*A/N: You guys wanted a quick update. You guys got a quick update. I skipped showering for three days to give you this chapter so quickly. [Gross I know..] The least I could get is some reviews ;). [And don't worry I've finally showered.] I'm up for suggestions and ideas any of you guys have on this chapter! There may be some errors, I will get to them some time soon. Hope you guys enjoy!
P.S.- If you guys haven't figured out yet, -xx- means 'Later on'. x*
~Mallory POV~
I don't know what exactly to think about me and Tyler. I feel so connected to him it scares the ever loving shit out of me. I also feel as if I will never be good enough for him, no matter how hard I try. He's way too good for me. And, what we did last night..I don't even know what that was. That wasn't just fooling around..The urges and feelings I have with him are overwhelming and out of my control.
I asked him to stay last night..I don't know..I just didn't want him to leave. That meant being alone like I usually am. When he's around I'm not lonely. I could be at the strip club or anywhere else with tons of people around and be lonely. And he was so nice about it, he didn't hesitate, he just crawled back into bed and held me until I fell asleep. Like he knew exactly what I needed. And, when I woke up, he was making me breakfast. I didn't know he knew how to cook. It was simple bacon, eggs, and toast, but it was extremely good.
He doesn't seem as depressed as he was before, and I'm glad to see that I help take his mind off things. I think he just needs someone that listens and understands what he is going through. Although, we still have a lot more to talk about before we start to fully understand each other. Which is why I said I would go with him to his beach house.
I also noticed that we have the same exact black Marvrk low-top Nike's. I was shocked I hadn't noticed before. I picked them out a little over half a year ago with Doug and Lois. They bought me almost everything I have in my apartment right now, and they send me checks for my groceries and other things I need every month.
But, I still don't know how I feel about meeting his mom and sister. I'm not good with kids, and I don't know how I'll act around his mom. What if I say something or do something wrong? Or what if they just don't like me? I guess I'm just going to have to trust Tyler when he says everything is going to be okay. I haven't had fun my whole life. And he said we will have fun. So I'm kind of looking forward to that, and seeing the ocean. God, he would look so sexy with wet hair, in his swim trunks..ugh I can't wait.
We are on our way to some store, he said it was a secret. But, we are headed in the direction of all the expensive stores.
I let him drive my car, I don't know how I feel about that just yet. He said he was a good driver, I trust him. I just don't trust men and cars. Not one bit.
We parallel park in front of PacSun. One of my favorite stores, which, I cannot afford anything. I brought some of the money Doug and Lois give me because I would like to pay for some of it. And..I want to secretly buy him something, if I can get away with it. And if I can't, I'll just come back and buy him something before I head to work.
"How'd you know I would like PacSun?" I ask curiously with a furrowed eyebrow.
"It seems like you would like it." He answers nonchalantly.
"If I could afford it, yeah." I laugh lightly.
"I want you to have the best, Mallory." He leans over and kisses my temple.
I feel heat radiate up my neck and to my cheeks. I smile at him.
We get out of my car and walk into PacSun.
I walk over to the first rack of short shorts and look at a price tag. Sixty fucking bucks? "Holy shit." I whisper.
He chuckles. "What?"
"That's so fucking expensive. I can't let you buy me pretty much a whole wardrobe, Tyler!" I start to raise my voice a bit. "That would cost hundreds!"
"Don't worry about it." He shrugs. "I got you covered."
"Are you rich?" I whisper incredulously.
He laughs and rolls his eyes. "I wouldn't say that, no. I've been saving up for awhile."
"For what?" I ask.
"Anything, and everything."
His back pocket starts to ring, it's muffled, but I can tell his ringtone is Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. One of my favorite songs.
He looks at the screen of his phone. "Mom." He says softly. He looks up at me. "Pick out three swimsuits you like, I'll be right back." He leans down and kisses the tip of my nose and my cheeks heat up. He chuckles and walks away.
"Hey, Mom. What's up?"
While I look at the girls swimwear I overhear Tyler's end of the conversation from across the store.
