A Touch of Sin |18+|

50

ALANI

"Okay," the doctor—Dr Clarke murmured, setting the instruments down on a sterile tray. "You'll all set."

My arm was wrapped in a white bandage, hiding the stitches I had just received. I wasn't in pain, having given an anaesthetic to numb the area. Besides being pain free, I was still a little shaken up but nothing to be concerned about—which was ironically concerning.

I had witness a man being shot in the head by Valerio in my own home, and I couldn't understand why the fuck it didn't bother me as much.

Surely because if Valerio didn't act as quick as he did, we would have probably both be dead and the relief overpowered the anger.

I still didn't know who it was and I wasn't sure if I even had an interest in knowing.

"Thank you," I said sincerely, looking down at my elbow to examine it.

The doctor had done a neat and patient job while giving me in detail instructions on how to take care of the wound. It wasn't too terrible, but the blood that dripped out of me made it look that way.

My legs dangled over the edge of the bed, swinging mindlessly while I waited for Valerio to get back from the phone call he was on.

The teddy bear he had given me rested next to me, another inanimate support structure that I loved.

Weirdly enough, the brown bear did a pretty good job.

Dr Clark nodded his head, giving me a friendly smile. "I'll return in a week to remove your stitches. For now, try not to move your arm too much and stay away from any strenuous activity. We don't want your stitches to open, yes? Take care of it and you'll heal in no time, Miss Alva."

Stay away from strenuous activity? I almost cried.

"Thank you, Doctor," I said for possibly the tenth time but I was incredibly grateful that I didn't need to go to a hospital. "I appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure," he said, grinning while he packed up his belongings. "I have to get going but I'll see you soon."

I nodded, almost saying thank you again but I opted for a quick, "Bye."

He left the room, leaving me alone on Valerio's bed. I pursed my lips, hearing Valerio's accented voice getting louder as he got closer. He hadn't stopped talking to people in order to fix that mess at my house but I needed his attention, as selfish as that sounded.

I wanted him around me because I couldn't stand to be alone.

It was barely a minute later when he entered the room, setting his phone down on the table as he locked eyes with me. His gaze lowered to my arm, another unidentifiable emotion on his face.

"How are you feeling?" Valerio asked, sitting next to me on the bed.

He was worried about me, and I felt that it went deeper than the wound on my arm. Looking at me with concern, Valerio's hand moved a silver of hair away from my face and rested on my shoulder. I moved closer to him, letting the side of our thighs touch and it was a mere graze but it was everything I needed at the time.

"I'm fine. Just a little drowsy from those painkillers," I admitted, letting my temple rest against his shoulder. Valerio body shifted as he took a deep breath in, his intertwined fingers settling on his lap.

He twirled his thumbs, not saying another word and I frowned at his silence.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice soft as I lifted my head off his shoulder.