on his lower abdomen.
"Goodnight Lucy," Ian kisses my temple with a gentle squeeze to my hip where his hand resides.
"Goodnight Ian. Thank you for everything."
I wind up falling asleep with a large smile plastered on my face completely disregarding the horrible day's events.
So I thought of this last week when we found out Lucy wrote Chris in her Road Between Thank You's. Then I couldn't help myself from writing it when she replied to a tweet saying she had to thank the good as well as the bad influences she has had. Not to mention I was demanded to write a Lucian story by Ivana and Hazan.
I'm debating expanding this a couple chapters possibly. I have plenty of ideas if I were to do so, I just can't decide if I would. Let me know what you guys want/think about that. If I do continue this things may turn a bit M… Just so you know ;)