Kelsey’s Point of View:
“Alright,” Bruce walked back into the living room after getting off the phone, “They agreed to meet with us tonight.”
A sigh of relief went way through my parted lips as I finally sulked in my own embrace, letting the news sink in.
Justin was in no way capable of handling whatever nonsense the Snipers had cooked up and I was determined to keep him away from all sorts of drama that could potentially hurt him more than he already was.
I eyed Bruce warily, a sudden thought coming to mind about something we had discussed earlier today, “And…?” I trailed off, hoping he’d get the message on what I meant.
“Justin will be left out of it.” Bruce confirmed, “John, Marcus, Marco and I will take the bait and go see them. I’ll handle it all, just like I promised.” Giving me a small squeeze on the elbow, he rested his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. “You won’t have anything to worry about, okay?”
Nodding my head in agreement, I wrapped my arms around myself, taking a comforting step back. “Okay,” I forced a small smile, “I trust that you’ll make this work.”
“You have nothing to worry about, Kelsey. Justin is safe in my hands; he always was and will be. My position here is to make sure each of my boys are well kept together and out of harm’s way—though I can’t guarantee neither of them to get hurt, I try my best to keep them from it.”
“I know,” I swallowed, “And I’m thankful for that.”
Leaning down, Bruce pulled me into a friendly embrace, squeezing me both comfortingly and protectively in his arms. “It’s also my job to make sure you’re okay too. You know I’ll do anything for you, right? You’re basically family to me.” He murmured into my ear as he pulled away, a twinkle of contented sadness in his eyes.
“Same with you Bruce, for everything you’ve done for me in the past three years and all you continue to do… thank you.” Rolling onto the tips of my toes, I gave him a light peck on the cheek, “I appreciate it.”
Grabbing my hand, Bruce hovered over with his own, giving it a light tap before letting it fall freely beside me. “Make sure Justin stays in bed and doesn’t get up.” And in seconds Bruce had dropped the caring façade and went back to his usual self. “The last thing we need if for him to find out we left.”
“I don’t think Justin will wake up anytime soon but if he does, I’ll be sure to keep him from leaving the room.” Reassuring him with a smile, I watched as he ordered for Marcus and Marco to come down while taking out his gun and making sure there were enough bullets inside before slamming it shut and sticking it behind the waistband of his pants.
“It might take us a while so just hang in there. We’ll be back as soon as we can to make sure Justin’s alright. Meanwhile, if you want, you can hang around down here and do whatever it is you girls like to do on your spare time before heading up to Justin.”
Watching as Marcus and Marco gathered around Bruce in the living room, I caught sight of John slipping on his leather jacket, fixing the collar before making his way over to me.
“He’s going to be okay, just give it time. I know you’re worried, we all are. Don’t psych yourself out too much.” Flashing his all too familiar warming smile, I returned it.
“Thanks John, if it wasn’t for you or the guys, I don’t know what I’d do.” Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I fumbled with my fingers in front of me. “Just be careful,” I gave him a knowing look, “all of you.” I turned so that I faced everybody all at once.
“You too little one,” Marcus gave me a kiss on the forehead before brushing past and walking out the door with the rest following suit.
“Hang in there,” John murmured before being the last to disappear behind the now closed door.
Waiting until I heard the rumbling of Bruce’s car turning on before driving down the street, I let out a much needed breath, praying to God that what was going to happen, whatever it was that they had planned, would go accordingly.
Dragging myself to the other side of the room, I crawled into a ball on the couch as I took in my surroundings. Everything seemed different, ire and silent—the complete opposite of what it used to be.
No matter what I did, what I thought about, nothing could take my mind off of what happened in the past couple of hours. Everything seemed like a blur and it all seemed foreign to me. It all happened so quickly that I have yet to grasp onto it.
But Justin needs me now and that’s all that matters. I vowed to both myself and him that I would make sure he was going to be okay. I promised that I would take care of him and that’s what I was going to do.
Forcing myself to stand up, I brushed my hands against my clothes, straightening them as I held my shoulders back. I wasn’t going to let this affect me, I couldn’t and I wouldn’t. I needed to be strong—strong for the both of us.
Walking up the stairs, I slowly peeked my head into the room to see Justin asleep with the blanket wrapped around his torso, his bare chest visible to my eyes. Slipping inside and closing the door softly behind me so that I didn’t wake him, I tip-toed over to the bed before making my way beside him.
