Touch me Not

16. the circle of lies

The reality of my situation caught up with me as Cameron carried me outside. The chill blasted my bare arms and legs with persistent glee. Dressed in nothing but my T-shirt and boxers, I felt equally as exposed as I had last night when Gabriel had touched my skin.

"Let me down." I had to get back inside. Gabriel wouldn't understand. He would get mad, and I didn't want him to be mad at me. I just needed a break from him, but not with Cameron. Never Cameron. Gabriel would hate me.

"Please don't struggle, Adam." Cameron's words had the opposite effect. Finding my remaining strength, I tried to break free from his hold. If I lost, I would lose my boyfriend. He needed my help, I knew that. It was clear in the shadowed depths of his eyes, so why couldn't Cameron see? Why didn't he understand?

"Adam, you're hurt. We're going to a doctor, please just stay calm." He sounded desperate, as if he cared about me.

Taking a deep breath, I relaxed in Cameron's embrace. We remained close to the apartment building, but even the short distance was enough to let the cold seep into my bones. Cameron trudged on, and when his car became visible, I forgot my thoughts of struggle altogether. I needed to get inside that car and turn on the heating.

My bare feet touched the icy ground as Cameron let me down. "I'm sorry I didn't get your stuff, but your boyfriend scares the hell out of me."

I didn't reply. What could I say? Was I scared of Gabriel? I wasn't sure. All I knew was that something was seriously wrong. Gabriel had never laid a finger on me while we'd been friends. He had beat up others from time to time, but I'd usually stayed far away from those fights when we were younger. He had been protecting me, or that's what he had said at least, now I wasn't as sure about that.

Cameron shook his head and opened the car, motioning for me to get in. Warmth lingered inside, but it wasn't enough to dampen the shivers traveling along my skin. It shouldn't have been this cold in March.

"Thank you." I wasn't sure he had heard me as he shut the door. I felt bad about the entire situation. I felt bad about needing to be rescued, I felt bad about having to lie, and I felt terrible about leaving Gabriel like that.

Cameron sat in the driver's seat, fastening his seat belt with tense jerks. He was angry. I couldn't handle more of that emotion. Not today.

"I'm sorry."

He looked at me. The anger melted away right in front of me, replaced by pity pooling in his eyes—eyes that I had once described as stunning. I couldn't do that now. I had no right.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said. The clipped tone chipped at my emotions. Was he disappointed? I tried to read what I could from his posture and the worried lines marring his face, but I got lost in the amber irises that expressed something I couldn't decipher.

He seemed to be waiting for me to respond, but I had nothing to say. Nothing worth saying.

"Do you want me to get you some clothes before we go to the hospital?"

I stared down at the goosebumps littering my bare arms and legs as he started the car and turned on the heater. Clothes. He had a point.

"And a shower?" I added. I don't know why I asked. It was a weird question. I wasn't even sure where we were going. Some part of me thought that we would head up to my room, but I also knew that it was unlikely since Cameron seemed set on driving.

"I don't think we have time for a shower. But, we'll head to my place. It's on the way, and I'll call the hospital. Hopefully they'll see you right away." His voice was softer, making me wonder what had caused the change. A brief glance in his direction when he turned right at an intersection left me without an answer. His face was a mask—firmer than I had ever seen it before.