Dalliance - Z.M. (An Exquisites Original Story)

53; Trust

Chapter 53

"Hood fame, everybody know my name when I come through, but don't nobody scream it like you."

(Raine's POV)

My eyes flutter awake slowly as a dull pain settles between my eyes. I'm confused as to where I am until I feel a hand run through my hair softly. When I open my heavy eyes, I see Apollo sitting up on the bed, his eyes shut but his hands stroking my hair subconsciously. It takes me longer than it should to slowly recall what happened last night, but once I see Apollo's foot, it all comes back to me.

"Apollo?"

His eyes shoot open and he looks down at me, taking a breath of relief at the sound of my voice. Despite everything, I smile up at him, so happy that he's awake and I didn't cost him his life. At least not yet, anyway.

"I thought you were dead," he tells me, helping me up as I bring myself to sit next to him.

"He didn't kill me yet," I sigh, a bit disappointed. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me against him. I don't feel like I deserve it, but he sets his hand on the side of my face and tilts my face towards him before pressing his mouth to mine, kissing me with everything he can register.

Whimpering softly, I kiss him back, gripping his shirt as tightly as I can. He slides his tongue into my mouth, stroking my cheek as his other hand grips my waist. I feel like I should tell him everything before anything happens between us, but I can't bring myself to pull away. I missed him. I missed kissing him. I missed touching him. I missed everything about him.

But we do need to talk, so I force myself to pull away from him far too soon. I'm already lightheaded without him adding to it with his mouth that always seems to make me drunk.

"Apollo," I breathe, setting my hand on his jaw. He clenches it under my fingers, not satisfied that I had to pull away because he knows what I say next cannot be pleasant. "I have to tell you what happened."

"Don't," he stops me, not wanting to hear it. "Not yet."

"Apollo, I have to-"

"I know," he says to me, running his index finger over the cut on my cheek. "But you need help, Raine. Your head is bleeding."

"It's nothing," I promise him.

He shakes his head. "I saw what he did to you. It wasn't nothing."

He's right, it was definitely something. I've had a concussion once before so I know exactly what it feels like to have one, which means I can survive it. I wish he had just hit me hard enough so I wouldn't have waken up, but the fact that I did is proof that I'm fine. Unfortunately.

"How is your foot?" I ask him, but he just shrugs it off as if it was nothing.

"He missed any important bones and veins," he explains as if it's a natural occurrence. "I'll be back to normal in a week or two."

I don't know if he's lying or not because even if it was the worst thing in the world, he would still not tell me. Nonetheless, I decide to let myself have this one. If he says he'll be okay, I believe him because I have no other choice but to.