Propping up on my elbow, I brushed my fingertips against his cheek, stroking it lightly as I caught sight of all his beautiful features; from his button nose, full eyebrows, plump lips and sculptured jaw to the beauty mark near the corner of his lips. It was a fine sight to see and it pained me to know that behind all of this was a broken, vulnerable sixteen year old boy who lost so much in so little time.
Letting my hand fall limp to my side, I watched as Justin’s chest moved up and down at an even pace, his face contorted in contentment, a peaceful serenity falling amidst.
If only he could stay this at ease every day… I’d do anything just to see him happy.
Running my fingers through his hair gently, I caressed his forehead with my thumb, letting the short strands fall freely through the gaps in-between my fingers.
Stirring, Justin mumbled incoherently under his breath before shifting slightly and letting his head fall to the side, his cheek placed against the pillow, facing me.
Swallowing, I inwardly cursed myself, desperate to keep him in the state of mind that I know would hide him from the world’s cruel demeanors. “You’re going to be okay,” I whispered for the millionth time that night, trying to not only convince him but myself. I thought that if I say it a lot, it would eventually come true.
Leaning down, I hesitated before pressing my lips shyly to his, letting the embrace linger far longer than I had indicated for it to, desperate to hold onto the moment. Pulling away, I licked my lips, savoring the taste before laying my head against his chest, my left leg falling between both of his as I curled my right arm under the pillow, my left hand just under my head.
“Mmmm,” Justin murmured as he pressed his lips to the top of my head, startling me.
Snapping my head up, I watched as Justin’s eyes fluttered open, a shimmer of a smile masking his face.
“Hi,” He groggily rasped while his arm slithered around my waist, pulling me closer if that were even possible.
“Hi,” I shyly replied, a blush following suit as it warmed my cheeks. “I’m sorry,” I apologized, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s okay baby,” He shot me a shy smile, lightly grasping the skin of my hip between his thumb and index finger, “I was going to wake up eventually.”
Nodding, I diverted my attention to the shapes I began to draw on his chest. Biting my lip, I took a deep breath, “How are you feeling?” I asked quietly after a stream of silence had embarked us.
I nearly flinched when I felt him stiffen underneath me. Squeezing my eyes shut in defeat with myself, I inwardly cursed the second I opened my mouth;Stupid, stupid, stupid me. Forcing myself to glance up at him, I froze underneath his darkened gaze.
Softening at the sight of my baffled, worried trance, Justin began swirling circles on the skin of my waist with his thumb. “I’m fine,” He muttered, eyebrows furrowed together in a struggled gesture as if he wasn’t sure of his words.
“Are you sure?” I whispered.
When he didn’t say anything, I cupped his cheek into the palm of my left hand, forcing him to look at me. “Hey, you can tell me,” I comfortingly urged, looking between the both of his pained eyes causing my heart to ache.
“I don’t know.” He murmured, “I feel okay but…” He trailed off, shrugging. “I just don’t know.”
Letting go of his cheek, I reached over to grab his bandaged hand. “Does it hurt?”
Doing a double take as to what I was talking about, Justin’s eyes widened slightly. Licking his lips, confusion tinted in his light caramel irises. “No? I didn’t even know—” Pausing, Justin frowned, “What happened?”
Shifting up a bit, I have him a perplexed look, “You mean you… don’t remember?”
After a few seconds, Justin slowly shook his head.
“You cut yourself on a piece of glass,” I informed warily.
Closing his eyes, a grudged look crossed Justin’s face seeming as though he were straining to remember. “I don’t—I don’t remember.” Fluttering his eyes open, Justin blinked down at me, seeming lost.
“It’s okay, don’t stress yourself. You’ll remember on your own time.” I soothed patiently, “maybe it’s best even if you don’t.”
“It’s not Kelsey,” Justin hissed through gritted teeth, his jaw tightening. “I need to know what I did. I need to know if I hurt you, Kelsey.”
“You didn’t hurt me.” I muttered silently, gazing at him with big eyes, “You didn’t lay a hand on me.”
“How do I know if you’re telling the truth? How do I know you’re not lying to me?” Removing his arm, a scowl tugged on his lips.
