vehement

10

• AMALIA •

Archer is still holding me when I wake up. Immediately I think about what happened yesterday: when he asked me to let him take me out and offered to stay.

     I look up at him. His face is relaxed and his arms are wrapped around me protectively. His face has bruised, but I'm not sure what was from the accident and what was from the fight.

     He must sense me watching him, because he opens his eyes and looks down at me, a small smile curving his lips.

     "Morning." He whispers. "How are you feeling?"

     I groan. "You sound like my dad."

     His arm relaxes around me, and I sit up. My stomach begins to ache, and I wince as I lean on the headboard.

     "Your dad said he'd come back today."

     I nod, exhaling a heavy breath. I begin to climb out the bed, but he sets a hand on my waist. "What're you doing?"

"I need to wake Enzo up and make him some breakfast." I whisper.

"I can. You stay here." He tells me, moving his hand. I find myself missing the warmth his touch brought and wishing he'd put his hand back.

     "It's fine." I reply. "I can't stay in bed forever."

     "Then stay for a little bit." He says. "You need time to heal."

     "I wasn't the only one in the car crash. You were too."

     "I didn't get hurt as badly as you did." He responds.

     I hear a knock a few moments before the front door opens. Confusion swirls within me as I furrow my eyebrows.

     "It's me!" I relax when I hear my dads voice, relief pouring over me that it's not some psycho.

     I get out the bed, and Archer sends me a disapproving look. I walk out of the room and into the hallway, my body aching with each step. I meet my father in the living room.

     He frowns when he looks at me. "You should be in bed."

     "Told you." Archer mumbles as he walks out. "Hi, Mr. Romano." He says.

     My dad sends him a polite smile before returning his attention back to me. He sets a gentle hand on my shoulder and guides me to sit on the couch.

     "I'll go wake Enzo up." He says. "Stay here."

     I sigh and lean back.

•

I stroke Petals back, leaning my head on the pillow beneath my head. My dad is sitting across from me, his eyes trained on the television. Enzo is down for a nap. Archer took Alexandra to her new school to get her temporarily enrolled. She wasn't happy about it.

The door opens, and I expect Archer to walk in but instead it's Grayson. He glances around before walking over to me, sitting beside me on the couch. I'm laying down, giving him only a small bit of space to sit on. He leans down and kisses my cheek. "You okay?"

     I nod tiredly. He smiles. I bend my knees, giving him room to sit at the end of the couch. He takes the place, and I set my socked feet onto his lap.

     Xander came earlier. He's downstairs in the store for me. Practically everybody said I should just close it for the day, but they don't understand that I can't just do that. And the only way for them to understand would be for me to tell them. But.. I can't. They'd keep offering me money and I need to do this myself.