Yours | ✓

22 | Welcome to my Pain

Chapter Twenty-Two: Welcome to my Pain

"never thought I would love again
here I am, lost in love me land"
~ zara larsson

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M O N I C A

   "You're a fucking idiot," were the first words I heard as I slowly regained consciousness.

    There was a moment of silence. "Fuck off, man."

   I felt something tighten on my upper arm and behind my knees, but the more I forced myself to focus, I felt a stabbing pain on my head.

   "You shoved her hard, you dick," the first voice hissed, and I felt my chest warming when my pounding head concluded that it was Liam.

   It took me a few moments to realize that I was currently being cradled into a chest—who I assumed was also Liam. He was walking as well, since after every step he took, I shifted slightly in his hold.

   Memories of the last thing I saw before my black out occupied behind my eyelids, as if it was playing out in front of me.

   Kevin pulling out a gun the same moment everyone else did. Falling onto the ground, followed by someone's weight on top of me. Darkness.

   "Yeah, because I needed her to get down, asshole," the second voice hissed, and the more I focused on reality, I realized that it was Xavier he was talking to.

   Xavier?

   "Fuck, I don't know what she sees in you," he continued, and Liam's hold around me tightened again.

   I sucked in a breath when the sting of pain returned. Liam stopped instantly, waiting a few moments before rubbing his fingers on my upper arm. "Bangs?" He muttered, making my eyes tighten. "Come on, baby. Let me see those pretty eyes."

   "My eyes aren't pretty," I mumbled.

   He softly chuckled, and the sound of a car door followed.

   Slowly, I fluttered my eyes open, grateful there wasn't any light above me. It took a few seconds to focus my blurry eyes on Liam, who was lowering his head enough to watch me.

   "Hey, Bangs," he whispered brokenly, but smiling slightly, nonetheless.

   "Hey, Trip," I replied softly, only to flinch when I felt pressure on my scalp again.

   His expression cracked, looking pained. "Anything worth being happy today?" He asked, continuing to stoke my arm.

   My eyes lingered around him before letting out a shaky breath. "You're alive," I admitted.

   He laughed silently, but before he could say anything, Xavier spoke up from behind us. "I'll... I'm gonna talk to Ronen," he said, the sound of his feet walking away from us soon after.

   Liam didn't look away from me. Instead, he changed my position by lowering my legs. In seconds, I was sitting in the backseat of his pickup truck, lying my head on the cushion. "What's going on?" I muttered, my eyelids feeling heavy.

   He must have saw me closing my eyes because he suddenly reached forward and cupped my cheek, filling the doorway with his body. "Doesn't sleep, okay?" He said, smiling, but it looked pained instead. "I'm gonna drive you to the hospital and get your head checked."

   I nodded, but as he moved to put on my seat belt, I grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Trip, what happened?" I rephrased, looking away from my lap so I could stare at him.