A World Apart

Protector

*********************************************************************

IMPORTANT NOTE!: THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER CONTAINS BRIEF CONTENT ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION IF THIS IS A SENSITIVE SUBJECT TO YOU! IF YOU'RE UNSURE OF THIS CONTENT, AND WHETHER IT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR YOU, THEN FEEL FREE TO ASK ME BEFORE READING!

MANY THANKS.

C.S.

*********************************************************************

Waking up the next morning, my entire body was stiff and achey from the cold rooftop. But even with that, nothing could ruin my good mood. I stretched my aching limbs, my eyes closing as I relived the sweet moment that I finally got to kiss Jake. It was so perfect, like a scene from a movie, and I couldn't wait to see him again. I swung my legs out of bed, grabbing my phone and opening my messages.

Was it too soon to text him?

I chewed the inside of my lip, deliberating whether or not it was acceptable to text him just yet. I didn't want to seem too overbearing. But then again, was it overbearing to send a quick, short text when I woke up? Rolling my eyes, I threw my phone onto the bed, deciding to wait a little longer, instead, making my way to the bathroom for a shower.

Once I was dressed, I scooped my phone up, noting a slight sense of disappointment that he hadn't texted me whilst I was getting dressed. I shrugged it off, chalking it down to the likelihood that he was saving his credit, and finally tapped out a text:

Morning, I think we should take some chairs to the roof for next time, my legs are seriously achy! Lol! Are you busy today, or do you have time to meet up?

Re-reading it several times to make sure it wasn't too gushy or too distant, I hit send and tucked my phone into my jeans pocket.

I sat at my desk, sketching new designs, my mind split between what I was creating and what Jake may be up to. The hours passed by and I still hadn't received any word from him. I tried to fight the stirring concern which was bubbling up inside of me. Telling myself repeatedly that he was okay, and that his battery was dead, or that he was too busy to answer me yet. I picked up my phone more times than I could count, and still nothing. Eventually, I reopened his message chain on my phone, my worry increasing when I saw that the message had indeed delivered a few minutes after being sent.

Why isn't he answering?

A flood of different scenarios popped into my head, all causing my concern to escalate into near full-on panic. I worried that he'd been hurt, that he'd had an accident and was lying in an alley somewhere, alone and injured whilst the world continued to pass by. The mental image of his broken body terrified me, and I rose to my feet, ready to head on out when I forced myself to calm down, not to go off the deep end just yet.

Taking a few deep breaths, I decided to get back to work, assuring myself that he would send word soon. As the morning turned to afternoon and there was still no word, another thought decided to plague my mind.

What if the kiss was too much. What if he's avoiding me because it was too soon, or if he's realised he doesn't like me that way.

I practically pounced on my phone as it suddenly lit up, the screen flashing into life with the arrival of a new message. The energy drained right back out of me as I read the name on the screen, slumping back into my chair as I read Abi's message.

I'm on lunch, fancy a bite? X

With her offer being much more preferable than sitting in my apartment mentally tormenting myself for the foreseeable future, I accepted her invitation, and grabbing a jacket and my purse, left to meet her.