Jon barely has time to stop the car before I'm jumping out and hugging Lex. "Oh my god!" she squeals, hugging me tightly before holding me at arms length. "You look fab! Oh hey Jon!" He smiles and hugs her quickly before grabbing her bag and loading it into the car. "Come on" he says. "Plenty of time for hugs at the apartment. We should go before..." "Ambrose!" a girl squeals before running over. "Too late" he mumbles before plastering a fake smile on his face. Lex stands back, smirking as he gets mobbed. I stand with her, enjoying the evil looks he's giving me. "Lora" he calls. The girls spin around quickly. "Oh my god!" one says. "I didn't even realise it was you. Can you stand with Dean?" He smirks and I shake my head at him. Lex laughs and pushes me to him. We have a few pictures taken and Jon looks at his watch. "Sorry ladies" he says. "We got somewhere we need to be. Take care, ok? Lex, you ready?" She nods and gets into the back seat quickly. Jon kisses me and gets into the drivers seat, starting the engine before he's even shut his door. "Buckle up girls" he warns, pulling away with a screech of tyres.
"So this is home huh?" Lex asks, looking around as we walk into the apartment. Jon smiles, putting his arm around me. "It is now Lora is here" he says. "Before it was just a place to crash on my off days. Now, it's my haven with my wife." Lex smiles. "I'm glad things worked out for you guys" she says, sitting on the sofa. "I really am. I mean, you both needed stability." I nod, turning my head to look at Jon. "What the fuck?" Lex yells, jumping up and pulling me away from him. I frown as she moves my shirt, exposing the small bruises on my collar bone. Before I know it, she's got Jon pinned up against the wall by his shirt. He holds his hands up, looking at me for help. "The fuck have you done to her?" Lex yells. Fuck. "Lex!" I yell, pulling at her to get her off him. "Alexa! For fuck sake let him go!" "If you've laid one finger on her..." she yells, letting him go. He moves away from her quickly. "Alexa!" I yell again, pushing her back to the sofa. "For fuck sake Lex! What's got into you?" She grabs me and pulls me to the mirror. "Look" she says, moving my shirt. "Think back, Lor, think long and hard, to when marks like this were all I ever saw." She watches as I pale, slumping to the floor. "Shit Lex" I whisper, hugging my knees. "Fuck no, this is nothing like that. Nothing at all. Jon just got a bit, well, over excited, in the shower." "Someone wanna tell me what the fuck this is all about?" Jon asks, straightening his shirt. "Shit Jon" Lex moans, walking over to him and hugging him. He looks at me and hugs her back warily. "I'm sorry" she whispers. He nods slowly. "Sorry doesn't explain it Lex" he says. She nods, sighing. "I'm sorry Lor" she says, getting her phone out of her pocket. I shake my head, silently pleading with her. But it's too late. She finds what she's looking for and looks up at Jon. "I think you need to sit down" she says quietly.
I watch as he walks to the sofa, looking at me before sitting down. Lex looks at me quickly before handing him the phone. "I over reacted" she says quietly. "For that I apologise. But I don't apologise for looking out for her Jon, she's all I got." He looks at her before looking at the phone. His eyes grow wide and he looks at me quickly. "Toots?" he says quietly. I don't move, staying on the floor hugging my knees. He's beside me before I can even blink. "Talk to me Lora" he begs. I shake my head. "I'm not that person anymore Jon" I say quietly. "I refuse to be a victim anymore. I'm so much stronger than that girl in the pictures." He nods, looking back at Lex. "I would never..." he starts. She holds her hands up. "I jumped to conclusions Jon" she says. "I know you wouldn't. I just can't see her go through that again." "I understand" he says, pulling me into his arms. "Fuck Lora, why didn't you tell me?" "I didn't need to" I say, holding on to him. "I left that girl behind. He got me to depend on him when I was at my lowest. My parents had just died, I had nobody, well except Lex." "It's ok Lor" he whispers. "We don't need to do this. You know I would never hurt you, right?" I nod. "I know" I whisper. "I love you." "I love you too" he says, kissing me. I stand up and he looks up at me. "I'm, uh, just gonna go sort myself out" I say, not giving either of them a chance to reply before running into the bathroom and locking the door behind me.
"Deep breaths Lor" I mumble to myself, turning the cold tap on and running my hands under it for what seems like ages. Banging at the door alerts me to how long I've really been in there. "Lora!" Jon yells. "Open the door! Lor! Getting worried out here!" I grab a towel and dry my hands before unlocking the door, barely managing to move out of the way before it's pushed open and Jon is beside me. "You ok?" he asks quietly, going to grab my shoulders but deciding against it and letting his arms drop to his sides. I burst into tears. Great. Now my own husband can't even bear to touch me. "Lora" he moans, pulling me to him. "Please don't be afraid to touch me Jon" I beg. He groans. "Never" he promises. "I will always hold you Lora. Always."