Behind

Chapter 21

Nash grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the hospital with Shawn lagging behind. Once we reached Bart's stolen car, Nash just stood there. He didn't unlock the doors. He didn't say anything. 

I didn't mean to yelp loudly when his fist slammed right into the the driver's door. The dent formed deeply immediately and he just stared at it and breathed heavily. I ran over to Nash and grabbed his arm. 

"Come on." I said assertively but calmly. I took the keys from him and escorted him into the passenger's seat as Shawn climbed into the back. 

"I can drive." He mumbled.

I shut the door and walked around to the driver's seat. "Not like this you can't."

***

I stopped at the entrance of the hotel and Shawn opened his door. Nash didn't. 

"Let's go buddy." Shawn patted Nash's shoulder. 

Nash gritted his teeth and stared forward. I leaned closer to Nash and attempted to get his attention. "Hey, we're here."

"I know where we are, I just don't want to be here."

Shawn looked at me resentfully, but quickly let his emotions fade to a softer look. "Maybe he just needs someone to help him out right now." He widened his eyes as if he meant that "someone" was me.

I gave myself a brief moment of thought before I turned the key in the ignition. "I'll see you later Shawn." I smiled slightly. He returned the smile and slammed the car door. I lightly shook Nash's shoulder. "If I snuck you over for a sleepover, would that be okay with you?"

He turned his head and smirked weakly. "Yeah."

***

We both kicked our shoes off at the door and I pushed Nash up the stairs before I went to talk to my mom about being home. 

"I'm home for the night." I said, yawning.

"Alright," she was facing the tv. Momentarily she turned to face me. "Honey, are you okay? What happened?"

I looked at her funny and I saw she was staring at my eyes. I probably had raccoon eyes. God forbid I wear makeup in rough situations.

"Nothing's wrong," I lied. "But I am really tired, so I'll talk to you in the morning."

I watched her try to read my facial expressions and I wasn't sure if she was getting through or not. "Goodnight sweetheart."

I walked back up the stairs and Nash was laying shirtless on my bed. "Oh no no no." I said as I shut the door quietly, not forgetting to lock it.

"What?" He asked, casually laying with his arms crossed behind his head.

"Not on my bed." 

"I'm not a dog, I think I can sleep on the bed." 

"Alright, I'll sleep on the floor." I said, going to the closet for blankets.

Nash stood up and walked over to me as I dug through my closet of junk. He pulled my arm back gently and turned me around to face him. "I'm not going to try to have sex with you, you can lay with me."

I stared at him for a moment, contemplating. Too tired and exhausted to even think, I turned the light off and laid down. It felt so weird to have another figure join in from the other side of the bed. 

To my expectance, Nash reached his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, my back aligned with his front. 

"Are you sure you don't want to put a shirt on?" I asked quietly.