Cherished (bxb)

Chapter Nine

I didn't remember calling Ty, but my phone was in my hand and his voice was distantly trying to talk to me. I closed my eyes and appreciated the calm of the darkness until the slam of my dorm door opening. Ty and Gerald walked in.

Gerald. Gerald from lunch. I couldn't hear the words coming out of my mouth, but I shook my head and tried my best to protest.

Royce was going to come back, Royce was going to see him, Royce was going to break up with me.

Ty grabbed my hand and it provided some comfort, but I couldn't stop the pounding of my heartbeat in my head and my quick breaths.

Then all I saw was Gerald. I saw his big brown eyes filled with concern, the crease between his dark brows, the downturn of his lovely lips. "Love, is it okay if I hold your hand like this?"

I wanted him to, so I did my best to nod.

The comforting pressure of my hand in his helped calm my anxiety. I slowed my breathing and opened my eyes when I truly felt stable. Ty said something to me and I did my best to answer, but my mind was preoccupied by Gerald.

"Gerald?" I asked. "You're here?"

He gave me a caring look and nodded. "I'm here. I drove Ty. He was over my house to see David. Do you mind telling us what happened? It's okay if you don't want to."

I knew I would have to tell them, especially after making them go out of their way to help me. I'd totally ruined their days. "We were..." I stopped when I remembered how the story started.

"Fucking," Ty blurted out.

Of course he'd be shameless.

"Yeah," I admitted. I stumbled out the rest of the story, telling them about the choking—with Ty's prompting of course—how I didn't get the chance to say no, and about my panic.

When I looked at them, Gerald was giving me a look I'd never seen from him before. His handsome face was taunt with worry. "When you say you 'didn't get a chance' to say no, what do you mean exactly?"

"It happened so fast," I tried to explain. Because it wasn't like Royce didn't let me, there just wasn't enough time. "He said he wanted to and then he did."

Gerald nodded. "And how do you feel about that?"

How did I feel, I didn't even realize that I was supposed to feel a way about that. I just felt bad about the wrong I'd done, so I told Gerald that. Then the flowers caught my eye. They were strewn about the floor, so Royce must have thrown them at one point.

"Look," I said mournfully. "He got me flowers. He got me those because they reminded him of me. Beautiful and delicate."

"And cut off from their source of nutrients with no way to grow and flourish," Ty snapped.

What a jerk.

"It's true," Gerald chuckled. "If he were truly a romantic, he would've gardened with you."

I got a brief image of Gerald with his knees dirty and hands cupping a small plant, ready to put it in the ground. In my mental image, he was smiling at me.

By the time I came back to reality, Gerald was inviting us over for dinner and to stay the night. He put emphasis on the words 'separate rooms' when he did it, too.