Denied Attraction

Denied Attraction Chapter 10

"Julio, what happened?" I asked, walking slowly towards him.

He maintained a steady gaze, holding my soft brown eyes with his dark ones. I gulped down a lump that began to form in my throat. His stare was so powerful, I just couldn't look away no matter how much I wanted to.

I reached him without realizing it until we stood so close, the heat from his beaten up body reaching and caressing my bare arms. I noticed then that I only wore a tight black singlet with extremely short shorts. I could feel my cheeks heat up, and knew straight away I was blushing.

"Amelia, just go back to bed," Julio said huskily, breaking the silence.

I took in a deep breath. It was a completely wrong and utterly stupid choice. I inhaled Julio's sweet scent and was automatically drawn in. I found myself begin to lean in to him. Closing my eyes, I took a step back and when I felt calmer, I opened my eyes and looked up at Julio again.

"You need some help. I bet you can't even reach some of those cuts," I replied quietly.

"I'm fine-" he began to say but was cut off from the pain on his side. I instinctively grabbed his arm and led him to the bed, making him sit down on the soft quilt. Blood drops lined the floor showing that Julio had come in through the window.

"You're obviously not," I said under my breath and took off towards the bathroom.

I walked into the tiny bathroom and grabbed some bandages and towels. Once that was sorted, I crept to the kitchen and filled a bowl with some warm water and then opened the freezer. I found a packet of frozen peas and smiled to myself grabbing those and juggling everything, made my way to the room.

Julio lay on the bed, his eyes closed. I made my way over to him and kneeled down beside him. I got the frozen peas and placed them carefully on his eye, which had become even more swollen then before. Next I dipped one of the smaller towels in the water and began to gently clean up the dried up blood around each cut.

"You don't have to help me." His voice was so hoarse that it almost sounded like someone else.

"I want to help you though," I retorted.

He gave me a small smirk and I responded with my own little grin, before turning serious.

"What happened, Julio?" I asked.

He sighed and looked away slightly as I began to bandage up the cuts. It was a while before he finally looked at me and with a sad smile he explained to me a believable yet total lie.

"Just got into a little fight on my way home, Amelia. It's nothing serious. Won't happen again."

With that, he slowly sat up, causing me to move back and fall onto my ass. I huffed and crossed my legs, watching Julio slowly test the limit of his body's movement. He smiled at me slightly before getting up and walking over the door.

"Thanks for your help," he said and with that, walked out of the bedroom.

I watched the slightly open door for a little bit before finally standing on my own two feet and grabbing the towels and bowl. I tip-toed down the passage and dumped the towels in the wash basket and proceeded to the kitchen.

Julio was nowhere in sight. I emptied out the water into the sink and rinsed it before placing it in the dishwasher. With a heavy sigh, I made my way back to the room and collapsed onto my bed. It was well passed one now and I was exhausted. My eyelids felt heavy and within minutes, everything was black.

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JULIO'S POV

I can't believe she saw all those cuts. I was hoping she'd be deep in sleep by now considering she was always out like a light at about ten. The look on her face, she was horrified, and that hurt me more than I thought it would. She looked disgusted. I don't know if it was at me or at the state my body was in.

Drying my wet hands, I walked into the room and glanced to her side of the room. She was collapsed on top of the bed. It was obvious she probably only just made it to the bed in time. I walked over to her and carefully lifted her up to get the blanket out from under her, making sure I don't hurt myself in the process. I tucked her in and a smile crept across my face.

I realize I would do anything to protect her. I always wanted to be there for her, to never leave her side. That's why I suggested for her to stay in my room. Someone needed to watch over her. No one gave me that responsibility, I chose to take it.

I would let myself get beaten up again, if it meant keeping her safe.