How To Love✓

23.

Amara

As he pulls away I am left stunned and yearning for more. My lips were tingling. My fingers dragged across my bottom lip, my head hazy and my senses blurred into existence. His presence pulled me back, assuring me that everything between us was real, very real.

And that scares me.

His eyes watched me intensely. Filled with boldness and beauty. Full of fire and passion, hidden by pain mixed with doubtful love. I draw him back in and locked my arms around his neck.

"Ouch," he groans in pain and I pull away. He held up his bloodied hands to our view and I felt bad for not seeing to this earlier.

"We should probably see to those cuts. With the germs around in the air they'll probably get more infected," I offer for him to stay in my room tonight but he insists that I stay in his room tonight since we both have Literature together in the morning.

"I don't want you getting into any trouble Lu," I prompt as we headed down the silent highway back to campus.

"I've been through worse baby," he grunts and I blush profusely.

"So, tell me something about you," he pleas, "I've known you for two and a half months now and all I know about you is your beautiful name and your cancer story."

I glance over to him to see him smirking. I laugh at the comment.

"How did a girl from Michigan end up in California?"

"Well I ended up getting a scholarship here, so I couldn't pass it up," I reply truthfully.

"Scholarship? Pretty fancy," he answers.

"I just... I love visual and oral arts. I love everything about both. I love the study, I love the culture that it brings and the whole human experience, just all wrapped up into one. Anger, sadness love, passion, acceptance, history." As I ended I felt his hand rest itself on my thigh and he caresses me through my jeans. I felt his burning gaze at the side of my head and I kept wondering what he was thinking about.

"Never mind. I don't know. What about you? Tell me about you. What's your story?" I ask hesitantly.

When he didn't answer I felt guilty for even trying. I was about to apologise when I heard the croak of his normally husky voice.

"Mine's pretty simple. I got some making up to do. I hurt a few people last year," was his reply.

"What do you mean you hurt a few people last year?" I furrow my eyebrow.

He shrugs. "I just did."

I shake my head. "I don't understand you Lucien. You want me to open up but you won't? Healthy relationships don't work one sided."

His grip tighten on my thigh and he winces as he realises he was putting force on his cut hand. "I'm going to do my best, don't worry about me."

The night was thrilling and the wind blew rapidly behind us. Glimpsing to the side of the road, my eyes widen and I howl, almost making Lucien swivel into a tree.

"Que diable!!" He yelps in torment but my eyes are too fixated on the fire glaring through my irises.

"A car's on fire Lucien. Someone could be in there!" I yell at him and reached for the door handle.

"Don't fucking think you could survive through all that smoke Amara. Stay here and let me go check it out," Lucien stops me and rushed out of the car and into the blare. I saw specks of water spluttering across the windshield and then I am met with rain. Lucien then comes back with a bloodied elderly, hands draped around his waist to steady him.

I rush out of the car and into the rain and open the back door in allowance of Lucien to lay the man across the seat.

"Is he alive?" I ask, frantically shuffling to stand next to Lucien.

"Necklace. The necklace, hanging on the rearview mirror," the man mutters out of breath.

"What did he say?" I yell over the rain.

"I have it sir, I have it!" Lucien tells him and goes round the driver's side and yells for me to get in. We sped into the rain and I turned in my seat to face the man, reaching out to place a hand over his.

I started to silently cry as I saw the open wound on his head and arms, a gush of blood pulping out and running down his face and body.

Pulling up in front of STANFORD HOSPITAL at 300 Pasteur Drive, Lucien cuts off the engine and I am already outside grabbing ahold of the stranger's arm.

"Please someone help him," I cry out. Two nurses and a doctor emerges and immediately places the man on a stretcher. Lucien and I were told to stay out in the waiting room until they get any news.

My hair is drenched and my hands are bloodied. My breaths are shallow and my head spins. As I thought I was going to fall to the floor, strong arms catch me before I do.

"Princess," he wraps his arms around my waist to steady me and rocks me back and forth.

He kisses my earlobe to try and soothe me but the tears kept streaming down my face. "I think you just saved that guy's life," I croak.

"We both did," he says and moves the lengthy wet hair out of my face.

"Come on, I held the door open," I say, wiping my nose.

"You were amazing," he whispers against my ear and places a light kiss to my lips.

"I just hope that he's okay," I say and sigh throatily.

"I'll take you home," he offers but I decline. "I think I'm going to stay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, at least until we hear anything," I shoot him a weak smile.

"Then I'll wait with you," he smiles.

He kisses me softly once again and that was the best reassurance I needed to end my night.

***

If you're liking this story, don't forget to vote and leave a nice review! xoxo