The need.

~Chapter 70~

Stepping out of the shower and into the cool air made me shiver. I wrap a towel around my body as I glance in the mirror. My eyes had bags underneath them from not sleeping much last night from the nightmares and my eyes themself had a red tint. I glance at the door through the mirror to see Shane watching me with a smile. I turn to the door as he walks in. "What's on your mind beautiful?" He asked as he pulls me into his arms. I lay my head on his chest as I look up at him. 

"I was just thinking about what I would say to my father." He raises his eyebrow. 

"And?" I take a deep breath. 

"I think the first thing I would ask is what could be worth selling his own flesh and blood." He places his hand on my cheek as if I were made of glass as he inhales a big breath of air. 

"I'm not sure he will answer your questions the way you want him too. But it never hurts to try." I give him a small smile and lean up placing a kiss to his lips. He sighs against my lips. "How did you sleep?" I lay my head back down at on his chest as I close my eyes. 

"I had a dream that my father was just like him." He places his hand on my back and began to rub. 

"Whatever the situation is we will figure it out. I won't let you get hurt again. Not after everything." I nod. We pull away and I get dressed. By the time I was done getting dressed for the day it was already 9 something in the morning. I walk down the halls passing some of the guys once in a while. I get to the gym and walk past everybody training for whatever they were doing. I walk into the room with the view of the cells to see Derek sitting all the way at the other end of the room with his head down. 

"James please talk to me. It's been weeks." Ave spoke. James only moved his head an inch. 

"Things were going great. We talked about getting married and starting a family. We even talked about leaving town and starting fresh somewhere else. But you went after someone I care about. So no I won't talk to you and I could care less how long you are in here. Hell, I don't even care if you rot in here." She let her head fall. 

"If you don't care about me why come here every day and sit there? What's the point?" He looks at her. 

"Because I deserve this. To be tortured by seeing you and knowing what you did. I trusted you and I was wrong. Every time I see Lola it breaks me because I allowed this to happen. I let myself love you only to be wrong." Tears fell from her eyes as she turns away from him. I look down. He gets off the floor and walks to the steps. I turn to the door as Ave starts to cry. He opens the door and gets surprised by seeing me. I gulp as he looks away from me. "How much of that did you hear?" 

"Enough to know why you don't hang out more." He sighs. 

"Lola I'm sorry." I shake my head. 

"Stop apologizing. No one knew this was going to happen. It's not your fault. Ave made a choice she thought was right because she was filling a void with a toxic guy. Ave never would have made that choice if she hadn't met Marco. People don't realize when something is wrong until it's too late." He looks at me. 

"She deserves to die. I don't see why you are sparing her life again. It's not like you care about her. Hell, I don't even think she wants to live." 

"I'm sparing her life again for you. Because you love her and I can't take that away from you." He looks away. 

"So you are risking your own life again for my happiness?" I nod.

"Yes, because I know how it feels to be afraid of losing someone I love. I'm scared that one day I'll wake up to Shane being gone and I cry every time I think about it. Ave isn't perfect and it may take a long time for her to be trusted again but you can't pretend to not love her because it does more damage to you." He nods. 

"I need some air." He walks past me not giving a glance and I sigh. I look down at Ave who was just sobbing now. I grab water out of the mini-fridge in here and walk down the steps. 

"Did you come to torture yourself some more?" I walk up to her ceil. 

"No, I came to bring you some water." She glances at me and then the water and turns her head. 

"I don't want it." 

"You haven't eaten or drunk anything in 24 hours. You need food." She scuffs. 

"I just want to die. It would be easier for him to handle himself. He doesn't even love me anymore. All because I trusted a man who claimed to love me like a father. I'm so stupid." I sigh as I grab a set of keys from my pocket and unlock the cell door. She looks at me. "What are you doing?" 

"Giving you a chance to finish what you started or to come upstairs and eat." She stands up slowly and walks to the door. She takes a step out and looks at me. Her hand goes to her arm and my heart began to race as I watch it. She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. 

"Why are you letting me out?" 

"Because you need to eat and sunlight. Maybe even a shower." She looks down. 

"Shane is going to be pissed." I nod.

"Shane will get over it." She looks at me awkwardly. I nod towards the stairs. She looks at them and back at me. She walks slowly towards them and I follow behind her slowly as I clutch the blade in my pocket. She pausing before taking a step up the stairs. I allow her to walk throw both sets of doors until we get to the gym. James walks out of the bathroom and looks at us. 

"Lola?" 

"I know what I'm doing." He looks at her and back at me. 

"Does Shane?" Ave looks at me. 

"He will."