Ultraviolet ✔️

18.1

Chapter Eighteen

As I roll over, I find a piece of paper crinkling under my weight. Joel has left me a note, explaining that he went to the store to get food and something for me to wear. I've only just woken up, so I'm still a little groggy as I skim over his scratchy handwriting.

My face is covered in soot and ash from the fire. I'm definitely looking a bit worse for wear this afternoon, and I'd rather not leave the lasting evidence of what happened at my apartment. I end up taking a lukewarm shower, careful around the burn on my hand.

I hate that I can't contact Joel, but it's probably for the best that I don't have my phone. There's no telling whether or not my old cell might have been bugged, and I want to get far away from the hackers as possible. I have to trust that he'll be fine, even though I'm scared of him being out on his own. Yes, he can handle himself, but after the incident at my apartment, I don't want to take any chances.

I keep myself wrapped in a towel, assessing the old bandage stretched across my palm. I did my best to keep it from getting wet, but eventually, I'm going to have to change it. Admittedly, I'm a little scared. I don't know how bad it is, and frankly, I don't want to find out.

Joel returns carrying two grocery bags, eliminating any of my worries. He kisses me, carrying with him the taste of his favorite gum. "I brought you some clothes. I'm honestly terrible at picking anything out so I'm sorry if it's all hideous. I really did try my best."

I press my lips to his cheek. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Anything for you, sweetheart."

I end up wearing a t-shirt and leggings. It's nothing overly fashionable, but it's comfortable and fits pretty well. He doesn't complain when I steal one of his sweatshirts, which is definitely not my size. It smells like him, and I can stuff my hands in the sleeves to keep warm.

He gives me a once-over, the corner of his mouth tilted in a smirk. "Would you look at that? My girl is gorgeous."

"I'm your girl?"

"So long as I'm your guy," he replies.

I throw a question over my shoulder as I'm brushing my hair. "So we're going to your sister's place?"

Joel starts to pack his things in his bag, the zipper loud enough to be heard from across the room. "Yeah. Called her this morning. Her name is Mallory. She's excited to meet you, by the way. I should warn you though, she's got two kids and they will probably also be very excited to meet you. They don't bite most of the time."

"You make them sound like wild animals," I say.

"They can be, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

As I'm brushing my teeth, he finishes packing our things, however little we have in the hotel room, and even handles checking out so that I don't have to. He's being sweet, which isn't out of the ordinary, but I know part of it has to do with the fact that he's fussing over me. He wants to take all the pressure off, even though he doesn't have to.

It's a cloudy day, though there's thankfully no rain. The gloomy weather doesn't help my mood any, but I can't let it get to me.

We're out of New York, I remind myself. We're safe.

We're safe.

Safe.

I can't help but wonder if that's really true. Is there any way to be safe knowing what our future might hold? I saw myself holding him at gunpoint, and I heard the trigger being pulled. The odds of me saving him aren't good, especially when I've never managed to save anyone before.