“Justin, I’m not lying. You didn’t do anything to me. It’s more along the lines of what you did to yourself because of me—” Shaking my head, I sighed, “it doesn’t matter anymore, okay? I took care of you, it’s done—”
“That’s the thing, Kelsey!” Justin spat, anger radiating off of him, shooting up from the bed, he shot me a glare. “I don’t want you taking care of me.”
Awestricken with my mouth hung open in shock. I blinked twice, “Justin—”
“It’s my job to take care of you Kelsey, not the other way around!” He shot through my words, cutting me off short as he began pacing the floor of his bedroom, hands on his hips. “I can’t believe this,” He muttered through clenched teeth.
“You need to stop this right now Justin,” I threw my legs over the edge of the bed so that I was now sitting up. “You are in no state of mind to be taking care of anyone. You need to be focused on you and getting yourself back together.”
“Don’t,” He spat, his eyes blazing hazel, “don’t do that.”
“Do what?” I gave him an exasperated look, completely oblivious to what I had done.
“Act as if I can’t handle myself. As if I’m some kid. I’m fine Kelsey—”
“Fine?” I hissed in complete disbelief, ““You call cutting yourself on purpose just because I did so myself by accident,fine?” I emphasized with disregard to how harsh I had sounded. “You’re not fine Justin. If anything, you’re—”
“I’m what?” He challenged, setting his jaw tightly as he willed me to keep talking, testing my waters to see if I had the balls to do so.
Opening my mouth to shout back something harsh, I reconsidered it and clamped my lips together before shaking my head, rubbing my forehead with the tips of my fingers, willing myself to relax. “I don’t want to fight with you.” I murmured, letting out a breath of air I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding in.
Slumping forwards, a look of acknowledgment to what I meant sunk in as he cradling the back of his neck with his clasped hands, “Me neither.”
Standing up, I took about three strides across the room until I was face to face with the man I loved. Grabbing his face into my hands, I urged him to look at me, “I know you’re scared,” I whispered, “I am too but you can fight this. I know you can.” Pulling him down to me, I pressed our foreheads together, “We’re going to get through this together. Just like always,” Rolling onto my toes, I lured my lips to his, giving him a passionate kiss, one that transferred all the love I felt for him.
Snaking his arms around my waist, Justin deepened the kiss as he pushed his body to mine, not even enough space to fit a magazine between us. Embracing both sides of my neck with his hands, Justin began hurdling us forwards, in my case backwards, until the back of my knees hit the side of the mattress.
Falling down on it, Justin made his way on top of me, not once breaking the kiss we shared as his hands roamed up and down my sides before pinning my hands up above my head and interlacing our fingers. “You’re so beautiful,” He murmured after pulling away, his chest moving in a slightly faster pace than before. “So, so beautiful…” Flicking his eyes up to meet mine, Justin teased my lips with his as he brushed against them tantalizingly slow, “I need you Kelsey.” He murmured softly, willingly, lovingly, adoration tainted in his eyes as he gazed down at me with a glazed look. “Please,” And in seconds everything around us grew hot and heavy, the atmosphere a complete one eighty from what it had been before.
Tangling my fingers into his hair, I tugged him down until our lips met as one once more, “I’m all yours.” I whispered, a small smile masking my edges.
No One’s Point of View:
The car rumbled to a stop outside a fairly built warehouse as Bruce pulled the keys out of the ignition. Glancing sideways towards John who sat in the passenger seat, Bruce nudged his elbow. “When we get in there, we act normal as if nothing’s wrong. They can’t suspect a thing about Justin.”
“I know,” John looked out the window, “Let’s just get this over with so we can go home. Quite frankly, I’m getting sick and tired of not only hearing about these assholes but talking about them.”
Chuckling though not much humor was meant behind it, Bruce patted his shoulder in complete knowing to what he meant, “Yeah, let’s go.” Opening the door, Bruce stepped out into the cool night air as he slammed it shut, waiting for the rest of the group tp meet by his side.
When they all huddled together, Bruce eyed them all, “You guys know what to do.”
Nodding, Marcus, flashed his gun from behind the waistband of his jeans before turning around just as quickly, “I’m ready, if anything.”
“Good and I’m guessing you’re good to go too?” Bruce now turned his attention away from Marcus and over to Marco.
