Safe With You

6. Patches and a Promise.

I hover my finger around the call button, but I decide against it. He has been ignoring me for the past couple weeks. We've only talked in person maybe once, and when we did he kept looking around for some reason, then when Jack would come around me he would get silent and eventually walk away. I've texted him maybe four times but there all one word responses. I know he doesn't like Jack but does that mean he doesn't like me now?

I grab the keys from the counter and run out the door, off the porch, and to my car. I start it up hoping that it wont make enough noise for Jack to hear that I'm leaving.

Maybe its wrong of me to show up to his apartment in the middle of the night, but I don't want to run the risk of him ignoring me even more. So I'm not gonna give him the chance to.

~~~

What feels like ages later I pull into Hunter's apartment complex and get out of my car. His truck is right next to mine so I know that no guy is going to try and grab me or something. I scurry up the hall, hoping I don't look too bloody. Its early in the morning but I don't need someone thinking I'm bloody marry or whatever. The hallway is quiet as I reach his door, I throw my hood up in case anyone decides to leave their apartment at this very weird and inconvenient time.

"Hey-" I see him see the blood on my face "ALY!" Hunter pulls me inside and rushes me to his bathroom. "Oh my God Aly what happened?"

I realize I haven't really thought about what to tell him. "Um I tripped on a bottle in the kitchen at Jack's."

"Yeah?" He grabs a towel and wets it, putting it on my face. "and why is he not patching you up?" He asks frantically grabbing supplies. "Aly this is a hand mark." He says holding up my arm gently.

"Hunter if you don't want to help me I can-" I say removing the towel, starting to get up.

"No. Please don't go." He says stopping and grabbing my hand. "I'll stop asking questions just please stay." As embarrassed as this is, I really need bandages so I sit in silence, wincing a few times as he patches me up. You could cut the tension with a knife. He knows I'm hiding something and I hate lying to him, but he's been dodging my calls and ignoring my texts so he some explaining to do too.

Once the last area is patched he helps me down off the counter. "Thank you." I mumble, making my way to the door.

"Aly, wait." I turn around and see that he's slowly walking towards me. "Please tell me whats going on."

"I told you, I fell. Jack doesn't have any supplies and the store is closed."

"No, Aly. I can tell your lying." I know he can read me like a book, so I give up. "It's 1 am, you wouldn't just trip on a bottle and get that beat up."

Looks like I'm caught. "Alright fine, I'll tell you."

He leads me into his tiny living room and we sit on the couch facing each other. That's when I realize I really haven't been here since me and Jack started dating a few months ago. It's just weird, I used to be here every other day, maybe even more than that, it was like my second home. Now it's just a friends house.

"Aly." He says waving his hand in my face to get my attention.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I just realized I haven't been here in a long time."

"Yeah, too long." he chuckles.

I look at him with the most confused look on my face, is he even aware that he completely cut me off? "Yeah well how come you never answer me?" I ask.

A wave of nervousness sweeps across his face "We can- we can talk about that later, just tell me what happened to you." I take in a deep breath, I guess we can since he let me in and helped me.

"Okay, well, Jack went out with his friends and got drunk. He got mad that I took him home so he..." I don't want to say it because I know Hunter is gonna be so mad. "he threw a bottle at me, yelled then the next thing I knew I was on the ground, and then he went into the bedroom." I begin to cry into my knees and Hunter does something that Jack would never do. He takes my head, puts it on his shoulder, and hugs me. I haven't really hugged someone in such a long time and I instantly feel better. "You're not mad?"

"At you? No." He says, I can tell he's smiling. "I just want you to feel safe."

I shake my head "I am. Trust me." I pull away because it's late and I'm tired. "But you have to promise you won't tell anyone. Please?"

"Aly I-"

"Hunter you have to promise." I say pointing a finger at him, not playfully.

He looks at me for a few more seconds, almost in tears himself. "Okay... I promise."

I give him a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek. "I gotta go, I don't wanna fall asleep while I'm driving."

"Please be careful, I can only patch up so much." He jokes.

"Alright Bye-"

"Lys."

"Yeah?" I turn back around.

"If they ever happens again, come to me. Okay?" I nod my head. "Promise?" He asks holding out his pinky.

"Well its not gonna happen again-"

"Lets not get into that... just promise me? Okay?"

My eyes look back and forth between his pinky and his face. This will not happen again, but whatever makes him feel better, I'll do.  "Promise." I smile and take his pinky in mine.

He gets a big grin on his face and hugs me again. "Good."

And with that, I walk out the door.