Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover (part 21)
“You’re not going anywhere. I’m gonna make you pay Webster. Make you realise what it’s really feels like.”
“Noo! Please! Stop!”
“Sophie? Soph!” I heard Sian’s voice call out in confusion but suddenly turned to worry.
“No! Get off me! Get off!”
Just then, I heard Dylan’s voice appear in the exact same tone as Sian’s had been. “Sophie? Sian, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know! Help me out here, Dylan!”
“Sophie, calm down. Calm do-FUCK!”
“Sophie, come back!”
“Go after her then!”
“She won’t be able to get far, Dylan, not with her busted ankle!”
“Sian, just go after her so she doesn’t have another fall and bust her other ankle or arm or anything else while I sort out my busted nose!”
“Sophie, babe. Soph? C’mere.”
“I can’t do it, I can’t run away. I can’t get away”, I started to sob, on the steps. “I tried hopping down and actually thought that I stood a chance of getting some space, some air but even outside I can’t do that. I felt like I was right back in that ally way again with .... with him. I had another shot at proving myself, to show that I could get away and stand up for myself, that I can defend myself properly. But I couldn’t even do that”, I continued through my ragged breathing.
I felt a warm touch on my shoulder. I flinched first at the contact but then settled as the warm sensations made its way around my figure slowly and gently. I instantly wrapped my hands around the blonde’s waist, connecting my hands together with ease and instinctively buried my head in the crook of Sian’s neck. As I sniffed back tears, I got a whiff of the remains of a mixture of sweet and fruity perfume. Well...I had assumed it was perfume. But then again, Sian is incredibly sweet and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was actually her without any addition.
The aroma brought back a sense of calm and home. Sian and Dylan are the only people who I have left now.
They are my family. I have Rosie too of course but she’s more like a distant sister who I only see on those odd occasions where family get together; You know the ones where everyone asks if you’ve got a boyfriend yet, comment on how much you’ve grown, how pretty you are or whatever. Rosie actually said that she was surprised how much my hair had grown once which really hit home because she was the one who I actually cared for most out of my immediate family and the only one who I was prepared to actually make an effort for and if I hadn’t seen her for a while then who’s to say when the next meeting will be? It took then for me to be hospitalised for us to see each other again, what next? My funeral?! They certainly wouldn’t come to my wedding....
My mind suddenly goes to that image as I know it’s desperate for something settled and something to look forward to because if you don’t have that, what are you striving for?
I want to be able to think about how I’m going to be led down the aisle by Dylan; the only decent man in my life, arm in arm, smiling at each other nervously, making our entrance and I see Sian across from me in matching dresses....hang on a sec, SIAN?! I see Sian as my wife??
I jolted my head up instantly, so fast that anyone could have got whip lash from it, to see a confused look on a bright face. Everything around it seemed grey and dull. It was at that moment that I finally realised how much in love I was with Sian.
How can this be? I’ve only know her for 5minutes.
But you can call her family? Better than mom and dad?
My head was doing that angel vs devil thing again.
“Soph.” I heard my name.
“Yea?” I replied gormlessly, with my mouth open, saliva about to drop any second.
“You’re staring again”, whispered Sian with a slight smile on her face, trying to hide the rest as to not make me embarrassed any more than I probably will be.
I was so drained that I didn’t even care. I simply, turned my head and rested it on Sian’s shoulder again and replied with, “Oh. Sorry,” not even sounding like myself.
I often think about my future and what it would be like. Most people would say that they wanted to be a teacher or a doctor or a football player, when they were younger. I had no idea what I wanted to be. Until I realised that reason; they were all talking about careers, nothing else. I didn’t really care for that, I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to be settled down and have a family of my own and then I would be fine with whatever job I had, just as long as it would keep my family happy and going. But now I have a passion for writing and that can help me on my way however I would never have met Dylan or Sian if it wasn’t for that. I’ve got my family, I’m fairly settled, I’m happy, well....in this precise moment in time and despite the recent events. And I am soon to be going into a job. Looks like I just got it the other way around and ... everything’s brought me to this moment.
Funny how one or two people can just make your life complete.
SIAN’S POV
So there I was, sounds asleep, perfectly fine with a gorgeous girl to hold and keep warm. That was until I felt her fidgeting on top of me. At first it was no big deal, I thought she was just one of them annoying sleepers but then the moaning started and the violent jolts; I knew something was up....
“Noo! Please! Stop!”
“Sophie?” I called out Soph!” I shouted, as my eyes burst open from their dreamy state as they registered the events that were unfolding right on top of me.
“No! Get off me! Get off!” Sophie responded as I tried holding her wrists, pulling them in to restrict any movement but they just ended up flailing all over the place. I squinted in preparation to get hit but was able to control her just enough to avoid that.
