Forgotten ✓︎

Chapter 29

Megan

"How's it looking?" Jared asked as I cleaned up the cut on his face. 

"Like you're never going to live down your reputation," I laughed. 

He pulled me closer to him by my hips, making my cheeks heat up. 

"As long as I have you, I don't care what labels they throw at me," he answered. 

My eyes flickered to his, and I felt myself melt in his gaze. They were smoldering, and I felt heat pooling in my body. He looked hot, with a cut on his face, his hair a mess. I was grateful I had the privilege of saying he was mine. 

"You should take a picture. I hear it lasts longer," I teased. 

He smirked, leaning in to kiss me. 

I melted against him, liking the way his arms wrapped around me. He held my face gently in his hand, holding me like I was fragile. He always treated me so carefully. 

"Come on," I said, breaking away. "I need to finish cleaning you up."

"You could hop into the shower with me, save some water," he offered, his smirk back on his face. 

Since our conversation about my ability to handle myself, Jared had started seeming more like himself. It had thrown me off seeing him so serious so often. I knew something hadn't been right. 

"Your mother and sister are home," I reminded him, placing a bandage on his cut. 

Thankfully, it was the worst of his injuries. He had plenty of bruises, but nothing was broken, and he was relatively unscathed. His cheek would heal soon enough, and I was sure it wouldn't leave a mark.

He sighed, creating more distance between us. His mother walked in at that moment, and I used that opportunity to step away from him, getting a look from him. I glanced back innocently. 

"How was it?" his mother asked.

"Good. I won," he answered. 

She walked over and inspected his injuries herself. She made a face, taking in the cut on his face and the bruises that were developing, but overall, she seemed satisfied. She stepped back, nodding to herself. 

"Take two Tylenol before bed, and be sure to take it easy. Drink lots of water and get your electrolytes back up," she told him. 

"Yes, ma'am," he answered. 

I knew his fighting was a point of tension between the two of them, so they didn't talk about it much. Jared had told me that his mother refused to attend any of his fights. I wasn't sure how to feel about it. On one hand, I could understand why she didn't support it, but on the other, I wasn't sure how she could not support him at this point. 

"Are you staying in for dinner?" she asked. 

"Going out with Megan," he responded. 

"Have fun, you two. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" she offered. 

We thanked her, and Jared got up from his seat. I grabbed my jacket, and we were ready to leave for the night. He hadn't told me where we were going, but I knew that it wasn't too formal since he had said to dress casually. 

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I tried asking again as we walked to his car. 

He shook his head, smiling in amusement. 

I rolled my eyes as we got into the car. 

"Come on," I argued. 

"Nope, not telling you," he laughed.