"Mom, is it okay if I bring my..a friend with us to the beach?" Pause. "A girl. She's uh..my friend. Her name's Mallory." Pause. "What do you mean you have to go on a business trip?" Pause. "So..we aren't going?" Pause. "I..I guess we could do that. Thanks." Pause. "Is Caroline okay with it?" Pause. "Okay, as long as she doesn't mind." Pause."Tomorrow? Dinner?" Pause. "I don't want dad to be there! No!" He sounds angry. "I don't want anything from him." He says sternly, but is trying to keep his voice down. "Fine." Pause. "Will Caroline be there?" Pause. "Good, tell her I miss her." The anger in his voice has subsided and is now tender. "Caroline will love her, I know she will." Pause. "We've..we've known each other for a couple weeks. I met her at...a diner I go to." He sounds nervous. "I'll have to ask her, she might have plans already." Pause. "Okay, Okay mom. I can't make her come tomorrow. But I'm sure she'll want to meet you." Pause. "No, mom. I don't need money." Pause. "Ugh, Fine. But I gotta go. I'm helping her pick out clothes for the trip." Pause. "I love you too. Talk to you later."
I've picked out a pair of plain black board shorts with a white Volcom symbol on the right leg. A plain purple, triangle-top, tie-back swimsuit with matching hip-tie bottoms.. An O'Neill native horizon triangle-top, which is designed with burgundy, blue, tan and white zig-zag stripes, and matching hip-tie bottoms. And another plain black triangle-top with matching hip-tie bottoms.
Tyler walks up and puts his arm around my shoulder. "Hey, well. I have some news." He doesn't sound happy, nor sad.
"Yeah?" I look into his eyes, but I can't tell what he's feeling.
"It's just going to be us for a week, at the beach house. Is that okay?"
What? Really? His parents would let us stay at their private beach house..for a whole week? That's crazy. I get Tyler..and the beach..all to myself?
I look up at him with wide eyes. "Uh..yeah..yeah I guess so."
"I thought you'd be more comfortable with that, you'll love it there. You'll never want to leave." He says with a huge smile. "I'm so glad you said yes." He kisses my temple tenderly.
"Me too." I say, and smile back up at him.
"But..I have another question. Do you..uh.." He gulps loudly. "Work tomorrow night?"
He wants me to go to that dinner I overheard him talking about? I don't know if I'll be okay around his parents..I do want to make him happy but..what would I say to them? 'Hi I'm Mallory..I'm a stripper who actually happens to like your son?' No, I don't think that would work. I'd have to make something up and I don't want my fist impression of me to be a lying stripper? And I actually wouldn't know if I work tomorrow night. I have to take off anyways, though, for the trip..so I mean..I just don't know.
"Uh..not sure. I was going to go in tonight and say I need the next ten days off." I hold up my other hand in an 'I-don't-know' position.
"Well...my mom wants to know if you want to come to my birthday dinner tomorrow. It'll be just Caroline, Aiden, my mom, me, and you."
"Is Aiden your friend that was with you the other night?" I ask curiously, and run my free hand nervously through my hair. I look up at him with soft, scared eyes.
"I think all you really have to worry about is Aiden hitting on you." He lets out a small laugh. "And, there's no reason to be scared about meeting my mom, she's amazing. And my sister, she likes anyone that I like."
"You promise?" I sigh and bite on my bottom lip. "Like, I don't even know what to say.."
"Don't worry, Mallory." He reassures me quietly. "I promise, they'll love you. I already told my mom we met at the diner..so..we can say..."He runs a hand through his hair. "You work at the diner. They never go there. How about that?"
I gulp and nod my head. "If you're sure.." I lie about my name..and other stuff all the time. What could this hurt? It's not like I'm lying to Tyler..it's just his family..? Ugh, so why do I feel like shit?
"I'm sure." He smiles and brings his face to mine for a kiss. "What did you get so far?" He asks as we pull our faces slowly apart.
