Page 3 of Everything After

He moves to sit on the bed and focuses on the television. I watch him as I pull my clothes off and drop them on top of my bag. He never once looks up or even glances at me. When I step into the shower, I pull the glass door shut and sigh as the hot water rains down on me. I look down, and muddy water is running down the drain.

I use the product already in here to wash my body as best as I can. My hair is filthy and knotted, but I do what I can. It’s nice that he has conditioner, but it doesn’t make too much of a difference. Still, I do my best. I am exhausted and sore now. I just want to lie down.

I shut the water off and realize I don’t have a towel. “Uh… Bex?” I say sheepishly.

“What’s up?” he asks.

“I’m sorry to bother you. I don’t have a towel. I forgot to check,” I say, doing that thing where I over-explain to try and keep myself from getting the shit beaten out of me for inconveniencing someone.

“It’s not a bother,” he says. “I’m going to bring it to you. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” I say quietly. I have my arms over my chest as I stand in the shower with the door open. He walks in with a towel in his hand, and his jaw tightens when he looks at me.

“What the fuck did he do to you, Sierra?” Beckett growls, gently turning me to look at the massive bruise on my side. “That looks bad.”

“He uh… he had me pinned. Like he was straddling my legs as he was hitting me,” I explain. “I had my face covered, so he just… hit me in other places.”

“He still hit you in the face, though,” Beckett sighs, gently rubbing his thumb over my busted lip. He sighs before wrapping the towel around my body. It’s fucking massive and tucks in nicely, concealing me. When I step out, I drop my head. It’s instinctive because Anthony hated me looking him in the eyes.

“Look at me,” Beckett says, lifting my face. “He will never hurt you again. You hear me?”

“He’s going to be so mad I ran,” I say, choking on emotion as tears well up.

“Never again,” Beckett says again, hugging me to his chest. “Now I know why you didn’t call your dad, though.”

“He would have set the house on fire with him in it,” I mutter, and Beckett’s hearty laugh fills the room. It makes my chest tighten in a way that doesn’t make sense. When he lifts my face again, one arm still wrapped around me, I’m smiling like a fool. “There’s my girl,” Beckett says with a soft smile to match.

“Thank you, Bex,” I say quietly.

“Anything for you,” he tells me, just like he always has. Anything for me. Anything for Sia.

When I am dressed in just his massive T-shirt, he brings me over to sit on the bed before grabbing a brush from the bathroom. It’s hot pink, so I am assuming it’s Bella’s. His little sister was always super close to Beckett, so I’m sure she’s here all of the time.

He starts brushing the knots out of my hair. It’s easier with my hair wet, so he works through it piece by piece. Eventually, my hair falls down my back, and the brush runs through it smoothly. “Thank you,” I say.

“Thank you for letting me help you,” he says. “Get up here and lie down.”

I move up to lie with my head on the pillow as Beckett shuts the light off and closes the bathroom door. He has pajama pants low on his hips. I can’t help but look at him when he pulls his shirt off, revealing a chest full of tattoos. He's toned, but he’s still got a little bit of a belly. It’s honestly my favorite part of him. It shows he’s dedicated to maintaining his health, but he’s not obsessive about it. He’s real.

When he lies in bed next to me, I automatically snuggle up close to him. He’s always been like my best friend. Even though he was older than me by four years, I was never his friend’s annoying little sister. He treated me like a real person.

Beckett doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around me and kiss the top of my head, and I lay my head on his chest. “Comfortable?” he asks, gently rubbing my back.

“Mhmm,” I mutter. “Have you talked to Mason yet?”

“Not in months,” he says. I snap up to look at him, and he’s serious.

“What? Why?” I ask, shocked.

“Sierra, Mason and I haven’t been friends since right after you left for college,” he tells me. “He fucking hates me, and I’m not exactly his biggest fan either.”

Well, that just won’t do… I won’t accept that. Not when his arms are the closest to home I have felt in years.

Chapter Two

Beckett

Sierra finally settles and falls asleep with her head on my chest. She’s restless, but at least she’s resting now. Her face is red and puffy, but I can’t tell if that’s from crying or swelling from whatever that bastard did to her. I won’t make her answer that tonight. Not when it’s already so late, and she is clearly exhausted.