Chapter Twenty Nine
Lydia Dunst
Every time I looked at Dustin I saw the pain buried beneath his eyes. His Dad behind bars would give him some piece of mind. I wanted that for him.
I reached for my phone, on my night stand but it wasn't there and it wasn't on my bed either.
"Shoot..." I huffed. I knew where I left it. It was sitting on the bathroom counter.
The shower was running, Dustin had just got in. He won't mind if I just step in quickly. I walked to the door. There was an internal battle happening in my mind. To open the door or to just wait until he gets out? I shook my head, there was no reason for me to be worried.
I put my hand on the doorknob and opened it. "Hey, I forgot my phone in here." I announced myself.
"Lydia." His voice broke.
I gulped. A sob escaped his throat.
I closed the door behind me. "Dustin..."
I could see his silhouette through the shower door. His back was hunched, leaning against the shower wall. I could hear his cries over the sound of water pouring down around him.
"Dustin..." I reached down the button of my jeans and pushed them down to my ankles. Then pulled my shirt over my head. I couldn't believe what I was doing but as fast as I'd walked into the bathroom, I was standing there naked. I wrapped my arms around my chest, feeling exposed and vulnerable, yet ready to get into the shower with him. He was vulnerable too, I knew how he felt about crying in front of me. This was me being there for him.
I dove in with him. I'd catch him when he fell. He'd have me.
He didn't notice the door open. I felt the warm water run down my body as I ran my hand over his shoulder.
"Hey, it's going to be okay..." I muttered, pressing my lips to his skin.
I felt bad thinking about how good he looked with water running down him while he was sad, but I couldn't help it. My eyes trailed him from head to toe.
He turned around, although his eyes didn't waver, they just locked with mine as if he didn't notice I was naked. He's so good... I touched his cheek.
"I know..." He mumbled. "I just- I feel bad for feeling happy."
"What?"
"I like being here with you. I want to be here and I'm happy with you. But I lost McKenna and Bishop, I shouldn't be happy." He explained, clenching his eyes shut. I shook my head. There was so much I wanted to say but I knew it wasn't going to change how he felt. Actions spoke louder than words.
I pressed my lips against his and leaned into him. He loved me so good. For a minute it felt like we were the same person. I felt everything he was feeling deep in my bones and in my heart. Tears slipped down my cheeks but neither of us broke the kiss. His lips massaged mine, and his tongue slipped across my teeth.
Then something changed, the kiss was no longer simple. It grew complicated and strategic. He pushed me back against the wall. There was a hunger all the sudden. I could feel that too. Although I wasn't complaining.
"Lydia..." He moaned into me, catching his breath.
"Love you." I whispered.
He deepened the kiss with his body but then just stopped. He intertwined his body with mine. I wrapped my arms around him.
"Love you too."
---
"Are those blueberries?"
I nodded. "You didn't hear me ask for them?"
Dustin shook his head. "Probably blocked it out."
I cut off a small square of my waffle and put it in my mouth, attempting to entice him with my satisfied moan.
"I'm more of a plain--"
"Bland."
He rolled his eyes at my interruption. "Plain eater."
"I'll fix that." I smiled, doing a little appreciation dance in my side of our little booth. My focus returned to my plate, but I could feel his eyes on me.
It was like he was staring at me in awe, taking in every inch of my face. His gaze lowered down to the hickey Dustin had given me on my neck and my cheeks heated. Both of us were reminded of the night before.
"My miracle." I could have sworn I heard him whisper, but I kept that to myself.
It wasn't the time to remember. I looked around the diner, hoping to distract my mind from where it was heading. The atmosphere was warm and inviting -- the opposite of my food now.
"Do you not want your waffles anymore?" Dustin asked. His face was covered in concern.
I gulped and my cheeks heated with embarrassment. Uh oh, I'm caught. "Yeah, I do."
"Ah, I thought I was able to convince you over to the plain side."
I scrunched my nose. "You wish. Never."
He smiled and I just watched, taking a bite now and again. I had the urge to jump across the table and kiss him, although I held it back, thinking about how weird it would look in the middle of a restaurant.
"Have you talked to your aunt?" I asked.
"A little." Dustin's head lowered, and his hand reached for his fork. It played with the half-eaten food on his plate, moving on crumb back and forth. "She says I can call whenever, but I haven't initiated a conversation yet. Hearing their voices..."
I reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm sure they're doing fine." I gave him a smile.