I hold out the three swimsuits and the board shorts I got.
"You have good taste." He grabs my hand, links his fingers in mine, and squeezes. "Let's go try them on." He drags me to one of the dressing rooms and lets go of my hand. "Try one on and let me see?"
"Okay." I say nervously and walk into the dressing room.
I try on my O'Neill zig-zag horizontal swimsuit first. It looks really good. It's a little small in the bottoms but I really like it anyway. I take a deep breath and open the fitting room door.
Tyler is sitting on the black leather couch right outside and is staring at me with wide eyes. He stands up quickly, walks over to me, and runs his eyes up and down my body. His stare is so intense that I feel as if he's actually touching me. It sets my whole body on fire, and I'm sure the bottoms of this are soaked. He takes a step closer into the fitting room, and slowly shuts the door behind him.
"Mm. You look sexy." He mumbles and runs his hands up my sides.
"We are in a store, Tyler." I say jokingly. Wait..why would I care? Oh, that's right. I don't.
"I know." He comes so close he's an inch from my face. I close the gap between us and pull him in by his ass. He hums and brings his lips to mine. Electricity shoots straight to my heart. He slides the top of my swimsuit over and pinches my nipple. I moan instinctively, probably a bit too loud, and he shoves his tongue into my mouth.
Ugh, why does he have to be so sexy? I want to fuck him right here.
Keeping his mouth on mine, he slides his hand down my stomach and into the bottoms of my swimsuit. Oh shit.
He slides his finger up and down my slit and quickly shoves a finger inside me.
"Oh, Fuck!" I mumble against his mouth.
"You have to be quiet for me to do this." He says softly.
I can feel his hard cock pressed up against my hip and it feels so fucking amazing. I want it inside me. Now. He adds another finger and I moan again, but quietly.
He pounds his fingers in and out of me, fast and then slow. And it's driving me fucking crazy I just want him to fuck me senseless. But he says 'I want to wait to get to know you.' Plus, we're in PacSun..but, I really wouldn't care if we fucked right here.
He takes his fingers out of me and then gets down on his knees. My pussy is literally aching for him right now. I need him there. He pulls down the swimsuit bottoms, and they fall around my ankles.
He chuckles softly. "I hope you really like this swimsuit, because we have to get it. It's drenched." He whispers.
Before I can respond his tongue is working at my clit. My hands quickly grab handfuls of his hair and tug his face further into me.
While his tongue flicks and sucks at my clit, he slides his fingers back in. "Oh my God.." I whisper. I'm panting and trying not to moan, and my knees feel like Jell-O.
"You like that?" He says in his sexy velvet voice.
"Yes, Tyler. Uh!" I moan quiety.
I can feel I'm on the edge. "Tyler..I'm gonna.." My knees buckle, but Tyler keeps me upright by taking his fingers out of me and holding me up by my hips.
"Come for me." He says softly as he comes up for air.
Fuck, I love when he says that.
I feel my whole body freeze up and paralyze as shock waves of ecstasy roll from my pussy throughout my entire body. His tongue hasn't stopped and is making the feeling intensified. Once it has stopped, I feel Tyler lick and suck around my entire pussy, getting every last drop of my arousal.
If I didn't have bones, I would definitely be in a puddle right now. He's so amazing..and good at that. Jesus.
"Try on your other ones and we'll go look at other stuff. Okay?" He asks with a wink. "Do you want me to go out there?..Or does it matter?"
"Okay. It doesn't matter. You can stay."
~Tyler POV~
-xx-
Mallory picked out all the things she needed. She told me she had a suitcase, so that was taken care of.
I got her three pairs of everything. Except dresses. She said she didn't like dresses, and that they were too girly for her. That's why I like Mallory, she's not like most girls. She's herself and I really like that about her.
