Scars (Sequel to Cuts) - Kellic // boyxboy

Chapter Thirty

Kellin

Through Vic's exhaustion and hopelessness, he struggles to stand as I help him out of the car. His legs wobble until he falls into my arms, a shivering mess. He's soaking wet, it's cold and still pouring down rain, yet I think he's shaking for other reasons. There's a distant look on his pale face but at least he's no longer crying. I begin to worry that he's gone into shock. Maybe I should have taken him to the hospital after all.

I push aside my second guesses and put his arm around my shoulders, holding him up. I carry him inside our big empty house and Jenna trails in close behind us. I stop at the foot of the stairs for a moment to collect my thoughts and to formulate a plan. I turn to Jenna who looks as lost as I feel.

"I'm going to take him upstairs, get him dry and warm. You can go home if you want." I suggest, but truthfully I want her to stay. I don't want to do this alone.

"I'll go home and get changed. Then I'll pick up Tay and bring her back here, if that's okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." I sigh, relieved that she's not abandoning me.

Her eyes drop to Vic and she stares at his solemn face for a while with utter heartbreak in her eyes, until she looks back at me.

"Do you need anything, Kells?" she asks, her tone sad and loving.

I decide to take advantage of her generosity so I have one less thing to worry about.

"Yeah, actually, can you and Tay go pick up Vic's car? And then maybe mine?" I ask hopefully.

I pull my keys out of my pocket then find Vic's in his pocket. I toss them to Jenna who catches them with ease. I readjust Vic's arm around my shoulder as he's beginning to get too heavy for me to hold him up.

"Of course, where's your car?" she asks me, looking a little confused.

Shame and embarrassment fills the pit of my stomach.

"At the strip club." I whisper softly.

She gives me a puzzled look which makes my cheeks heat up.

"It's a long and horrible story. I'll tell you some other time." I assure her.

She nods brushing it off,  then she kisses Vic's cheek before she turns back around and leaves.

I haul Vic up the stairs with difficulty then take him into our bedroom. I have to move quickly since he's shaking so much that I'm struggling to keep my grip on him. I go into the bathroom and sit him down on the tiled floor. I immediately turn on the shower stream to try and create some warmth in the room.

Completely flustered, I kneel down in front of Vic and look him over, desperate to gauge where his head is at. He stares down at the floor with hopeless eyes, bordered by dark circles.

I put my arms around him and kiss his cheek, hoping to give him some sort of comfort. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do.

"I love you," I remind him softly, praying that my love could somehow make this all better.

He doesn't respond. I don't even know if he heard me.

"We're going to get you showered and get you warm, okay?" I explain. "Then you can get some rest, or we can talk, or we can not talk at all. Whatever you need."

He nods, acknowledging my existence for the first time since I talked him off that bridge. I reach for his shirt to undress him but he grabs my wrist, stopping me. 

"What's wrong?" I ask him softly, staring into his eyes, thinking I can somehow work it out through his expression. But he just looks scared.

He releases my arm from his grip and puts his head in his hands. I wait patiently for him to compose himself, not wanting to push him too hard. He soon looks back up at me tearfully, then he takes the hem of his shirt and pulls it up over his head.