Bellamy's POV
Murphy walks out the door and I close it behind him. Damnit, Octavia! I love her to death, but she couldn't have come up to my room even a few seconds later? I was so close. My mom calls me to come eat, so I slowly walk into the kitchen. Octavia was sitting on the counter, a piece of pizza in her hand. I take some for myself and get ready to go up to my room when my mom stops me.
"What's Murphy's story? He seems like a nice kid, but he looks a little... damaged." She says, hesitating on the last word, as if she was unsure of the proper term. She leans against the table, waiting for me to answer.
"He's just... He's a bit of a loner. He gets picked on at school a lot by people. I guess he's just not used to people being nice to him." I finally answer, shifting uncomfortably.
"Well, I'm glad you're being kind to him. Everyone deserves a friend. Alright, don't make a mess." She says, patting my shoulder as she walks past me. I make my way back up to my room, putting one of my CD's on before settling on my bed and eating my pizza.
Murphy's POV
I make my way home, pulling my sweater sleeves down to cover my pale and shaking hands. Why does it have to be so damn cold? After an eternity of walking, I open the door to my house, if you can even call it that, and set my bag down on the floor. I'm met with the screaming I expected from my mother.
"John, I told you to come straight home after school! Where were you this time?" She snaps. I resist the urge to snap back.
"A friends. We were studying. We have a test coming up soon, so they were helping me." I lie.
"Fuck, John! Tell me next time before you go out! I might hate you, but I still need to know where you are!" She shouts before storming off to her room. That last comment hit me pretty hard. Yeah, I already knew it, but it still hurts to hear your own mother tell you that she hates you. I sigh and walk into my room, kicking my shoes off and throwing them into the corner. I plop down on my bed, exhaling deeply. My eyes flutter closed, sleep slowly taking over. I slowly drift off, dreaming about Bellamy and our almost kiss. Among other things that I'd rather not share.
Bellamy's POV
I lay in bed, my radio playing quiet music, soothing me into a relaxed state. My eyes flutter closed as I picture Murphy sitting on my bed, centimeters from my lips. None of my other girlfriends have ever made me feel this way. None of them ever made me think about them this long after they left. I lay there, images of Murphy running through my head. His pale skin, longer brown hair and arctic blue eyes. Just picturing him gives me chills. I slowly drift off to sleep, thinking about Murphy in ways I have never thought about another guy.
***
I sleep in the next day. It was the weekend, so I had nowhere to be. After I finally wake up, I roll over in bed and I check my phone. 9:43. It's not that late. I could still be somewhat productive. I get out of bed, walk over to my dresser and grabbing a pair of grey sweatpants. I pull them on, not bothering to get a shirt, opening my door and walk downstairs. My mom was already awake, sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee, dressed in her purple robe and slippers.
"Good morning, honey." She says, smiling. I smile back.
"Morning, mom. Is O still asleep?" I ask, hoping she is. She usually wants to play with me as soon as she gets up, but I'd like to go on a run this morning to clear out some thoughts still lingering from the night before.
"Yeah. She was up late last night so she'll probably be asleep for a while." My mom answers, turning back to the TV. I walk over to the door and pull on my shoes. I'll take a shower when I get home.
"I'm going on a run, mom. I'll be back later." I call. She calls back an ok and I grab my keys and walk out the door. I jog down the path, running somewhere I don't even know. I just run until my side aches. I wind up at the park, walking along the path past playing children and big playsets. I walk, listening to the sounds. Children playing, screaming and laughing. Dogs barking and birds chirping. It was peaceful. As I make my way further down the path, I hear something different. The sound of someone picking at the string of a guitar, creating a soothing melody. I stop, listening and looking, searching for the source of the sound. Soon I spot it. Someone sitting under a tree, a person dressed in dark clothes, a guitar held close as their fingers dart up and down the fret board. That's interesting. I walk a little closer, not wanting them to notice me, but wanting to see who it is. I start to jog, making it look like I was just running by. Once I reach them, I glance over at them. Murphy? I slow down but he doesn't seem to notice. That's Murphy. I didn't know he could play. He's pretty good. I slow to a stop, listening to him play a song that I didn't quite know.
After a while, the music stops. Murphy gets up, picking up his guitar and walking off. I jog over to him.
"Murphy!" I call, slowing to stop when I get close enough. He turns around, confused as to who was calling his name. He gives a small smile when he realizes it me. I saw his eyes scan my face, then trail down my body. I see him blush madly when he figures out that I caught him scanning my bare chest. I couldn't help by smile.
"Oh...uh. Hey, Bellamy." He says. I can tell he's nervous and a little embarrassed.
"I was on a run when I heard you playing. You're really good." I say, motioning to his guitar. He smiles and glances down at his guitar.
"Thanks. I've been playing for a while." He responds. He shifts the hat he had on his head, exposing his temple for a moment. It looks like there's a purple marks there.
"What's that?" I ask, stepping closer and looking closer at the side of his face.
"Nothing." He says quickly, pulling his hat down farther on his head. I step even closer, pushing his hand away and pulling the hat off his head. I hold his face still with one hand, pushing his hair back with the other, revealing a big, purple bruise on his temple that sprawls into his hairline.
"Murphy, what happened?" I ask, genuinely concerned about who hurt him. He shrugs and steps back.
"It's nothing." He says. "I was being stupid. I deserved it." He looks down at the ground. I take his face in my hands, making him look at me.
"Murphy, whatever you did, you do not deserve to be hurt like this. You don't have to tell me, but I want to help you." I say, looking into his perfect blue eyes. He nods.
"Call me later and I'll tell you everything you want to know." He says before pulling away and walking off.