Cage

7.

Alex's POV

An unbelievably loud buzzer goes off.

My eyes fly open and I sit up, my heart beating way too fast and my brain confused as to where I am.

For a few moments, I feel a deep, consuming fear, until everything comes back to me.

Right, I'm in prison. Now I feel better.

My back clicks as I sit up and I groan, glaring at the uncomfortable and dirty excuse of a bed.

The doors of all the cells swing open and I quickly get up and back myself against the wall, as far away from the door as possible.

What if Grant got out of that shower room? What if he comes to find me? What if that other officer from the nurses office was waiting for my cell to open?

My ankle starts to burn and I glance down, remembering about my injury. My ankle is now wrapped in a black ankle guard and it feels a bit better than it did yesterday.

Looking up at my bed, I frown, remembering the dreams I had. The darkness behind my eyes is haunting. It brings all of my worst moments to life, over and over again.

I slide down to the floor and pull my legs against my chest, wanting to make myself as small as possible.

I feel so dirty in every way possible.

A pair of black polished shoes come into my view and I keep my eyes on them, refusing to look up.

It could be anyone. If my eyes stay on their shoes, maybe they'll leave.

"Alex?"

I look up into an intoxicating pair of green eyes.

"Cage?"

"Don't call me Cage. Why are you sitting on the floor and crying?" he asks and kneels down to look up me.

I touch my cheek and realize it's wet. Damn it, this isn't me. I'm not a crier.

"I... don't know," I reply honestly. "Guess it is my new hobby. Not much else to do."

I stand up and Cage comes up from his position as well. As he towers over me, I remember just how tall he is. I take in a deep breath.

He frowns down at me and then, much to my surprise, he lifts his hand and wipes my tears away.

Am I going crazy or is this actually happening?

Suddenly he pulls his hand away like my skin burns. I frown and my eyes scan over his face, trying to figure out what he is thinking.

He steps back. "I know you," he whispers, looking shocked and confused.

"You do?"

He purses his lips then grabs my face and tilts my chin to look at me properly. "Yeah, we went to school together. You're the girl who used to work at the library on Wednesdays," he states and nods.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I saw you there on Wednesdays..." he says and smiles.

"Damn, every time he smiles I just want to pull him closer and kiss him," I whisper and lean back against the wall, staring at his lips.

"What?"

Then I pretend to be shocked by what I said, as if I didn't mean to say it out loud. "Oh my god, I said that out loud? I-I didn't mean that," I lie.

He looks like he want to say something, but decides against it. "Don't ever think about that again, or I go to the office and let Grant be your officer again," he warns.

"You can't stop me from thinking about you," I state and fold my arms, narrowing my eyes at him.

He sighs and rolls his eyes. "Whatever, let your imagination run wild. Just know you don't have a chance."

He turns to walk out but I quickly grab his arm to stop him. "Wait."

I looks back at me, frustrated. "What?"

"Can I shower? I don't know how the shower times works but I feel so gross after..." I trail off, wishing to forget yesterday completely.

I know I have been crying more than normal lately, but considering all the shit I've been through, I'm doing pretty good.

"It's supposed to be the visiting hours or break now, where all the inmates either see their loved ones or go to the courtyard. No showers now," he says robotically, not even making eyes contact with me.

"Please," I whisper, my hand still on his arm.

He pulls away from me. "I could get in trouble. Not worth it."

"Trouble? Two officers assaulted me and got away without any punishment. I'm sure you'll be just fine."

He thinks about it for a few moments before nodding. "Fine, come," he grabs my wrist and takes me through one of the three doors at the end of the hallway.

He continues down a passage and turns left into a shower room. I freeze, looking around. It's almost the same as the other one, except this one has curtains dividing the showers and is in better condition.

All the flashbacks of Grant throwing me around like a rag doll come back.

I see something in my peripheral vision and immediately flinch away before realizing it's just Cage.

Man, I'm dumb.

I shake away the memories and nod at Cage. "Uh, thank you."

He's got this weird look in his eyes. "Don't let this mean anything." Suddenly, he pulls me into a tight hug, the kind that I haven't gotten in years, and I melt against him.

I lean my head against his chest and close my eyes, loving the way his muscular arms feel around my body.

He smells amazing. Masculine. I can't get enough of it.

The hug lasts a couple of seconds, before he pulls away. I smile up at him. "Thank you."

He has no idea how much I needed that.

It might be the last hug I ever get.

0•0•0•0•0

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