Until You're Mine

Chapter 19

Simon shrugs. "I was fixing up an engine. My hand got caught in a loose scrap."

"Your car needs fixing already?" I ask, as I pull some medical supplies from the drawer.

"I bought a garage."

I swing around, shock most likely evident on my face. "Wait, what have you been doing this whole time?"

While I've been mopping.

Simon sighs. "How long have you got?"

I glance at my watch. "Ten minutes actually. Let me get this patched up. We can talk afterwards."

He nods. "Sounds good."

*＊✿❀　❀✿＊*

"So this is where you've been hiding out the past few weeks?" I glance at the run down garage, pushing the car door shut.

Simon insisted he drive, but I told him that as his nurse I recommend that he try keep the stitches, that upon further inspection I realised he needed, closed.

"Olivia probably told you but I didn't stay in Aspen much longer after you left." Simon explains, the elephant that we've both been avoiding, suddenly entering the room, creating a tension. "When I met up with Hayden he gave me some tough love, reminding me that I needed to sort myself out."

"I.." He hesitates, while unlocking the door and pushing it open. "I can't go back to the army, and Evergreen seems pretty nice. Then I seen this place and I thought it'd be a good way to make money, and have a roof over my head at the same time."

I glance around, Simons car is in one corner. The car, that must have caused his cut, is in the centre of the room, lifted slightly off the ground.

"Where exactly have you been sleeping?" I ask, walking further into the cold, dusty room.

"My cars pretty comfortable."

I shake my head, turning around to face him. "So you've been sleeping in your car, because of something my parents done?"

Simon shakes his head. "I couldn't just expect you to let me back into your life after... everything."

I nod, and turn back around to do further inspections.

"So what happened to your cheek?"

My hand immediately goes to the nasty bruise I woke up with this morning. My attempt at covering it with makeup, seemed to have worked with everyone else but it must have wiped off when I was changing out of my scrubs.

"It's nothing , I just got an elbow to the face when I was leaving last night." I don't need to elaborate thanks to my multiple Instagram stories last night.

"Looks nasty."

"Definitely nothing compared to your hand, that's for sure."

The garage goes silent for a few minutes, Simon making the most noise by resuming repairs on the car while I take the time to have a look around.

The sound of metal clanking against the ground, and a sigh from Simon draws my attention back towards him.

"So what's our tactic? Pretend that you didn't hear your parents in Aspen? Ignore the tension? Act like best friends?"

I cross my arms, my voice raising slightly. "What do you want me to do? Throw it back in your face? Tell you that I-" I huff in annoyance, when my ringtone interrupts the rest of my sentence.

"Hello?" I say, after answering the unknown number.

"Isabella Young?" An unrecognisable voice questions.

"Yeah, that's me. Is everything alright?"

I listen in shock at the words from the other end of the phone. The call only lasts an extra few minutes.

"What's wrong?" Simon asks, standing up and walking towards me.

"It's Abi, she's been in an accident."