Just then, I heard Dylan’s voice appear in the exact same tone as Sian’s had been. “Sophie? Sian, what’s going on?” he came running over, mouth open and a frown to match.
“I don’t know! Help me out here, Dylan!” I shouted over Sophie’s struggle.
The tall man attempted to push Sophie’s arms down but didn’t realise that her one leg was still functioning perfectly fine. Until; “Sophie, calm down. Calm do-FUCK!”
“Sophie, come back!”
“Go after her then!”
“She won’t be able to get far, Dylan, not with her busted ankle!”
“Sian, just go after her so she doesn’t have another fall and bust her other ankle or arm while I sort out my busted nose!”
I pushed myself off the sofa and jogged outside the door in case Sophie had tried to make a run for it but it didn’t take me far as I saw the brunette hunched over on the steps.
I felt instant sympathy and sadness for the fragile girl and all I wanted to do was to comfort her; that was all I had to offer right now.
“Sophie, babe. Soph? C’mere.”
“I can’t do it, I can’t run away. I can’t get away”, she sobbed, as I tried so desperately to try and hold back mine. I didn’t want her to see me with tears in my eyes as well because that would have suggested that there was meant to be something wrong. I was the strong one in this situation and I wasn’t going to do what always happened around Sophie; I was going to keep my guard up, just like the first time I met her. God that was a good time.....even though I had a hard shell, I actually enjoyed the attention I received from Sophie. I found it amusing in some sense....
I bit the inside of my mouth and lifted my hand to rest on Sophie’s shoulder. She flinched at first and I was a little taken aback, thinking, fuck it, she doesn’t trust me now, but when I saw her shoulders decrease and a breath of air was let out, I attempted it again and found out she was perfectly fine. I brought her in closer, feeling the heat radiating from her, despite the obvious shivering. Beads of sweat had formed on her head and made her hair an even darker shade of brown and slightly damp. I ignored it none the less. I closed my eyes shut tightly and squeezed her arm for reassurance. Not only for Sophie but for myself as well. I could feel myself welling up until I was practically head butted by the not so anymore fragile girl. She had a look of worry and terror on her eyes and could tell her little cogs were working overtime; her eyes darted from one of mine to the other and I just smiled at the scene we had got ourselves in.
“Soph,” I uttered.
“Yea?” she replied, almost as I had distracted her while she was still working overtime, with her mouth open.
“You’re staring again”, I whispered, trying to hide my admiration for that thing that she does.
She seemed to tired and worn out because she wasn’t even bothered whereas before she went bright red and scrunched up for her along with kicking herself no doubt. All she managed to reply with was, “Oh. Sorry”, and continued to rest her head on my shoulder once again.
I put my arm around the shaking brunette to give her some sense of reality, some sense that’s she’s still feeling and actually still alive while I closed my eyes and took a steady breath in, trying not to make it too obvious but my thudding heart might have given me away....
“Soph?” I whispered gently. “Sophie?” I repeated in case she still wasn’t answering to Soph.
I looked down, peering my head around to see her facial expressions but all I could see and hear was heavy breathing. I laughed silently in my head at the angelic body sleeping beneath me. I dropped my hand that was protecting her body down to her waist and slid my hand under her bent legs. I sucked in a breath and tried to lift Sophie up from the steps. It was a struggle at first but then realised that she is actually lighter than I had anticipated....
I heard a moan as I was cautiously walking up the steps and braced myself for the girl to wake up in a bother again but they were just murmurs that any other person would make in their sleep.
I twisted my body to get into the apartment, manoeuvre around so I wouldn’t injure yet another part of Sophie’s body. That’s the last thing she needs right now.
I placed her on the sofa, spreading her body out neatly, making sure that her leg was straight so her ankle wouldn’t get twisted or any pressure was put upon it during any time of the rest of the night. Or while she was sleeping at least, who’s to tell when she will wake up after this.
Dylan helped place his best friend in a comfortable position and we both just stood back and looked at her for a moment.
“I’m gonna sleep in here with you guys tonight. I’ll grab the sheets and pillows”, Dylan uttered. There was a sense of authority in his voice as he was determined to be the alpha male.
“Okay”, I agreed simply. I was too much of an emotional state to say anything else. The developing lump in my throat wasn’t helping either. “I’m just gona freshen up a bit”, I said, pointing towards the toilet.
I closed the door softly behind me, sat on the edge of the bath and almost as if I had turned on the tap, water started to cascade down my face. I concealed my whimpers by securing my one hand to my mouth, so much that I couldn’t breathe through it while keep my other hand tight on the bath so I wouldn’t fall from it however my cry’s started to get more and almost uncontrollable so I had no choice but to slide down and sit on the floor. I bent my legs and brought them up close to my chest and absent mended started to rock.
And pray.