Love Me And Don't You Dare Ever Go

Chapter 19

Ari pushes me in the back seats of her car, and slams the door.

"Oof!" I groan and rub my side as I sit up. I hit a seat belt. Before I can glance in front of me, the car is screeching with it's get away, and the force of it makes me fall back on the seats again.

"Ari, slow down!" I yell.

"No, I can never go fast enough!" She yells back, her voice quivering. She tightens her grip on the steering wheel and breathes heavily.

The car jerks left and right, swerving past honking drivers. Ari then suddenly halts to a stop at a red light, and I fall back again, this time hitting my head on a car door. I black out.

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I wake to a massive migraine. "Oww," I groan. I sit up and rub my eyes, my vision coming into focus. I'm in a car. With Ari. I look out the window and all I see is country, trees, and more country.

"You okay?" I turn my head towards Ari's voice.

"Yeah ... How long have I been out?" I rub my head.

"A couple hours." Ari stares straight ahead, and I can see she's sweating. From nervousness, maybe, or because it's hot as shit in here.

"Why is it so hot?" I go to take off my shirt, but notice I don't have a shirt on. I only have boxers on. My face reddens. Oh yeah. Zack took my clothes.

"I don't know," she says, very irritated.

"Ari, stop the car."

"What? Why?"

"Just pull over in the grass," I say.

"But -"

"Now."

Reluctantly, Ari slows down and drives into the grass. She comes to a slow stop and turns off the engine.

"Why did you want me to stop?" She asks as she turns to look back at me.

"I wanted to say a proper hello," I smile.

She looks at me. Her lip quivers.

"Well, come here," I whisper, holding out my hand.

Instead of taking it, she climbs to the back seat and propels herself into my arms, crying into my neck.

"I'm so sorry," she sobs, pressing into me.

I tear up. "It's okay," I whisper in her ear, holding onto her so tight that I'm sure she can hardly breathe.

She cries and cries into my neck, like a little girl who lost her teddy bear. Except she's grown up, and she lost a father. And she lost me too.

She kissed me so hard, with her tears in the middle, and some strands of her scruffy hair that wouldn't move away at the right moment. And even though her nose is running, she's sweating like a pig, and her makeup is smeared across her face and onto mine, it was the most beautiful kiss I've ever had. Because she had me, and I had her, and the thought of that fact was enough to make anything seem like sunshine.

There was no "I love you" because it wasn't necessary. We already knew that. We just had to feel it in our bodies instead of in the air, and so maybe that's the reason why her shirt came off and her bra came undone. And maybe it's also the reason why we couldn't separate our lips, and why my boxers were on the carpet. And maybe it could explain the reason that her body was moving on mine, and why it could've seemed like the worst time to anyone else, but the best time for me and her. No one could understand that the feeling of her skin on mine was home, and the way she loved me like that was our way of saying "I love you".

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"Do you think we're safe here?" I ask.

"Maybe. Maybe we should've stayed in the car, and camped out in there. We could be tracked down by my .... By him," Ari says.

"At least we have a shower and a bed," I smile. I plop down on the bed. "So comfy," I moan. I crawl under the covers.

"Get out of there and shower first, you smell bad," she says as she opens the bathroom door.

"You don't smell any better," I mumble and hesitantly step onto the floor. I make my way to the bathroom as Ari stands there and watches me.

I stand in front of her. Reaching for her waist, I kiss her forehead and close my eyes.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

She sighs and shakes her head. "You're just ... So skinny. And underweight."

"I'll get some food in there and it'll all be okay."

"You have bruises."

"They'll go away."

"And scars ..." She trails off, staring at my stomach.

"They'll fade too," I say. She sighs again and rests her head on my chest.

"Are you sore?" I ask quietly.

She looks up at me and kisses my chin. "Only a little." She looks at the ground and smiles. "I'll be okay."

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