"Yeah."
"It'll all work out."
He only nodded.
"How about we go exploring? Around the city, on foot. I heard there's a really neat store having a grand opening." I suggested, trying to lighten the mood.
"Um, yeah. Yeah okay." He nodded, but his expression didn't change.
"Dustin?" I muttered and his eyes met mine. "Love you."
He smiled. His eyes softened as they stared into mine. His expression alone said those same words back to me, but his mouth confirmed them. "Love you, too."
---
Dustin swung our intertwined hands back and forth as we walked down the boardwalk.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
I smirked. "You'll see."
I pulled him into a thrift store and we were met by an array of colors. "Seriously?" He looked confused.
"Come on, it'll be fun." I laughed. But he still looked terrified. "Trust me." I begged.
"Okay." He hesitated but followed me inside.
The shop was cute and tiny, filled with all kinds of things. There was such a large variety that each item looked out of place, yet it didn't for the same reason.
One item caught my eye. I looked back at Dustin, and he caught on right away. "You should try this on."
His eyebrows raised. "I thought you said this would be fun."
"It is." I shoved a pale brown cowboy hat at his chest, amused by his look of repulsion. "Now try it on." He scowled at me. "Humor me."
"Okay." He hesitantly agreed, staring at me with a doubtful, questioning look in his eyes as if to ask if I was serious. I nodded, and he placed the cowboy hat on his head.
"Howdy I look?"
I laughed. So hard that I snorted, covering my face as my cheeks became hot. But Dustin moved my hand,replacing it with a gentle kiss.
"That laugh was beautiful. It was genuine."
I blushed harder. "Why thank you kind sir." I faked a british accent.
"You're very welcome, ma'am." His accent was a thick Southern.
"See? This is fun." I took his hand and pulled him further into the store.
"You're fun." He muttered and I smiled. "This was a good idea."
"Well it's not over yet." I joked.
We kept to ourselves, having fun with each item in the store. Dustin would find something awful for me to try on and I would find something equally as awful for him. We were a good team. Good thing we walked out empty handed though, otherwise we would've brought home a lot of junk. It seemed like Dustin and I walked out of there with permanent smiles on our faces. I never wanted Dustin to stop smiling.
By the time we were going to leave the boardwalk it was starting to get dark. We'd spent the entire day there, laughing, having fun. I liked seeing Dustin being carefree, even if it was only temporary. Soon we'd have to go back to the real world, where his Dad was abusive and his siblings were living with his aunt.
I heard his stomach growl, we were both thinking the same thing. Food.
"What should we do for supper?" I asked, wrapping my arm around his back.
"Maybe go back to the motel and order a pizza? I feel like a movie night." He suggested.
"Oh good idea." I smiled, thinking about how cute it would be to cuddle up on the bed together and watch a romantic comedy.
Dustin drove us back to the motel, ordering a cheese pizza on the way. I turned on the radio and sang along.
"You should sing more often." Dustin rested his hand on my knee.
"Oh, no." I shook my head, laughing. When I sang people normally told me to stop.
"You should." He urged.
He pulled into the motel parking lot and parked in the back of the lot.
"Why did you park so far away? It's cold." I asked, jumping out of the car, shivering.
"Don't hate on the cold." Dustin laughed.
"Why?" I whined but Dustin just shook his head.
"Because then I get to warm you up." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I snuggled into his side, gaping at him. This was a new side of Dustin that I was starting to love.
"Okay, I guess you're right." I teased, not giving in, at least not fully.
"Oh you know I am."
A truck pulled into the motel, it's lights briefly blinded me.
"Man, I can almost taste that pizza." Dustin's stomach growled again. I laughed, but I couldn't take my eyes off the truck. A man stepped out and my eyes travelled up to his face. I froze, with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Lydia?"
"Dustin let's go." I pulled at his hand, pulling him towards our motel room.
Dustin didn't listen, he looked up at his Dad.
"Dustin..."
He let go of my hand. "Go inside." He pointed to the motel. "Lydia, go inside." I couldn't believe he was serious. He was really telling me to go.
"No!" I hissed.
"Lydia!" He almost begged.
"NO! What are you going to do?" He didn't answer, he just started walking towards his Dad. "Dustin!"
"James!" He yelled. James looked up at Dustin and I could just make out the disgusting look on his face.
"Son." He smirked.
"I'm not your son." Dustin's fist rose and swiftly connected with James' face.
