Toxic - Luke Hemmings

Chapter 35

"I don't need stitches, Izz." He finally grabbed the towel from my hands and turned toward the mirror.

"I'm checking on the guys." I said, frustrated that he kept shutting me down. It wasn't like I was graduating next year with a pre-med degree or anything.

I left him in the bathroom to go back and see if Ash, Mike, or Cal needed help. Sophie had grabbed ice down the hall and had it placed on Ashton's bruised hand. She was now helping Calum put ice on his swollen and cut lip. I walked into the bathroom to find Michael wiping all the blood off his chest. I didn't even realize he had a shallow cut there, probably from a knife, like Luke.

"Mikey." I approached him, taking a wash cloth from the sink and sitting on the counter. "I see you got sliced up, too." I said, wiping off the cut and then holding a fresh wash cloth over it.

"I told you it's dangerous. The only reason we got out of there was because Luke pulled his gun on them." He was fuming, and I didn't blame him. But, he just kept moving as I tried to keep the rag over the cut.

"Stop moving!" I snapped, making him settle down and stay still in front of me.

"Can you just listen to me for once? You shouldn't be pulled into that bullshit! You need someone who won't put you in the line of fire!" He raised his voice. I wasn't about to indulge in that way of thinking, though. Luke was exactly what I needed, regardless of what he gets into.

"He doesn't! He told me to stay away, and this is exactly why! He didn't want anything to happen to me!" I tried reasoning with him, but he was on mission to get it through my head.

"You're a target. I don't think you understand that!" He pulled my face into his hands to make me look at him, but I saw the hurt that was written all over his face. "I don't want to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere. It's fine Mik-"

"I love you. So, no, it's not fine. Fine isn't good enough when your life's on the line." He got serious, reading my face while I took in his words.

"Mike, I love you too, but Luke isn't going to let-" He just interrupted me again.

"No! I love you, Izz." I furrowed my eyebrows, now understanding what he meant. All this time I hadn't even seen it, but looking back it made sense. "I don't care what Luke says he can and can't do, I don't trust him with you. I want you for myself, and I don't care how selfish that is because you deserve someone that doesn't come with a warning."

"Mike, I..." I pulled his hands away from my cheeks, bringing my own to my hair as I let my head fall. I couldn't have this conversation right now. Not when I had four bloody guys to deal with, one possibly even needing stitches. I saw Michael turn around and put his hands to his face, probably just as overwhelmed as I was. "You're riled up, right now. Luke probably needs stitches, Cal and Ash are sitting with ice all over them. I can't do this right now."

I slid off the bathroom counter and grabbed the wash cloth I had put down. I pulled Michael's arm to get him to turn to me so I could cover the cut up again. He let me do what I wanted, but I could see the defeat in his eyes. When I placed the rag back over the cut, I pulled his hand up to take it out of mine. I tried to turn away to leave, but he just pulled me back and threw the rag on the floor.

"Izz, are you in he-" Luke just had to walk in the second Michael brought his lips to mine. I pushed him off, turning to see Luke in the doorway with a straight face. If I had ever been terrified of him before, now topped the charts. It was like the quiet before the storm, and I could tell he was about to lose it.

"Luke, let it go, please. Let's just get you to the hospital." I begged and pleaded, trying to pull him out of the bathroom.

"Izzy, get out." He said coldly, not even looking at me. I wasn't about to leave them together after that, though. They were grilling each other like I had never seen before, and I just wanted it to end. I was frozen, just watching them, until Luke's voice bellowed through the small bathroom. "Get out!" He shouted, making me flinch.