“All ready boss,” Marco shot a smug smirk as he swirled chewed obnoxiously on the piece of gum in his mouth.
“Alright, let’s get this show on the road.” Toeing the front door of the warehouse open, Bruce shuffled inside with the guys hot on his tail.
“Lookey here boys,” A musky voice called from afar, a dark essence falling amongst them all, “Seems as if they weren’t bluffing.”
“We don’t bluff,” Marco muttered in annoyance, “Clearly you idiots haven’t done your research thoroughly.”
“Why the sass boy?” Landon came out from the shadow casted throughout the warehouse due to the lack of windows allowing light inside, “It’s just a statement—no need to get your boxers in a twist, eh?”
Growling angrily, Marco kept himself from knocking a fist into the side of Landon’s head.
“Listen, I didn’t come here for games. I came here to talk business.” Bruce spat, slicing through the silence as he stood tall, though nearly the same height as Landon, Bruce seemed to be towering over him.
“What do you have to say that has any relevance to us?” Landon cocked an eyebrow as he gestured openly around him, “As you can see, business is going great for us.”
“That’s funny because I recall coming home to your logo burned into the grounds of my property.” Holding his hands tightly to his sides to keep from doing the opposite of what he came here to do, Bruce rolled his head to the side, “If business was going great, you wouldn’t find us as a threat, now would you?”
Just as fast as the scowl that appeared on Landon’s face, it disappeared. “I did what I did as a showing to you that I’m not afraid of a little completion and I’m also not going to back down to some amateur little threats.”
“If I’m not mistaken, that bullet was about an inch away from slicing through your heart,” John growled lowly, “And I know just as much as you do that you nearly pissed your pants right then and there.” Standing beside Bruce, John now took control as dimness shadowed the depths of his chocolate brown eyes.
Placing an arm in front of him to keep John from walking any closer to Landon, Bruce quietly urged John to calm down. “Relax,” He muttered low enough for only John’s ears to catch onto.
“Speaking of which, where is the little bastard?” Landon changed the subject as his eyes flickered from all four of them, finding him vacant of another body of who he knew to have been there.
“He had some other things to take care of tonight,” Bruce shot back, “Unlike you; we don’t waste our time trying to utter useless little doings. We handle things on the spot, something you might want to consider.”
“How’s that little girlfriend of his?” A silhouette of a figure stood off to the side of the room, a stream of light shining through the small opening of the one window they had present, splashing color over their face to reveal a sliver of a smirk on Cole’s face.
“Leave her out of this.” Bruce quickly interjected, a protective stance overcoming him as he shot Cole the sickest of glares he could muster, “She has nothing to do with this. With us.”
“I beg to differ, she seems to be a little too cozy to Justin, don’t you think? I mean they just couldn’t get their hands off of each other back in that little cabin they were spending so much time in.”
“You sick son of a bitch,” Bruce muttered in disgust as he took Cole in from head to toe, “It was you who was watching them?”
“Who else?” Cole chuckled sarcastically as he fell in line beside Landon, “Someone had to keep tabs on what the little fucker was doing. Who knew he’d be busy burying himself in his girlfriend? I thought you guys knew better than to fuck around with little bitches like that.”
“I’m warning you,” Bruce snarled in fury, a finger pointed strictly in Cole’s direction, “You shut that fucking mouth of yours or I swear to God I will murder you myself.”
“Why? You got a thing for her yourself? Who knew you were the type?” Cole raised the both of his eyebrows as he stood smugly staring with amusement twinkling in his eyes, “Don’t you have your own girlfriend? Stephanie, I believe is her name?”
Charging forwards, Bruce grabbed Cole by his shirt, holding him up, his feet close to rising from the floor. “I’m telling you now Santangelo, you better leave them the fuck out of this or I swear on everything, you’ll be dead before you even have the chance to blink.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Landon, stepped in to break them apart, his face relevantly calm as he held Cole back, moving in front of him, “Hold the threats for somebody who cares, buddy.”
Without even as much as a second thought, Bruce threw his closed fist into the side of Landon’s face, connecting it to his jaw as he watched him tumble back. Taking this as his chance, Bruce rocked another fist towards Landon, this time hitting him in the stomach instead; watching Landon as he doubled over. Not giving him a chance to retaliate, Bruce pinned him to the floor and in seconds, Cole and the rest of the Snipers came forwards, ready for a fight when Marcus, Marco and John held them all at gunpoint at the exact same time, warning them away from the scene that was unfolding on the ground in front of them.