James looked taken aback, but the blow hadn't knocked him out. Instead James was laughing.
"Not my son? Now that's funny." He wiped the blood off his face. "I raised you."
"No I raised myself, after Mom died." Dustin hissed.
My heart was pounding in my chest and my hands were shaking at my sides.
My eyes were stuck on James. I watched his every move. "How dare you." His hand wrapped around behind his back and he pulled out a gun.
I gasped, my hand quivered over my mouth.
"Dustin!" I yelled and both of their eyes flashed to me. My feet carried me towards him, before I could even think about what I was doing.
I jumped in front of Dustin as a shot rang out. I waited for pain, but it never came. Dustin grabbed me from behind, and shielded me. He screamed out and came toppling down on top of me.
My ears were ringing and my heart was pounding. For a minute I wasn't sure what was happening, I was disoriented and then I felt a pain in my shoulder and a weight on my body. Dustin... I was stuck under him, frozen. He rolled himself off of me and clung onto his abdomen, crying out in pain. I was shaking. Dustin got shot, James shot Dustin. I tried to make sense of it, but I couldn't. It as like a bad dream, it didn't feel real.
"Lydia... Lydia are you okay?" Dustin reached for me, taking my hand. "Lydia..."
"I'm fine, I'm okay." I nodded, looking over at him. His eyes were clenched shut and his shirt was soaked with blood. "Oh my god, oh my god, Dustin." I tried to get up, but my arm was dislocated. I crawled to him and put pressure on his wound.
Dustin groaned in pain. "Y-you're going to be okay. You- you just have to stay awake. Stay with me Dustin." A tear slipped down my cheek.
"Dustin?" James came up behind me. "What have I done?" He dropped the gun to the ground.
"Get away!" I screamed frantically. "Get away from him!"
People were crowding around. Someone was calling 9-1-1, but I was focused on Dustin.
He reached up and cupped my cheek. "I love you." He choked out, coughing as blood soiled his lips.
"No, no, this isn't goodbye." I shook my head frantically.
"I- I love you. Please p-promise me you'll watch out for McKenna and Bishop." He was giving up on us. A quiet sob escaped my lips.
"No, you're going to watch out for them yourself, because the paramedics are going to be here any minute and they're going to make you all better." I leaned over him, wondering who I was trying to convince. Him or myself? I just kept making sure I was applying pressure. His eyes fluttered shut and I started to panic. "No, no Dustin you have to stay awake. Please, please..."
His eyes opened back up and relief flooded through me. I rested my forehead against his.
"Please don't leave me." I whispered. My voice shook.
"I'll never leave you." Dustin brushed my hair away and laid his hand shakily on my chest. He meant that he would always be in my heart. I shook my head again. A pit formed in my stomach and my eyes pooled with more tears.
"That's not what I meant." I choked.
"I- know." He was getting weaker, slowly losing consciousness.
"Where is the ambulance?!" I shouted at the crowd. They just stood there, watching Dustin die. "I love you."
"K-kiss me." He stuttered. I pushed my lips against his, crying.
Suddenly he went limp and the panic came back. "Dustin..." I shook him. "D-Dustin wake up." It was like a bad dream, it didn't feel real. I rolled him off of me and pain shot through my shoulder. "Dustin!" I slapped his cheek. "Please be okay, p-please be okay." I repeated over and over. "Dustin..." Come on, come on, come on. "Dustin..." Tears slipped down my cheeks, I couldn't stop them or wipe them away. I didn't hear the sirens, I just felt the hands of the paramedics pry me off of Dustin. "No! No! Dustin!"
"We have a pulse." Someone said.
"Miss, miss are you hurt?" A women paramedic asked. I shook my head. My eyes were still locked on Dustin as the paramedics quickly bandaged his wound. "You're bleeding." I shook my head again.
"It's not my blood..."
"You're under arrest..." I spun around, a policeman was handcuffing James King. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law-"
"Miss, is your arm okay?" She looked to me, holding my right arm.
"We're losing him."
My heart sunk. Dustin was rushed into the ambulance. "Dustin!" I cried. "Dustin!"
Thanks for reading!
We hope you enjoyed this chapter of Fighting the Fall! Only two chapters left, including the epilogue! On the countdown! We really appreciate all the support during our journey writing this story. Don't forget to comment, vote and share! We love feedback!
Will Dustin be okay? Will James finally get what's coming to him?
xx The Writers