She swats my hand away, “No.” Her words are faint with the helmet still in place.
I lift her visor and her lids are puffy and red, but the anger she has, it’s like there’s a storm in her eyes.
Was she crying the whole ride back?
For some reason that makes a pain spring to life in my chest.
“I’m just trying to help.” I grab the helmet by the chin.
“I don’t need your help, remember. I’m not your problem.”
“You’re making it my problem.” I grab the straps under her chin, unlatch the fastening, all the while she keeps her eyes directed away from me. I lift the helmet off of her, “There now, was that so hard?”
“Very.” She pushes past me.
Her fucking attitude, why was she always givingmethat fucking sharp tongue?
I snatch her arm in my hold and sling her back in front of me.
“All I have tried to do is help you!”
“Help me?” Her eyes flooded with tears, “You’ve been trying to help me?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t. There is no helping me when it comes to this, Marcus. I–” She shuts her eyes, “I am reminded of who I am and what happened every day, every time I shut my eyes, every time I open them, and every time I look at myself in the mirror.
“Elliott.”
“All I see is him.” I go to pull her in, for what, a hug? I don’t know, but I have never wanted to hold someone so badly. As if my arms could keep her together.
She flinches at my sudden change in direction, and I freeze in my tracks.
“Where the fuck have you been?!” Hunter bellows through the entry. He rounds the corner stopping in front of us to take in the scene. “What’s wrong?” He speeds to Elliott’s side, “Are you hurt?”
She wipes her eyes, “No. I’m fine. It was just a rough lesson is all.” She raises to her tippy toes, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading off towards Kameron’s room.
“Flores?” He eyes me now.
“Like she said–rough lesson.” I shrug, trying to keep my emotions at bay.
“Marcus, seriously?” He cocks a brow at me, “You really think I don’t know when you are lying?”
“Like I told her. I’m just trying to help.”
“Helping her the way she needs to be helped, or the way you wanted to be helped?”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means she isn’t you. As much as she carries the same pain, she isn’tyou.”
“I have nothing to do with this. I am helping her defend herself.”
“In more ways than just self-defense.”
“You are reading too much into this.” I brush off his comment, ready for this conversation to be over with.
“No, you’re just downplaying yourself and this whole situation, Marcus.” He walks up, taking my face in his hands. “As much as you like to play the asshole” He lowers his lips to mine, letting them barely touch, “You are a good person, Marcus Flores.” He presses his lips tenderly to mine before pulling away slowly. “Even if you sometimes show it in odd ways…like kicking someone’s ass in the woods.”