“I don’t usually reduce to physical violence because I don’t like dirtying my hands on pieces of shit like you but I have had just about enough of you. I want you to leave Stratford and go back to wherever the hell you came from because you are not needed here.” Standing up, Bruce dusted himself off as he stared down at Landon’s cradled body.
Spitting blood to the side of him, Landon gazed up with hot eyes. “And if I don’t?”
“You’re a dead man.” Motioning for the guys to put the guns away, Bruce backed away, keeping his eyes set on each of them until he was met within an inch of the entrance. Without even a second glance in their direction, Bruce turned, disappearing with the guys following behind.
Kelsey’s Point of View:
“Mmm,” Justin mumbled in contentment to what we had just done, his index finger drawing various patterns on my shoulder as he held me close to his side, “that was amazing.”
“Yeah,” I breathed out, inhaling his usual scent as I gave his chest a soft kiss. “Are you feeling any better?”
“Much,” Giving me a peck on the lips, Justin turned on his side before propping himself on his elbow. “You know what I realized?”
“What?” I looked up at him, curious to what he had to say.
“I need you more than I ever realized.” Stroking my face with the paddings of his fingertips, Justin caressed my cheek with his thumb.
“What do you mean?” I whispered, feeling the familiar tingles run up and down my spine at his sensual touch against my skin.
“You hold more over me than anyone else in my life. You’re the only one I know who can make me forget.” Looking down at me through his thick lashes, Justin licked his lips. “When I was younger and I was losing my mind, the only person I had was myself. Don’t get me wrong, the guys helped me a lot, they got me through my depression but you… you are the whole package. You understand me, you know how to handle me and you don’t turn away when things get tough. You fight until the end…”
“I will always fight for you, you know that.” I whispered, “You’re everything to me as much as I am to you. Before you, I didn’t know what it was like to be loved. Yes, I had my parents and my brother but I never felt the amount of love I should have… I felt trapped, alone… I didn’t feel like myself but you… you brought out the real me in myself, if that makes any sense.” I shared a quiet giggle.
“That makes perfect sense.” Leaning down, Justin kissed me full on the lips, savoring it for as long as it lasted before pulling away. “Speaking of your parents, what happened to them?”
Shrugging, I began playing with the chain that hung down from his neck. “They’re there, at home.”
“You mean to tell me they don’t call frequently or make sure you’re home on time?” A look of shock crossed his features.
“I don’t live with them anymore.” I fumbled with the dog tag, tracing the engraved letters on it with my finger. “I live with Carly in our own apartment.”
“You live with Risi?” Justin shot his eyebrows up, taken back. “Since when?”
“Since two years ago.” When Justin gave me that look that exclaimed for me to explain, I sighed. “Ever since you got arrested, things at home just got harder. My parents were constantly up my alley on where I was going, what I was doing, who I was hanging out with. They were trying to make sure I had no contact with you or the guys… it became so suffocating that the moment I graduated, I moved out. I was eighteen by then so they had no hold over me anymore.”
“And they just let you? Without a fight?”
“Like I said, I was eighteen. I was practically an adult—my own person, they couldn’t decide things for me anymore.”
“Wow,” A look of realization seemed to have dawned on him, “so you mean to tell me that, if what had happened to me, didn’t… I could have possibly seen you every day without any worry of making sure your parents don’t find out?”
Keeping quiet, Kelsey sighed, “I don’t want to talk about the what-ifs, okay? I’m happy with the way things are now. You’re here and that’s all that matters.” Snuggling up into his side, I gave his chest another kiss. “Don’t worry about the past,” I whispered, “Worry about the future.”
“My future only consists of you so I have nothing to worry about.” Nuzzling my hair with his nose, Justin kissed the top of my head. “I love you so much.” He stated openly after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
“I love you too so much.” Sharing a shy smile of my own, I relaxed into Justin’s touch as he raked his fingers through my strands, watching as they fell freely back into place.
Just as I was about to let myself free fall into a blissful sleep, a distant commotion downstairs caught my attention, yanking me back to life once more.They were back. Sitting up almost instantly, I looked around the room in search for my clothes.
