Chapter 189 Naked truth.

Chapter 189 Naked truth.
CHAPTER 189
Naked truth.
REID
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“A taste of you slipped into me like moonlight in a locked church – Janet Lees.”
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“Are you going to be a grump about this?” Saint asks as he helps me out of the car. 

My knee is in a cast, and I cannot put too much pressure on it, which means I have to depend on him to help me move for at least the next week. This is a huge downgrade for someone with a compulsive disorder for control. 

“I’m not,” I murmur, exhausted, still feeling the painkillers lingering in my body. 

“Are you going to be a bitch about it then?” He glances at me, a shaky smile on his lips.

“What do you think?” I scoff, amused. 

“I can carry you up the stairs if you want.” He shuts the door behind him. “I’m strong enough, after all.” 

“Try it, and I'll punch you in the throat.” I threaten, even though it has no bite behind it, and he knows. I want to lie down in bed and pretend the whole ordeal hasn’t happened. I want to find a way to move on from this. I want us to talk about it, but my head still feels too heavy. If we talk about it, I’ll get pissed remembering what Jace did to me. 

Somehow, we make it up the stairs carefully and into my bedroom. I get on the bed, the familiar sheets crinkling beneath me. Our parents are getting groceries and our stuff out of the car. They should be here soon, and probably will want to talk about everything.

Saint scratches his head awkwardly and bites his lip hard. “Do … do you want … water?”

“No.” I push myself up, so I’m resting against the wall comfortably. My gaze flickers across the room, but I ignore the urge to fix it. I can’t anyway. 

“How pissed are you?” He asks abruptly.

My head snaps up to him. “What?”

He doesn’t get to respond, because a knock cuts through the moment, followed by June’s voice. “We’re coming in. Are you decent?” 

His eyes widen at her implications, and heat explodes in my cheeks. Are we decent? Oh, hell no. Is this what the new normal is going to be like? There is no going back. 

“Come in, Mom, and please stop being so weird.” He slouches on my game chair, hand on his head. 

Our parents walk in. Dad's gaze finds me first, before looking at Saint. June has a warm smile on her face, as always. How is she smiling after everything? Shouldn’t she be pissed, or at least uncomfortable? I’m glad she isn’t, though.

“Why don’t we give you boys time to pull yourselves together? You’ve had a very long night, and we can talk about it in the morning.” She suggests helpfully. 

“Hm. Sounds like a plan.” Saint nods, still looking at his hands.

“Do you need anything?” Dad asks, looking between us. I shake my head, and so does Saint. They linger in the room a little bit more before walking out. 

In their absence, the room falls into silence, which should be softer, but it isn’t; it feels ominous. I shift on the bed and turn towards Saint, all the gears in my head working overtime. Should I have asked for his permission before revealing our relationship to the world? Is he having second thoughts about us? Are we about to do this exhausting dance again where he chooses self-preservation and tries to break up with me? 

A slow headache begins at the nape of my neck and spreads to my temple. 

“Why would I be pissed at you?” I ask, unable to help myself as my chest caves in as if Jace’s boot is pressing down on it, digging in.

He turns around in the chair, lifts his head, and frowns, “Why? Are you – why? I couldn’t push through a match, so I got higher than I’d ever been in weeks, and got you injured. Now, you’re stuck in a cast, unable to move around as you want, because of me. I hurt you, Reid. I’m not supposed to hurt you.”

“Jace hurt me,” I state calmly. 

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Don’t try to absolve me of my actions. I hurt you.” 

I chew on my lip for a moment. “And I announced our relationship to everyone. Are you pissed at me?”

He doesn’t respond immediately, and the tightness returns. Fuck. Is he really angry? 

I push myself up, gritting my teeth as pain crawls up my thigh. He notices and gets on the bed beside me so I wouldn’t have to move. 

“Let’s do a little experiment – naked truths. You tell me the truth about tonight, and I tell you the truth. Do not spare my feelings or try to be the bigger person.” He murmurs, taking my hand. 

Warmth spills through his touch, and I nod slowly. He doesn’t speak, which means I have to start. 

“Jace hurt me, yes, but … you shouldn’t have used before the match,” I admit with a wince, hating that I’m hurting his feelings. “I understand why you did. I know, but I feel there are ways we could have gone about it. I couldn’t focus on the match, focus on playing, because I was so worried about you. I thought you’d get hurt, and that would have been on me, because I let you play high. I’m not pissed at you. I’m glad you didn’t get hurt, and I do not mind the braces. To be honest, it means you get to take care of me.” A cheeky grin slips out before I can stop it. 

He gives me a knowing look, but nods. He runs his thumb over my knuckles slowly. “I’m not angry that you told everyone about our relationship, but I am very worried about how easily you were going to give it all up.” His eyes are glossy when he looks at me, and his brows are furrowed as if he truly doesn’t understand. 

“Why, Reid? You were going to lose your captaincy for me? Lose everything for me? What if our parents had a different reaction? What if our friends reacted differently? I don’t understand how you could leap, how you could risk it all for me.” His voice trembles at the edges, and I hold on to him tighter. 

“I guess I stopped thinking about you as a separate person, and think of you as mine. Where you go, I go.” I shrug, stifling a yawn.

“You are the bravest person I know, and you make me want to be just as brave.” He smiles at me and kisses me slowly. 

I don’t see it coming, but I latch on to him for dear life. He is careful with me, handling me as if I am something fragile. He cups my cheeks, and slips his tongue in my mouth. I hold on to the nape of his head, feeling heat spread under my skin. My belly tightens, and I want more of him, but we’ve had a very long day. He pulls away reluctantly, kisses me firmly one more time, before smiling. 

We aren’t out of the woods yet, not even close, but we’re definitely making it out together.