Treat You Better

Chapter Fifty-four: Boyfriend Duties

I sighed, looking up at him, and I thought my life was crazy. Maybe it was a tie.

It did feel like one of my life's greatest mysteries had just been solved though, and I was seeing Angelo in an all new light now. I looked down at the photo of littler him looking dryly at the camera as he sat on a chair, a half dismantled toy truck and a screwdriver in his hands. "Can I keep this?" I asked his older, golden haired version. "I know this just symbolizes a checkered past to you, but to me it means something more beautiful and pure, do you mind?"

"How could I?" He answered softly and his eyes never left me as I got up to put the photo among the rest on my bulletin board. All the friendships I never really had, the ones I did once, the ones I was trying to save, and the one that was still standing.

"You know," I told Angelo, taking the next few steps till I was standing right in front of him. "I don't care what you once did, whatever it is has no hold on you anymore... unless you killed somebody, which you didn't, right?"

Angelo shrugged, "I resist the urge on a daily basis."

"Yeah, keep doing that." I chuckled, and leaned forward till our foreheads touched. "Thanks for coming back, you're a good friend."

"Did you just put me back in the friend zone, darling?" He asked, I grinned feeling a little giddy.

"Hold on, I'll get you out of there in a second." I said and placed a light kiss on his lips.

"Tease," He muttered the moment I pulled away, and he wasn't completely wrong. If I didn't do things this way, I was going to completely lose control and who knew what would happen. I was going to just explain that to him when I noticed his right hand again which was now resting beside him.

"Hey, did you hurt yourself?" I asked Angelo, going to take his hand. His knuckles were covered in white bandages and I could even see a bit of red staining it. How did I not notice this the moment I opened my door? "Angie, what happened?"

"It's nothing, Letty. Hardly even hurts now." He said, pulling his hand away, I immediately went to get my first aid kit, skirting around Moo who was busy battling with her new, stretchy, toy rat.

"It's still bleeding, for crying out loud!" I said as I returned to him with the box. "How did this even happen?"

"I hit it."

"Where?"

"Someone's face."

I blinked at him, "You punched somebody?"

"Yeah," He looked like he would do it again if the opportunity arose.

I lowered my head and dabbed disinfectant at his busted knuckles. "Who did you punch?" I asked quietly.

"Hale."

My heart dropped and I swallowed nervously. "Why?"

"Because he looked at you." Angelo said factually. "He has no right, and he knew I saw him, worst of all. So I went after him after dropping you off."

Yet he still had time to get flowers and ice cream. I was flattered but this was way bigger than that.

"Angie, I don't want anything to do with Hale, you can't just punch him when he's only virtually done something wrong." I don't want him and his mother coming after you.

"But he has done something wrong. Virtually, actually, definitely." Angelo said, pulling the hand I was trying to patch up away so he could lift my head up by my chin.
His hair grew quite quickly, I randomly observed in my brain's muddled state. "He's done something unforgivable yet you don't want to turn him in or press charges? Letty, you don't have to be afraid of him."