Danger Line

Chapter 31: Anxious skin

“Paige, eh?” Austin chuckled darkly, staring at her as though she was cheap. Almost like she was something nasty he had had in his mouth for way too long. Paige tried to ignore it, she wanted to disappear into the shop, and forget about him as soon as possible. “You know, feel free to answer me,” Austin groaned, his voice sounding threatening, as he took a step closer to her. Brian stood by her side, looking annoyed, as he stalked closer to Austin. “I don’t personally know you, but I swear to God, if you make my girl uncomfortable, I will personally smash your face. Get the fuck out of our way,” Brian’s voice was calm, yet cold and filled with hatred. Austin looked slightly taken aback, especially by the fact that Brian’s height overpowered Austin completely. By now, Brian had clenched his fists, ready to use violence in order to make her comfortable again.

Austin’s hands flew up in surrender, as he turned around, stumping the cigarette, before signalizing to his friends. Brian still glared at them, as they walked off. Paige could only see the tip of their heads, due to Brian blocking her view. 

She let out a sigh of relief, as she decided to walk inside the shop, Brian following closely after her with his palm resting against the lower part of her back. They entered the shop, as she soon found a basket to carry her groceries. She still felt uncomfortable, hysterical and even shocked. It was as though she had been hit by thunder, and was still trying to recover from the horrific experience.

“Paige, are you okay?” his voice was soft, sounding like velvet, as he grasped her wrist in his big hand, forcing her to look up. Her eyes were puffy, almost like she wanted to cry, but realized this was not the time for it. She ignored his question, still feeling the need to recover from Austin’s nasty face, as she went to grab some dark chocolate and peanuts.

She kept loading her basket with different items, walking around in the store to ignore Brian who stared at her with a hopelessly expression. Paige soon went to pay for her items, before rapidly placing them in two different bags.

“Please,” Brian stood behind her, his breath hitting her neck. She felt his hands roam her naked arms, setting her skin on fire by the way he so lovingly caressed and delighted her bare skin. He bent forwards, in order to plant a kiss on the top of her head, before taking both of the bags in one hand. Paige felt chills run rapidly through her body, as he went to grab her hand, before locking his slender fingers around her tiny palm.

Paige kept her lips sealed, almost like she knew that if she told him anything, Austin would punish her badly. The thought alone was scary, as chills overwhelmed her body, making her fragile and petite compared to the destructive thought that had entered her mind. She felt Brian tightened his fingers around her, in order to send her back to reality.

Before she was aware of her own disconnection with the world, she realized they were already standing outside her house. She felt her cheeks rise with a bright red colour, as she unlocked the door, feeling strange and uncomfortable in her own body, as she walked inside, hearing the sound of the door being shut, only to see Brian disappear into the kitchen. Her sanitary eyes watched him as he came back, a confused expression striking his gorgeous face.

“Let’s go to your room,” Brian requested, taking her hand before even allowing her to respond to his command. Paige felt his soft velvet tone embrace the sentence, putting a strange meaning to it. He did not sound as though he was in the mood to make love, but to be informed. The thought was scratchy, as it seemed to invent her mind more than she could ever admit.

Brian opened the door to her room, letting go of her, as she immediately found a spot in her soft bed. She looked at Brian, who stood before her, running a hand through his spiked hair, teasing her slightly by the view of his amazing appearance. He then rubbed his skilled fingers against his temple, before looking at her. “What’s going on?” he asked hopelessly, confusion dwelling in his hazel brown eyes. Paige attended to play with her hair lock, before Brian sat down close to her, almost forcing her to meet his stern look. “Babe, I’m serious,” it was obvious that he was pushing her. He was pushing her because he needed to know, he needed to understand and be capable of helping her, no matter what struggle she had.

“That’s my ex-boyfriend, what more do you need to know?” she sounded harsh, as her eyes became more swollen from all the tears she had to hide inside. She looked away from him, not able to look at the pain that hid in his dark orbs. “Did he do something to you?” Brian was careful. Careful not to slip something inappropriate out of his lips, and careful because he did not understand what had made her so cold and private about the topic. She took her time before she felt like answering, while Brian took her hand, the warmth of his skin comforting hers.

“We were together during high school, but at the end of the relationship, we had a lot of fights,” she admitted, her voice approaching in a raspy tone, as Brian wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. “What kind of fights?” he whispered, as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of Paige. “He wanted to have sex, and I didn’t,” her voice was trembling, and Brian knew that it was painful and sore to her. He lifted his head, scanning for her eyes, as he leaned his head towards hers. “Baby,” he whimpered, as he cupped her face with his palms. “He was constantly nagging me about it,” she went on, even though Brian knew he should tell her to stop. “Trying to push me into it, but it didn’t feel right,” she frowned slightly at the thought of Austin constantly trying to approach her in an intimidate way. She could only imagine his hands creeping towards her sides, roughly pulling him towards her, while forcing his lips on hers.

“Paige?” Brian snapped her back to reality, as she realized she had scratched her skin deeply with her nails, leaving a deep mark. “He was a dick to you, but you don’t have to worry about him now,” Brian comforted her, embracing her petite body in his biceps, before dragging her along with him, as he laid down in her bed. Paige remained by his side, his arms still comforting her trembling body, while his lips brushed past her temple, lightly feeling her anxious skin underneath his reassuring lips.