So we got her a pair of white ripped shorts, a dark colored pair, and a light colored ripped pair. She got a pair of plain black Vulc sneakers with white soles, and two pairs of RocketDog Sunset sandals- brown and black. She got a really cool, grey, loose-fitting-low-cut Led Zeppelin belly shirt with a sunset and flying black angels on it, a Miller High Life black tank-top, and a white Grateful Dead- Terrapin Station wife beater with turtles and sunflowers on it. And her plain purple swimsuit, a plain black swimsuit and this other really cool native looking swimsuit. She looked amazing in everything that she picked. Not like she wouldn't look amazing in anything, just, seeing her standing there in her swimsuits drove me crazy. I actually had to take care of it before I went into work...But I'm glad she got everything she did. Especially since it's really hot here in mid-June.
It was really nice to see the huge smile on her face when she was shopping, I wanted to keep it there forever. She even argued with me about paying some of it, but I wouldn't let her.
[Every link has a space after the . ]Mallory's clothes(recommended you look-they're amazing)-www. rob-me. tumblr. com/post/18990485069/never-think-mallorys-beach-clothes
Mallorys swimsuits/ Mallory and Tyler's matching black Myvrk Nike's- www. rob-me. tumblr. com/post/18990902330/never-think-mallorys-swimsuits
Although, there were these purple sneakers that she was looking at but said she didn't want me to spend that much money, with them being around a hundred dollars. I felt bad that she thought she couldn't get them, I told her that she could get anything that she wanted. I didn't want to argue with her, so we just left it at that. I mean, I ended up spending hundreds on her, but money doesn't matter to me. I would spend it all on her if she'd let me. But, we forgot to get her some sunglasses and a hoodie so I thought I'd stop and get her those on my way to work. I know, I know nothing about fashion or whatever, but from her shopping today, I think the sunglasses and hoodie I picked out she'll like. I also got her a surprise.
We went back to her apartment and she made lunch, since she said it was paying me back for making her breakfast and buying her everything. It was nice. We didn't talk about anything major, just some small talk, and I reassured her that the dinner with my family was going to be okay.
When she told me she was walking to work, I insisted that I pick her up, but she refused at first and said that she's a big girl and can walk at night by herself.
I've been at work for awhile now, and it's been pretty slow. I've just been reading my own book, and I've probably had around 5 cigarettes in the past four hours. I want to text Mallory. But, she's probably busy...which I don't want to think about.
I hear my phone buzz. I instantly get giddy and quickly open it up.
Hey dude, where the hell you been? I'm about to set out a search and rescue.- Aiden
Well, that wasn't what I was expecting. But I did totally forget to tell him I wasn't coming home the past couple nights.
I'm fine. I've been with..a girl. And the family isn't going to the beach, but I'm still going. I'm sorry man. Next time. -Tyler
I'm sure he won't mind he can't come with. And he'll surely be happy I've been with a girl.
Bummer, dude. I was looking forward to that. But it's cool. I've been with a girl too. Who's the girl you've been stayin with?- Aiden
What? Aiden has been with a girl for more than twenty four hours? Well, that's a change.
I'll tell you everything when I come back.- Tyler
You better dude. I want the details. -Aiden
I'm sure you do. There's money in the drawer by my bed. It's yours.- Tyler
That might give him a hint as to who it is.
Cool. Ttyl. Have fun at the beach with your new lady friend. Haha. -Aiden
I close my phone and get back to reading my book.
~Mallory POV~
I've been at work for hours now, and the only thing I want to do is go home. I've had a few customers, but for some reason, I'm just not in the mood for this. I don't know what's wrong with me. I guess I'm just not in the right state of mind.
I talked to my boss and told him I was going to stay with my adoptive parents in Indianapolis for a week and a half. I lied and said that I'm going for an extra couple days, just so I don't have to go right back to work once I come back.
I had to fuck him in order to go, which I didn't like at all. But hey, if it means I can go, I'm okay with it one last time. I've fucked him before. Only because every new girl has to, it's his way of initiation..or whatever. Every new girl is like his brand new shiny toy for a month. I always seemed to be his favorite though. Which kind of creeps me out, but it's whatever. I'm a lot of guys' 'favorite'. I get the most regulars. But I shot down a lot of them tonight, said I had a cold, and told them that Missy will take them for the night. She didn't seem to mind, actually, she was quite happy about it. I only took a few so I could have some more money for the trip.
