Page 65 of Bound By Ink

After opening the door for him, I rush around to the driver’s side, keeping my left eye on the apartment building as we peel away. He stares at his hands the whole time, and my gaze keeps flicking to his, seeing more and more marks on his beautiful face. He never looks up, never speaks, so I give him this moment to process everything that’s happened.

When I pull up outside his house, I turn to look at him, but he opens the door before silently climbing out. I get out to meet him, and I reach for his hand. It feels so small in mine, and I lead him towards the house. When we get inside and upstairs, Steven meets us on the landing.

“What the fuck happened?” he gasps, running towards us. He stops in front of us, hand outstretched as if he’s reaching for Scott, but then thinks better of it. His icy stare flicks to mine.

“Derren,” I bark out. Steven’s eyes widen at Scott’s battered face.

“I’m calling the police.” Steven turns towards his room, and I can’t think of anything other than getting Scott cleaned up.

“No,” he pleads, his gaze trained on the floor, but Steven and I stop in our tracks.

“Scott, you can’t let him get away with this, not again.” Steven rasps.

“No,” is all he says, and he turns away from us, and I gently place my fingers on his jaw. He winces, but his eyes flick up to mine.

“Hey.” I pull him into the bathroom. I cup Scott’s cheeks as I sit him on the toilet. “I need to take some pictures, okay? If Steven’s gonna call the police, I need to document your injuries before I clean you up.”

“No, Killian. I just want to forget it ever happened… The way you left him, I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

“Let me just take some pics for evidence then, in case it all goes to shit, and he makes a statement.”

He gives me the tiniest of nods. “Scott, did they…” For their sake, I hope they didn’t rape him. That I got there in time. If they did, I will be finishing off what I started.

He shakes his head but doesn’t look at me as I pull out my phone, taking multiple photos, tilting his face so I can see every angle. His eyes never meet mine, always staring away. Then, I take a video, moving around his face, zooming in on all his injuries.

I lean in and give him a gentle kiss on the forehead. He tenses, flinching a little, but still doesn’t meet my gaze. I pull the first-aid kit from under the sink and place it on the counter.

“Don’t worry, you’re still the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” I smile at him while dabbing at his face, his hands wrapped around each other in his lap. He gives me a tight-lipped smile. But his eyes can’t seem to meet mine. They’re filled with tears, puffy and swollen.

“Hey. You’re okay.” I whisper.

“Arewe?” His lip trembles, and his eyes flood. Tears stream down his bruised cheeks.

I lift his chin with my fingers. “Me and you?” I smile. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

A sob breaks out from him. “I went out to speak to him. For closure. If I’d just…”

“No!” I bring his head up to look at me again. “Don’t do that. This isn’t on you. Whatever happened, none of this is your fault.” I stroke my thumb over his face. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“He messaged me, asking me to go outside to talk. I wanted to get closure. When I got to the car, he was drunk. I turned away to come inside to get him an Uber, but they jumped me, grabbed me from behind. I didn’t even know they were with him. They stuffed me in the boot and took me to Derren’s.” That’s when the sobs come out. The tears stream, and his body shudders. “They were gonna rape me.” His gaze drops to his hands.

“Scott, it won’t change how I feel about you, but did they? Did they touch you?” My voice is barely retaining its resolve.

“No, it was close. If you hadn’t got there when you did… If you hadn’t come for me, Killian, he was so close.”

I kneel in front of him, wrapping him in my arms, and I hold him. His hands come up and twist in my T-shirt. He lets it all out as his sobs echo around the bathroom, and I hold him tighter than before. I stroke his back and tell him everything’s going to be all right. I won’t let anything happen to him ever again.

When the sobs die down, he stutters out, “They hit me, cut me, but you got there in time, Killian. If you hadn’t come for me,” he cries again.

“Hey.” I embrace him, like he might vanish if I don’t hold him together, pulling him into my chest. “I’ll always come for you, Nerd. Always.”

He hugs his arms around me, and I stand, pulling him against me. When I lead him into his bedroom, the cold coffee and pastries are abandoned on the dresser next to his phone. He glances at them as he walks past, climbing onto the bed. I untie his shoes, tugging them off and tossing them into the corner of the room. I walk over to the dresser, grab him some PJs, and throw them on the bed.

“I can step outside while you change.”

He shakes his head and reaches out, gripping my wrist, his eyes glassy as his bottom lip quivers. He can’t bring himself to look at me, but I won’t leave him. He takes his clothes off and lets me help him step into his PJs. His eyes flick to mine. I try not to linger on the bruising across his torso.

“I’m sorry.” His gaze meets mine for a split second, and then he looks away again. I wrap my arms around him, and he breaks down. His body shakes in my arms, and I hold him.