Page 45 of His Untoward Hate

“You have done most of this, remember?”

Jude did not want to sound sarcastic, but it ended up that way. He did not know where that courage to say that to him came from. Jude could see how he was taken aback by what he said.

“Fuck!” Sky cursed and raked his hands through his hair as he bent down, propping his elbows on his knees.

Confused by his behavior, Jude questioned himself: Why is he acting like this all of a sudden if this is what he wanted? He should not be surprised. He should be happy, even celebrating.

Jude’s confusion deepened when he looked up again and saw worry clearly reflected in Sky’s eyes.

Maybe I was imagining things again. Why would he react like this when he already knew what he did? he thought.

Jude flinched when Sky’s fingertips unknowingly glided across his skin, a flood of tingling sensations racing through his body before he could suppress them. Sky’s hand stopped at a spot on his back. He leaned in to inspect it, his jaw clenching and his brows knitting into a deep frown.

Sky said nothing else. Instead, he quietly cleaned the fresh cuts, removing every trace of blood before disinfecting the wounds and finishing with a thin layer of cream. This was something new about Sky Granger. He did not expect him to treat him this way.

What was the sudden change in behavior?

Otherwise, he still did not know how he felt at the moment. After saying those things to him, blaming him for what he had done, he felt bad. He should not have told him that. He should have kept it to himself. He should have been more compassionate. He hurt his feelings, and it made Jude feel guilty.

Jude’s eyes landed on Sky’s hand, on his right lap. It was filled with cuts, wounds, and bruises, too.

“Can I treat your hands?” Jude asked out of the blue, surprising him as well.

Sky frowned in confusion, his eyes scanning Jude’s face as if trying to figure out what had suddenly gotten into him. Unable to make sense of it, he followed Jude’s gaze to whatever had captured his attention.

“There’s no need. It’s just a piece of shit.”

“No…I’ll treat it. It might get infected.”

“I said there’s fucking n—”

“Let me, please.” Jude insisted, his eyes eager, looking at him.

“Fuck! Fine,” Sky agreed helplessly.

Sky’s brows knitted even tighter as his piercing gaze reciprocated to Jude.

Now, Jude somehow regretted this.

Jude tore his eyes away from Sky and focused on the first aid kit laid open across the table. A silent prayer echoed in his mind as his slightly trembling hands reached for a cotton ball and moistened it with antiseptic solution. Everything took seconds to delay, especially when he reached out to hold his hand. The roughness and heat of it made him feel uneasy.

Gently, he pressed the cotton on his shattered knuckles. It sounded ironic, but Jude bit the inside of his mouth when he felt it was painful for Sky. Sky remained motionless throughout. Jude looked up at him, but his face revealed nothing. Letting out a quiet breath, Jude turned his attention to Sky’s other hand, treating the remaining cuts before carefully applying bandages over each one.

When Jude was done with his hands, he slowly trailed his eyes to scan his face, only to meet those beautiful golden flecks directly staring at him. Jude gulped as he stared at those eyes; his eyes seemed to seep into him.

Sky swallowed harder.

Breathless and rattled, Jude disconnected his gaze and got another cotton ball with medicine on it. As he raised his hand, it stopped midway when those eyes never left his gray ones.

Jude broke the stare and looked at his wounded cheeks. With great hesitation, he dipped the cotton gently into each cut. Jude’s hand looked so small in front of Sky’s face. Jude kept his focus on the cuts, unwilling to look an inch up despite feeling the weight of Sky Granger’s unwavering gaze lingering over him at close range.

A minute passed, and he found himself focused on every cut on Sky’s face, treating them like a licensed doctor. He was so invested that he did not realize he was holding the other side of Sky’s face with his other hand until he reached his broken lips.

Jude suddenly stopped at the realization. His eyes fixed on his lips, stunned by the sculpture of it. Breathlessly, he finally looked up and found himself plunging into the abyss of those golden eyes.

“Enough!” Sky yelled as he turned to the side sharply to detach his face from Jude’s touch.

Jude ducked his head and looked at his hands in embarrassment. There was an awkward silence that enveloped the atmosphere.