"Mallory!" My boss yells from a few feet away. He doesn't sound angry, just a bit upset.
"Yes, boss?" I ask innocently.
"You're sick? Missy told me you have a cold. Is that true?" He pulls his pants up and sets his hands on his hip. Yup. He's mad. "Come to my office."
I follow him into his office and sit in the uncomfortable red chair, and wait for him to speak. He just stares at me. It looks like he's thinking really hard.
He finally speaks. "I better not get sick from you, Mallory! Why didn't you say anything when you came in? I would have let you go home, or given you some white or something." What? Why would he offer me cocaine when 'I'm not feeling well.'? I mean, it makes you feel good..but I've never heard of it curing a cold?
"I..I would have. I didn't think you'd let me go home either way. I just..I don't know if I actually have a cold..I just..I don't feel well." I feel like I have a lump in my throat. He is so intimidating. He scares me.
"What?" He asks innocently. "Of course I would have let you go home. I don't want you making any clients or any of the other girls sick. Or me for that matter! Get dressed and go home! I'll see you in a week and a half. And you better have your shit together then." He says sternly.
For one second, I thought he would actually say that he cares about my health. Wow. I'm an idiot.
I mumble a 'Thank you' and head towards the locker room.
Once I'm at my locker I grab my cell phone out of my purse and text Tyler.
I thought it was cute of him to insist on picking me up. I walk home all the time. I can take care of myself, but I like that he wants to. Besides, I think I kind of..miss him.
Hey, got off early. Come get me?- Mallory
I take off my 4 inch heels and throw them in the bin of heels. I take off my fishnet stockings, skirt, and top and throw them in my backpack. I grab my tan corduroy pants and my plain white shirt and slide them on.
My phone buzzes.
Be there in 10.- Tyler
I grab my backpack and walk out the back door of the club. I need a fucking cigarette. I'm stressing about the dinner tomorrow. Why did I agree to this again? Oh..right. I care about Tyler. Wait..why do I care about Tyler.? I have no idea. I'm screwed.
I lean against the brick wall, light my cigarette, and take a few quick drags to calm my nerves.
"Hey baby what you doin'?"I hear a deep voice not too far away. What the fuck? Seriously? I'm not even off my shift for two minutes and some guy is trying to hit on me?
I look over and it's a guy I've been denying for a couple months now. It's pretty dark but I can tell it's him. I always send him to Missy. He creeps me the fuck out. He's probably in his mid-40's and has something seriously wrong with his right eye. Actually, his whole fucking face.
"My shifts over. Get the fuck away from me." I hiss angrily. He literally crept up on me. He's probably about a foot away.
He takes another step forward and it's way too fucking close to me. He's literally in my face. "Hey now, no need to be so harsh." He points his finger at me. His breath smells so fucking gross. "You can't deny me anymore, sweetheart." He says softly.
"Fuck you you ugly piece of shit!" I spit in his face, and drop my stuff. He doesn't wipe it off or anything, he just pins me firmly against the wall. "Get the fuck off m-" He cuts me off by covering my mouth. He has me pinned so tight, I try to push him away but he is like glued to the fucking ground or something. He won't budge. Not at all. I want to punch this asshole in the face. Who the fuck does he think he is? What is he gonna do? Rape me?
Oh my god..
"Shh. You know you want this baby." I feel my stomach drop at his words, and I almost want to puke.
I am fucking terrified. I'm so fucking stupid. Why would I think this could never happen? I'm so screwed. I can feel heat rise behind my eyes and tears run down my face.
He spreads my legs with his and holds them firm. I try to move my legs but his are like goddamn concrete. He can't be as stupid as he looks. I had a fucking shot to kick him straight in the balls before. Why didn't I? Fuck. Now there's no way I can.