“What’s wrong?” Justin worriedly asked, his hand falling to the small of my back. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” I shook my head, “I just forgot to… shut off the light downstairs!” I nodded approvingly to myself to excuse I had come up with though I disapproved of lying to him.
“So? Bruce will shut it off or something, come back to bed—where are you going?” He threw his hands up, his eyes watching my every move as I strolled around the bed and over to the pile of clothes on the floor.
Shimming into my jeans before throwing my shirt on, I whirled around to face him. “I already told you where I’m going.”
“Kelsey—”
“I’ll just be a quick second, okay?” Making way over to him, I gave him a quick peck on the lips before pulling away. Walking out of the door and down the stairs, I was relieved to see they had all made it back in one piece. “How did it go?”
Turning around, I nearly gasped once I saw the gash sliced through Bruce’s bottom lip. “What the hell happened to you?!” I screeched lowly, keeping in mind that Justin was wide awake and waiting for my arrival back beside him in bed.
“I sort of fell into a bit of a predicament with one of them but no worries, I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” He reassured, “Just like promised.”
“Bruce—” I sighed as he put a hand up to silence me.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“At least let me help you get cleaned up.” I hopefully suggested, “It’s the least I could do for you after everything you’ve done for me.”
Sharing a small smile, Bruce shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. It’s just a cut, nothing I’m not used to.”
I grumbled in condemnation, crossing my arms firmly against my chest. “You’re just like Justin,” I muttered.
“Where do you think he learned it from?” Bruce arched a brow at me, his lips twisting up into a childish grin making me laugh. “Speaking of the devil,” Bruce chuckled, showing he was merely teasing, “Where is he?”
Slapping a hand to my forehead, I muttered incoherently under my breath. I almost forgot, he was waiting for me. “He’s up stairs waiting for me to shut off all the lights…” I trailed off, embarrassed at the—now that I think about it—lame excuse I had come up with just to make it down here.
“Creative.”
“Thanks,” I muttered dryly.
“Your wel—”
“What the hell is taking you so long Kelsey?” I snapped my head around to see Justin heading down the stairs, scratching the back of his head with his hair disheveled beyond belief.
Just as I was about to answer despite my lack of knowledge as to how I’d go about it, Justin spoke up once more, continuing his interrogation. “Bruce? What are you doing here?” Taking notice of Marcus, Marco and John as well, Justin narrowed his eyes, scanning them each from head to toe before catching sight of Bruce’s lip. “What the hell happened to you?”
“I slipped and fell outside.” Bruce shrugged, acting nonchalant though I was dying inside.
If Justin found out what they had truly been doing, he’d have my head. Literally.
“Oh really?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you all dressed up as if you have somewhere to go?” Scanning him from head to toe, Justin held a firm gaze as he waited for an answer.
Glancing down at himself, Bruce inwardly cursed eyeing the leather jacket he had on and keys in his hand. After fighting with himself to think of something to say to that, Bruce let his shoulders fall, defeated though he held up a strong front. “It’s nothing that concerns you.”
“I think it has everything to do with my concern, where the hell have you all been and don’t tell me that gash on your lip is from a fall because by the looks of it, it seems as though someone decked you.”
“It’s nothing, go back to sleep. You’ve had a rough night.”
“Don’t try to change the subject, Bruce.” Justin hissed and in moments his entire playful aurora from earlier had disappeared and now stood the angry Justin—the side to him I tried to keep as far away as possible. Something told me this wasn’t good.
“I had to take care of a few things, you happy now?” Bruce countered, letting out a hiss of air as he shook his head, mad at himself for caving.
“Take care of a few things such as…?”
“Business, Justin. I had to go take care of business since you’ve decided now would be the right time to practically lose your fucking mind, I had to make sure they didn’t come within an inch of us for the time being. We’re in the midst of a war, Justin. They know it, we know it, everybody knows it but now isn’t the right time to be planning anything.”
“So you went without me?” Justin shot back, his eyes blackening with every second that passed.
“You aren’t stable enough to handle this right now, Justin. If you would have come, God knows what you would have done.” Bruce shook his head, “you’re safety as well as everyone else’s is more important than anything.”
“Since when do you decided to do things behind my back, Bruce?” Justin’s entire demeanor had changed and I noticed the way his body stood that he was in attack mode.
