𝐖𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍. ˢᵗᵉᵛᵉ ʰᵃʳʳⁱⁿᵍᵗᵒⁿ ¹

010

When he looked back to Lori, she was fully sitting up, her back hard against the wall, and not willing to comply with any of this bullshit.

Then, she clamped her teeth around one of the fingers that covered her mouth. And not lightly— she bit down hard.

"OW!" He whisper-shouted, his voice filled with exasperated shock as he ripped his hand away. "SHIT, MY FINGER!" he wrapped his un-injured around his wrist, hopping on one foot and soaring to ease the pain.

"What the hell are you doing in my room!" Lori whisper-shouted back, her chest heaving with relief that it wasn't an abductor, but mad because it was, well, Steve. Her voice was filled with new anger and shock. "Do you know what time it is!"

"GOD— WHY DID YOU BITE MY FINGER!" Steve was still hopping, and it took everything in him not to scream at full volume. "SHIT, LORI!" He bent backwards, gripping his hand.

"Answer me! Why are you sneaking into my room in the middle of the night, you absolute lunatic!" she retorted, angrily.

"I think I'm bleeding!" he worried, his voice still hushed but strained, while he stared as deeply as he could at his hand in the dark. "Shit!"

"Shut up!" Lori was still sitting in her bed, in the same spot. She grabbed one of the pillows off her bed and thwacked the side of his body in the dark. "Shut up!"

    He stumbled to the side a bit, and glared at her as a silence took over for a moment. After another second of easing the pain of his bitten finger, Steve calmed down and let out a stressed breath. He ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavily, and Lori watched this, waiting for the right moment. She would've had no shame in slapping him in the face for scaring her so badly.

"Now get out of my room!" Lori seethed angrily, "Do you know what time it is?" She grabbed her blankets and was ready to stand up, hopefully punch him right in the fac—

"No, no!" Steve caught up to what she was doing, and lunged forward again.

This time, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and the other on her forearm, stopping her. His touch wasn't harmful or strong, but it was daring enough to cause Lori's eyebrows to narrow sharply, and also enough to keep her sitting for one more moment.

She paused. She would've slapped him in the face or told him off, but something inside of her didn't push that urge. Maybe it was the fact that her mom would hear Steve's screams if Lori punched him. Or maybe it was the fact that he was crouching so close to her that she could hear him breathing.

    Instead, she rid herself of his grasp by a strong jerk of her shoulders. He remained crouched over her, his hands on the edge of her mattress next to her legs.

    And now, it was quiet. His face was inches from hers, they could hear one another breathing— Steve heavily, and Lori's painfully impatient. She stared at his eyes in the dark, her own eyes beady and vexed, waiting for whatever he had to say. His lips began to move.

    "I need to borrow your car." he said, as sternly and quietly as he could.

    Immediately, her face contorted and her mouth opened, ready to protest and tell him off again.

    But he lifted his hand, just hovering it in between them, as if telling her to stop, "Let me explain, okay," he whispered, cautiously.

    She waited for a moment, pursing her lips together angrily. She crossed her arms. "Why." she demanded an answer, her voice bitter. Her eyes pierced into his, not even looking away once.