English Accent (The Accents #1)

I promise

"I'm going to kill Debbie for taking you there." Dominic said after some time.

I shook my head slightly, careful not to cause myself any pain.

"It's not her fault. She couldn't know how it was going to end." I defended her.

"But she should have listened when you told her you didn't want to go."

I raised my good brow.

"Really? And who offered to come in with me?"

A muscle feathered in his jaw and he didn't say anything. Instantly, I regretted my words because I knew he was now blaming himself. I reached out and placed my palm on his cheek. His head snapped up instantly, and his eyes locked with mine.

"It's not your fault." I said softly.

He nodded but didn't look convinced.

"It's no one's fault. And I'm alright."

His brows furrowed and an angry look crept onto his features.

"Alright? How any part of you can be alright?" He asked, his voice angry.

I tensed, but he didn't explode, just kept on talking in a low voice.

"He touched you, Abi. He hit you. You were just trying to help Debbie, who is too damn stubborn to think clearly, and once you did, you were the one who became the victim. You... You just jumped there, and pushed her, and it all happened so fast that I couldn't even -"

He paused and took a deep breath.

"God, Abi, I -"

And then he moved forward and wrapped his arms around me, careful not to cause me any pain. With one arm around my waist, he guided his other hand to the back of my neck and brought the good side of my face into his chest. None of his ministrations hurt me, since his palm rested on my neck, not the head, and he didn't touch the damaged side of my face once. Then I felt his chin rest at the top of my head and my heart jumped

"You brave, brave girl." He whispered, rocking me. "You brave, stupid girl."

I reached around his torso and clenched my fingers into the soft material of his t-shirt.

"I'm alright." I replied, my voice muffled by his shirt. "I'm alright."

We sat like that for a while, wrapped around one another, with his breath fanning the hair at the top of my head and me fighting to breathe at all in his tight embrace. He rocked me back and forth and I closed my eyes against the sudden rush of emotions.

I could tell how worried he'd been by just the way he held me. He showed me without words the anxiousness of the past eight hours, all the anger, and insecurity. Suddenly, I remembered something important, and I took a deep breath.

"Dom?" I asked quietly, hoping he would hear me.

He stilled.

"Yes?"

I paused.

"Don't ever fight again, okay?"

I felt his chest rise against my cheek and waited for his response. I honestly didn't know what his reaction was going to be, bit I had to ask anyway. I didn't want to see him bruised or furious ever again. It would help me sleep at night if I knew he's made that promise.

"I won't, Sweetie." He said after a moment and I smiled. "I promise."

~*~

"Yes, Mom, I'm sure I'm okay."  I repeated for the hundredth time, trying to calm her over the phone.

"But you've had a concussion!" She exclaimed and I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. "This isn't something you can just ignore!"