“Justin…” I reached for his arm, desperate to calm him down.
“Don’t touch me!” Justin barked, backing away from me as he shot him a venomous glare. “‘Shutting off the lights’, my ass,” Justin spat, “You were in on all of this, weren’t you?” He nodded over towards Bruce.
“Justin—”
“Don’t lie to me.” Justin hissed through gritted teeth, his body shaking with anger.
“I just wanted to make sure you were safe,” I whispered, suddenly feeling small compared to his taller figure. “I couldn’t risk letting you fall into a deeper mess than you already were.”
“So you thought it was best to go behind my back and encourage my guys against me?”
I shook my head, “It wasn’t like that—”
“It was exactly like that.” Justin growled his lip curling in disgust. “Is that why you had sex with me? Just so you could distract me long enough to have them run off?”
My mouth fell open in both horror and embarrassment, “Justin!” I shrieked, widening my eyes in shock.
“Oh, please,” He rolled his eyes, “Don’t act all innocent. They know you’re no fucking virgin.” Justin muttered nauseatingly, his eyes holding pure… hatred, scaring me.
My whole body fell numb and I couldn’t move my feet. It was as if I had been glued to the floor underneath me.
This wasn’t my Justin.
This was somebody else… somebody I didn’t recognize.
The entire room fell silent, engulfing the awkward void that had fallen amongst us.
“You have no right to be so vile; I was just doing what’s best for you.” I muttered lowly, afraid that if I used my normal tone of voice, I’d crack.
“What’s best for me?” Justin baffled on a bolt of humorless laughter. “Don’t make me fucking throw up, Kelsey. You wouldn’t know what was best for me even if it slapped you in the face, which come to think of it, you deserve one.”
“That’s enough.” John spat, grabbing Justin’s attention from me though his eyes never left mine.
“What? Am I hurting your feelings too? Should I board the I-don’t-give-a-shit plane now or later?” He sarcastically remarked.
“She’s looking out for you, man. She actually gives a shit about you, don’t be a fucking asshole.” John growled, shaking his head in disapproval.
“Is there something I’m missing here? You seem to be real protective of my girl, John. Have you fucked her too?” A sick snarl spread, “I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had; it’s always the good ones who turn out to be the biggest sluts.”
I parted my lips, not being able to process what he just said. A tingle of disbelief fell over me as I stood there, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.
“Watch it, Bieber.” Bruce warned, his eyes masking rage. “I didn’t have to go if I didn’t want to. I chose to go; Kelsey had nothing to do with my decision.”
“What? Did you have a go at her too, Bruce?” Barking out a sharp laugh, Justin shook his head. “Do you open your legs for any guy who sets their eyes on you?” Justin averted his attention back to me, his nose flaring as his lip curled in a wicked grin.
Keeping my mouth shut, I closed my eyes, averting my gaze elsewhere as the tears fell.
“The truth hurts sweetheart, save the tears for someone who gives a shit.” Justin spat, his eyes burning holes through my skin.
“That’s enough, Justin. Stop it, man.” Marco took a step forward, grabbing him by the upper arm. “You don’t even know what the fuck you’re saying.”
Ripping his arm from Marco’s hold, Justin shot him a disgruntled look. “Don’t fucking touch me. I know exactly what I’m saying.”
Putting his hands up in surrender, Marco sent me a I tried look before backing off, leaving Justin to both Bruce and John.
“You know what?” John stepped in front, blocking my view from him. “You’re going to wake up tomorrow morning and you’re going to forget this ever happened but she,” John thumbed behind him, “won’t.”
“Cry me a fucking river John,” Justin rolled his eyes, slamming his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Mumbling to himself, Justin shot the both of us a look of frustration before purposely shoving past us, making sure to push John so that he stumbled back and fell against me. Disappearing through the back door, I exhaled a shaky breath.
“Are you okay?”
Shrugging, I looked away.
“Don’t listen to him,” John sighed, shaking his head. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying. I know it’s him standing there but it’s not him who’s talking.” Running a hand through his hair, he rubbed the back of his neck, staring sadly down at me. “You’re not a slut and you didn’t do anything wrong. You did theright thing.”
“Then why do I feel so guilty?” I whispered, looking down at my feet.