I'm starting to shake and become weak. Where the fuck is Tyler? Please Tyler. Show up. Please.
Wait, no. I don't want Tyler to get hurt. I have to get out of this myself. Shit.
"You can't say no now, slut. Can you!" He says in a cocky, angry tone. I feel his free hand go down my pants and he shoves his finger inside of me, hard.
I scream behind his hand, it fucking hurts. More tears flow down my face. I feel his hand get tighter around my mouth and he slams my head into the brick wall.
Everything goes black.
~Tyler POV~
I'm glad Mallory got off early. The club isn't too far away from the book store. I just had to lock up before I could pick her up.
I pull up to the club and look around. Where the fuck is she? I don't see her anywhere.
I get out of my car and look inside. I ask the first girl I see. She would know if she left right? It's some extremely skinny blonde girl.
"Hey. Have you seen Mallory?" I yell over the music.
"She left about ten minutes ago. She went through the back."
"Thanks. Out there?" I point to what seems like the 'back'.
She nods and I go quickly out the back door.
What I see shocks the fuck out of me. Rage washes over me that is ten times stronger than any rage I have ever felt before. I immediately see red. Pure. Blood. Red.
What the fuck! Is that Mallory! She doesn't even look conscious and some sick fuck has his dick in her?
"Get the fuck away from her!" I scream loudly. I'm storming up to them but it seems like they're so far away, but they're probably only about twenty feet away.
"Mind your own fucking business, asshole."
"Get the fuck away from my girlfriend you sick fuck!" Before he can look my way I punch him square in the jaw and knock him away from her. It sounds like I broke it. I fucking hope I did. Mallory falls to the ground, and I can really tell she's not conscious now. He stumbles back a little and instantly springs forward, punching me in the nose. I stagger but quickly regain my balance.
He snickers. "Girlfriend?" He mumbles out. "That whore is your-" Before he can finish his sentence I throw another right hook to his jaw. I hear it crunch under my knuckles. It felt fucking good. He abruptly hits the brick wall opposite to Mallory, and he groans in pain.
"Fuck you, you motherfucker!" I scream loudly as I punch him repeatedly as hard as I can in the stomach.
I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my boiled blood. All I see is red. I feel no pain. But I will make this fucker feel pain. A lot of it. No one fucks with Mallory unless they want to fuck with me.
~Mallory POV~
I hear hitting, panting, groaning, and..Tyler yelling? It doesn't sound like Tyler..he sounds..furious..and scary.
I suddenly remember what just happened and where I am. I hear a choking sound, it sounds like Tyler. Oh my god..no! Please no!
I open my eyes, but my vision is blurry and my head hurts. "Tyler.." I try to call out. But my voice is strained, and I'm almost positive he didn't even hear me.
"Fuck you!" I hear, but it's not Tyler. I shake my head to try and correct my vision. It doesn't work. I try to make out what is happening. I see someone fall to their knees, the silhouette looks like Tyler. . No! Please! no!
I feel the anger starting to rise in my veins, and my vision clears. I see the guy grab Tyler by his hair and slam his face into the concrete.
"Tyler!" I cry out, hoping it's loud enough for him to hear me.
I try to stand up but my knees are weak. I feel the back of my head and it's warm..and wet..really wet. I look down at my hand and it's red. Pure red. Almost black.
Tyler flies up to his feet and hits the guy in the face. The guy immediately falls to the ground. Tyler starts kicking him over and over again in the stomach and face.
"You never fucking touch her again, asshole! Do you fucking hear me! I'll fucking find you and I'll fucking kill you, you motherfucker!" The sounds are unbearable, tears are falling down my face, and I'm shaking uncontrollably. I never want to hear Tyler scream like this ever again.
I finally hear silence from the creepy guy and see Tyler kick him one last time. The guy is knocked unconscious. Tyler looks in my direction and immediately runs over to me.
"Are you okay, Mallory?" He says softly, but he still sounds angry.
I nod a slow no and more tears come tumbling down my cheeks. He wipes my tears away and checks me every where.
