Less than Perfect

4. Bitterly Lovely {part one}

Chapter Four

Bitterly Lovely

Part One

Bryan's lips traveled up her body, lingering on her lips when they met. He cupped his hands around her chin and pressed against her, forcefully kissing her. She was unresponsive, frozen underneath him, tears staining her cheeks as she let him kiss her. She didn't want him to do more, though, ever. Her pounding heart started slowing, retreating on its beats as she started to give away to her own exhaustion.

His fingers traced the frame of her face, pulling her as close as possible, and brushed over the bruises that were enflamed with pain. He kept kissing her, trapping her with him.

However, he was so distracted by his interactions with Skye that he failed to even hear the sounds of footsteps on the floor above. It was then when a voice called out, worried and muffled through the floor and door blocking the sounds volume. "Skye, where are you, sweetie?" It was Leah, calling out for the daughter she couldn't find.

He was snapped out of the kissing, a sudden fear of being caught electrifying his veins and pushing him to get off the couch, cursing under his breath. Scrambling around for his shirt, he slipped it over his head as he muttered to himself about how he thought it all was very unfortunate.

Giving a glance in the direction of Skye, he noticed she was still on the couch, breathing quickly. Hurrying to her aid, he pulled her shirt down over her and lifted her up into his arms, her arms limply falling around him. "What do I do?" He whispered, his heart pounding inside his chest, threatening to break free.

She was weak, slowly fading, and unable to really process what was happening; but with a little help from fret and fear, she found enough of her voice to give him an answer. "Set me down," she spoke quietly, trying to ignore the ringing in her ears. He did as she told him, and she wobbled a moment, his arms catching her into balance. "Stay down here, Bryan, and I'll talk to them. Then, when you don't hear us anymore, leave and go home." She added, straining to find her concentration on his face.

He looked at her for a moment, burning those dark blue eyes into her, and gave her a small smile before kissing her forehead and giving her a gentle push towards the stairs. She didn't know what to make of it, his sudden carefulness, but she knew that it was better than what she had experienced moments before.

Practically crawling up the stairs, she made her way out the door and around the corner, sneaking a peak to find Leah. Finding no one, she made her way into the kitchen, weariness creeping into her body. She tried to manage her way over to the stools, but she collapsed, the stress and tiredness draining her energy. Her eyes were heavy, threatening to close as she watched as blackness dotted her vision.

The shuffling of footsteps echoed in her ears as Leah and Johnny entered the kitchen, her only awareness of them being their slippers. Leah gasped, rushing down beside her daughter. "Skye, are you alright?" Her small voice was filled with worry—the same worry that was speeding her beating heart. "What happened, sweetie? Why are you not in bed?" She asked as she pulled her into her own arms and put her hands on Skye's face, examining her.

Skye wanted to reply, she tried to reply, but nothing came out. She looked at Leah's blurring face, fighting the oppressing darkness of sleep. She didn't want for her to be worrying; she wanted Leah to be happy, never having to even think about worrying for her. Johnny, on the other hand, she couldn't care less what he did or how he felt.

"She doesn't look well. I'll put her to bed," Johnny said, setting his hand on Leah's shoulder. He looked entirely exhausted but in another way, he looked fully alive, driven by the opportunity to help his wife.