“Hey,” Thumbing my chin, John waited until I met his eyes. “That’s just your head talking because you’re taking what he said to heart—he didn’t mean it. Trust me, you and I both know that he’s not all there yet. He still has yet to recover and it’s not going to be overnight.”
“But he was fine before you guys came. We were talking normally, having a decent conversation and just… I don’t know what happened.”
“What’s going on with him doesn’t just disappear, Kelsey. He may seem normal to you but there’s still a part of him that has yet to be healed. It’s not a quick process but you’re making progress. You just have to hang in there.” Pulling me into an embrace, I fell into it, taking in his friendly warmth. “You’re not in this alone, you have us. We won’t let him take it too far.”
“I know, thank you… for you know, sticking up for me.” Pulling away, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“The hell we didn’t,” Bruce spat, “John’s right—Justin doesn’t know what he’s saying but that doesn’t give him an excuse to walk all over you. I won’t just stand by and watch him treat you like shit when you didn’t even do anything wrong.”
“I just… I don’t know what to do. Every time we take one step forward, we take two steps back… nothing I do is working. I feel like I’m a failure—”
“I’ve seen Justin have his episodes before and it takes about all four of us to calm him down. But, you? All you have to do is look at him and he calms down.” Licking his lips, Bruce shared a bit of a calming smile “You may not see it but you have more of an influence over him than any of us do.”
Looking out behind me at the door Justin just walked through, I thought back to what he had said before in the bedroom.
“You hold more over me than anyone else in my life. You’re the only one I know who can make me forget.”
Pursing my lips to the side, I nodded to myself. I knew what to do. “You’re right,” I sighed, “Listen, you guys go on ahead upstairs and rest. I’ll go talk to him.”
“Are you sure?” John questioned cautiously, “We can go with you if you want.”
“No, I’ll be okay. If what you guys say is true then I shouldn’t have much of a problem getting through to him.” Pulling them each into a hug, I softly smiled, “You guys go to sleep.”
After scrutinizing me for what felt like forever, Bruce finally managed to accept my offer. “Alright but call us if you need anything, okay?”
“Will do,” Giving another round of hugs, I watched as they all vanished up the stairs before turning and taking a deep breath. Urging myself forwards, I began striding over to the door that led to the back. Opening it, I rounded the door before stepping forwards into the kitchen, spotting Justin just outside the patio doors, looking up at the sky.
Pulling my lips into my mouth, I slide the back door open before stepping out into the cool breeze. Justin didn’t even flinch. Instead, he continued to stare ahead, as if I didn’t exist.
Swallowing, I took hesitant steps towards him, afraid of what side of him was currently spiraling inside. “Justin?”
Pressing his lips together in a tight line, my face fell at the storm that brewed in the depths of his natural light eyes. His jaw was clenched and he fisted his hands at his side, clearly pissed.
Wiping my palms against the material of my jeans, I inwardly prepared myself, taking a deep breath. “I know you’re mad at me…” Trailing off, I carefully stood beside him, avoiding contact. “But I truly had the best intentions for you tonight. I just wanted to make sure nothing happened while you were recovering—”
“You know what’s really annoying?” Justin hissed, not waiting for me to answer as he continued, “That you treat me like I’ve been shot or something. I may be fucked in the head but it’s nothing I can’t handle. It’s happened to me before and I told you to stay out of it.”
“I’m doing what’s best for you—you may not see it but you will eventually.” Twirling my thumbs, I let my hair curtain over my face as I looked down at my bare feet. “I don’t want you to hate me.” I murmured, stealing a glance over at Justin to see him glaring ahead.
“Too late for that,” He muttered, turning his head away from me.
Letting my mouth fall open, I immediately closed it, inhaling a refreshing breath of air, ignoring the ache in my chest. “I just want to protect you but obviously that’s too much to ask for, isn’t it?” Shaking my head, I bit the inside of my cheek. “I’m done fighting with you. I will do anything in my favor to make sure you’re okay. You may think of this as betrayal but I see it as a gesture of caring.”
Removing the hair from my eyes, I pressed a firm kiss to his cheek. “I love you.” I whispered before twirling around, ready to head back inside when Justin’s hand caught my elbow, holding me in place. Frozen, I glanced over my shoulder, wondering why he had stopped me and then soon enough, his lips parted and two words came rolling off his tongue making my heart stop.
“Don’t go.”