"Oh my fucking God!" He screams as he finds out that my head is bleeding. He sees my hands.
"Is this blood from your head?" He asks.
I nod a yes.
He grabs my backpack and throws it over his shoulder. "Come on." He says and picks me up and cradles me in his arms. I drown in his scent and relief washes over me. It feels nice to be in his arms. "It's okay, It's okay. I promise. Everything is okay." He says, trying to soothe me. He walks quickly to his car, sets me inside carefully, and runs over and gets in the drivers seat. I feel my stomach go into knots as the flashbacks of what just occured go flying through my head. I feel my mouth start to water.
I think I'm going to throw up.
I open the door quickly and throw up out the side of the car.
I feel Tyler rub my back and when I'm done throwing up, I hear him looking around for something.
"Here." He says softly, and hands me a t-shirt. I wipe my mouth with it and slide back in the car.
"I'm so sorry..' I manage to croak out.
"This is not your fault, Mallory." He says sternly.
"I'm so sorry.." He says delicately while he puts the shirt to the back of my head. "Hold this to your head, okay? I'm taking you to the hospital."
"No! Please, Tyler! I don't want to go. Please don't make me." I cry out. Where the fuck did my voice come from? "I just need...you."
"You're sure? I don't want you to die because I didn't take you to the fucking hospital. I mean, come on! You're bleeding from your head for Christ sake!" He yells.
"I'm..I'm fine..take me home..please.." I say softly. I look over and see Tyler's face is all kinds of fucked up. My head is spinning..I can barely think straight.
I whimper involuntarily and try to touch his face. He stops my arm.
"I'm okay, Mallory. I'm worried about you. We have to get out of here before the cops come." He quickly starts the car and heads towards my apartment. Fast. His hands are gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are white. He's mad..he has to be mad at me. How could he not be? This is all my fault.
When we finally get to my apartment, Tyler grabs my backpack and quickly runs around to my side of the car. He carries me up the stairs to the door.
"Can you stand?" He says gently.
"I..I think." I say quietly. He sets me down slowly and makes sure I stay upright.
"Where's your key?"
I point to the front pocket of the backpack. He opens it up and finds it. He unlocks the door and puts the key back where it was. He picks me up again, cradles me in his arms, and starts walking towards the couch.
"I can walk, really." I say softly and look up at his face.
Holy shit. Now that we're in the light I see his face is dripping with blood. From his nose, above his eye, and his mouth. It hurts my heart. I never want to see Tyler like this. I grab at my chest to try and make the pain go away. But it doesn't help.
He just keeps walking me over and gently sits on the couch, with me still in his arms. He leans over and takes off my shoes and kicks off his.
"Let me look at your head, sweetheart." He whispers.
"We should make sure you're okay, Tyler. You're bleeding, a lot."
"I'm fine, Mallory. It's just cuts." He counters back.
He gently sets me so I have my back facing him on his thighs.
"Holy shit, Mallory. You might need stitches." He says as he gently moves my hair out of the way to see the damage.
"I'm fine, Tyler. I don't want to go to the hospital." I say super softly. The hospital is a scary thought. I really don't want to go, at all.
"Well..if it's really bad I'm making you go." He says.
"Fine." I don't want to argue with him. As bad as the hospital sounds..
"Let's get you cleaned up, okay?" I nod my head and stand up slowly and carefully. He grabs my hand and links his fingers with mine to walk me to the bathroom. Thank God I got that first-aid kit awhile back. I never thought I'd really need it, but Doug insisted I get one.
"We need to somehow get the blood out of your hair, want to try the bath? Or a wet rag..? The bath might hurt more."
I look at his face again and I can't help the tear that runs down my cheeks. I did this, it's my fault his face looks this way. I couldn't handle the situation and he got hurt because of me.
He wipes it off gently. "Mallory, don't cry. This isn't your fault, okay?" I think he really can read my mind...
"But it is my fault, Tyler! You got hurt because of me."
