Blood Rose

15

Nothing felt right the rest of the day. Guilt was the main emotion the rest of the evening and it didn't help when Fox didn't speak to me. I thought showering would help wash away the feeling, but showering was only a literal thing.

My hands were clamped on the granite of the bathroom counter and I leaned forward, looking close at my reflection. I couldn't help but allow the thoughts about Maven come rolling in, the similar feeling being an entrance.

What a slut.

She's such an attention whore, Maven would never do that to her.

She probably got rejected and cried wolf.

What a bitch, he was such a great friend to her and she still stabs him in the back and accuses of him of such thing. Maven deserves so much better.

Tears welled in my eyes, despite my hate for crying. How could I let their words shatter my wall I've learned to build after all these years?

It wasn't fair for me to keep my secrets from Fox when he just shared the biggest secret of his life. I promised to share myself with him, and yet here I was hiding away everything I've had to deal with my whole life just because I was afraid to look weak and damaged. I never wanted to be the damsel in distress, and that was all I felt like right now.

I was only in my Calvin Klein bra and shorts, but I didn't feel like wasting a moment to slip a shirt on. I wasn't even thinking properly, just bouncing off the walls until I stumbled into Fox's room, who was shirtless and in his boxers. He didn't jump, just turned around and faced me with the same stoic expression. I felt breathless and my eyes were pulling to look at his body, but I glued my eyes on his.

"I've been bullied my whole life and put up with the shit my own pack put me through because I thought eventually they'd stop being childish and horrible." My voice shook, but I didn't stop. "When I was raped by my only friend and they called me a slut for it, I lost hope in them all and gave up fighting what they were feeding me." He was silent, and by the tick of his jaw I knew the rape part screwed him up. But he didn't say anything for a minute and that made my cheeks flush, suddenly aware of how odd my outburst was. I turned to leave, but before I could take two steps Fox's hand gently grabbed mine.

"Do you hate me for not being a virgin?" I whispered, the question obviously stupid because he scoffed.

"I'd be a hypocrite if I hated you for that. Especially because it was stolen from you." His other hand grabbed my free one and we stood like that, close chests and warmth radiating off our bodies, mostly from him. "How long ago?" His voice was soft and gentle, almost as if he was vulnerable himself.

"A year ago. My family never found out."

"Why'd you tell me this?" I looked up to meet his eyes and shrugged.

"Because I'm going crazy keeping all of this to myself." His hand lightly touched my cheek and I found it hard to keep eye contact. "It's not fair to promise that I'll be honest and open up with you if you fulfill your part and I don't do mine. We're a pair, and if this is going to work I need to push away the fear in my gut and keep moving."

Pleasant tingles erupted by every touch of his and I leaned into his hand. Before I knew it he pulled me into a hug where my head rested on his bare chest and I could feel his rapid heartbeat. I'm glad he wasn't the only one whose heart was racing.

He was so warm, and I never wanted to break away from him. His hand was on the small of my back and the other was stroking my hair, calming me down. His skin was so soft that it felt unreal.

"There used to be scars so thick you could see it through the shirt." He murmured through my hair.

"Where'd they go?" I talked so lightly I thought he couldn't hear me for a second.