"That's not true, Mallory. I'm fine. I was protecting you." He says softly, and runs his hand through his hair. "I'm more worried about you. Just, everything is okay. I'm not mad at you, I don't think any less of you. I just want to make sure you're okay."
Why is he being so nice to me? He should be mad at me. I got him into a fight and he's hurt. I sniffle and nod my head.
"Be right back." He says and walks to the kitchen. He comes back quickly with one can of Coke.
He pulls out two Vicodin and hands me one. He hands me the Coke and lets me take mine first.
"Why are you so nice to me?" I ask warily into the soda can that's perched on my bottom lip.
"Because I care about you." He says softly, then gently kisses my forehead.
Why do we care so much about each other? I don't get it...
I hand him the soda, he takes his, and sets the Coke on the bathroom counter.
"Lift your arms up for me, sweetheart." He says.
I lift my arms and he takes off my shirt cautiously and sets it on the floor. I notice the back of it is covered in blood.
He grabs a rag and the first aid kit off the back of the door. He wets the rag.
"Hold out your hands." He says softly and looks me in the eye. His expression is so soft and sincere. It makes my whole body feel warm and safe.
He wipes my hands off tenderly until there is no more blood.
"Wanna sit? It might make this easier." He says gingerly.
I walk over and sit in the bath tub with my body facing the wall and my hair hanging over the side. I thought he'd have easier access to the back of my head if I was in there. I don't know why. Maybe I'm crazy.
"Is this okay?" I ask softly. I hear him come up behind me.
"Perfect." He breathes, close to my ear. He pulls my hair to one side of my shoulder and kisses my neck lovingly. It sends chills down my spine.
I hear things being moved around and a package being opened.
"This may hurt a little bit.." He says apologetically.
I whimper instinctively as he starts wiping at my wound. It stings. It hurts like a bitch but I don't want to seem any weaker than I already seem.
"I don't want to shave around the wound, so you're going to have to sleep on your stomach. Okay?" He says sadly. What! Shave my head! Jesus. I'll definitely take sleeping on my stomach over shaving my head any day. "And the bleeding stopped, it's not as bad as I thought. Just a big scrape. But this also might hurt. I'm sorry, babe."
I feel him rub some thick stuff on my head, which really fucking stings, then I hear the water running. He runs a warm wet washcloth through my hair repeatedly.
"I'm done. Are you okay?" He asks softly. "We're going to have to clean it again in the morning."
I nod my head and he helps me stand up and out of the bathtub. I look at his face and I instantly feel the pain in my chest come back.
"I'm fine." He says, like he could sense my pain.
"No. You're not, Tyler." I say and airily sweep my thumb over his bloody lip. "Please, let me clean you up."
He just looks down at the floor sadly, nods his head, and sits on the toilet. I pick up the first aid kit, set it on the counter, and rinse out the bloody washcloth. I apply it tenderly over his face to wipe all the blood off. He winces and squirms. I still feel horrible about all of this. I got him hurt. I feel my eyes start to water and a tear drip down my face. I look away from him and grab the antibiotic ointment. I rub it all over his wounds and blow air all over his face to soothe them. He has a cut on the bridge of his nose, a busted bottom lip, and a long scrape above his left eyebrow that looks like it's bruising.
"Don't cry, please. You're too beautiful to cry." He says softly. I see his chin start to quiver, and his eyes start to water up. I can't take this. That's exactly what he said when we met at the club.
"You don't cry. Please." I say quietly. I see a tear run down his cheek and I quickly wipe it off. I need to be close to him. I sit and straddle his waist and throw my arms around him.
We stay in that position, silently, for about five minutes. He stands up, with me still wrapped around him, face in the crook of his neck, and goes around to turn off all the lights but one small dim one. He walks over to the bed and gently sets me in a sitting position. He slowly takes off my pants and his shirt. I'm exhausted, and I'm sure he is too. I reposition myself on top of him so my head is on his chest, and my legs are lined up with his. He wraps his arms tightly around my back and squeezes me tight.
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