Every step felt like a butchers knife was slicing my leg. Today at the site, a door we were putting in fell on my leg and maybe broke a bone, or at least that's what it feels like. I limped slowly up the dark stairs to my apartment, clutching the railing like it was a lifeline. My head was spinning from the pain and my vision was starting to dull at the edges. I needed to get upstairs into my apartment so I can take some painkillers and ice the bruises. I blearily glanced up to the top of the stairs, wondering if I could make it, then grasped my leg and pulled it up one more stair. Suddenly, a door opened above me, but I keep my gaze on my leg, willing it to stop hurting.
"Hey man, are you okay?" I knew that voice. It had been keeping me up the past few weeks.
My new neighbor appeared at my side and I looked up into his face and looked down again quickly when his gold eyes meet mine. My heart thudded and I think I might have even blushed a little bit. FUCK why do i feel like a fucking teenager around this man?
"I'm fine." I growl. For some reason I feel the need to be mean around him.
He grasped my arm and I jerked violently out of the way, a little too hard because I stumbled a little and landed on my bad leg.
"Shit!" I gasped heavily as pain races through my body.
"You are definitely not fine, stop being stubborn a let me help you." My neighbor said patiently, grabbing my arm again before I could protest. A shock of electricity shot up my arm where he touched me, and I almost pulled away.
But the pain was so intense that I allowed my neighbor to put his arm around my shoulder and hoist me up the stairs. Through the pain I looked down at his dark head near mine and noticed how soft his hair looked, how tan the skin is the covers his sleek muscles, the light silky hair of his arms that I have a sudden desire to feel. He was smaller than me, but most people were. His grasp felt gentle although he held me firmly, and for a moment I let myself register how nice it felt.
He lifted his head to meet my gaze when I stopped moving, and I felt a jolt in my ribcage when his intense eyes meet mine. I frowned and heaved myself up to last stair, almost collapsing.
"Woah hang on there, let me help you," my neighbor said, and with his help and my last remaining strength, we limped to my door. I shoved the key in the lock and pushed the door open, grinding my teeth against the pain, and he pulled me in and helped me onto my couch.
I sunk down with my eyes closed, and slowly felt my leg gently for the break. There it was, in my femur. I hissed when my fingers close over the bone. Shit, I thought, I'm going to have to go to the hospital.
Bear jumped onto the couch next to me, whining, and looking up at me with his big innocent eyes. I patted his head and he nuzzled into my side, which I'm sure looks ridiculous, as he is a huge fucking dog. But I smiled through the pain despite of myself, and scratched under his ears. Bear would always love me, and that was enough, right?
"Hey...man, can I get you anything?" My neighbor asks. His voice sounds a little strange, and I remember that he's here, in my private apartment.
I open my eyes and stare up at him, as he stands next to me, looking at me in a very concerned way. I stare back for a second, not really thinking about what he said, and more about how tan his skin is, and wondering if it's real. He must be a swimmer, his body is too sleek and toned for any other sport. His limbs are long and lean, and he looks graceful. Then I glance up into his eyes again, and my heart stumbles, and I realize, finally, that I've just been angry that he's making me feel something. I've been surviving so long on numbing the world.
He bends down so we're at eye level and gently puts his arm on my shoulder, I think to get my attention. I look at his hand, and dazedly enjoy the frisson that runs through my body. My eyes follow his arm up to his perfect shoulder, then to his neck that I have to urge to suck on, to his beautiful mouth that is moving, speaking to me. I want to swallow his words. Finally, my eyes travel up his straight nose to his eyes, which are gazing into mine with genuine concern and worry.
"What's your name?" He asks again, softly, his melodic voice sending shivers through my haze.
"Vaughn" I growl through my teeth, unable to make myself sound like a normal human being.
My leg throbs and I curse, and my eyes snap out of their reverie and onto my leg.
"I'm Laurie." He says. Of fucking course he is.
"Isn't that a girls name?" I hissed as I tried to stand, and Laurie rolled his eyes before also standing and grabbing army arm to help me.
"Thanks for that. It's short for Lawrence, actually." Whatever. I dont care. I dont care.
I brace my good leg, and Laurie--without asking me--throws my arm over his shoulder and helps me take a step.
"Where exactly are you trying to go?" He asks and I can hear the laughter in his voice. "You clearly need to go to the hospital."
Thanks Captain Obvious.
I growl something, not sure it's really a word. It's probably best if I don't try to talk, I'll just cuss him out.
I force myself to take another step, and a huge slice of pain stabs through my leg. I clench my teeth as hard as I can to keep from crying out, my I can feel Laurie's unusual eyes on my face, scrutinizing me, and I turn my head so he doesn't see me too clearly.
"Seriously, stop moving, you're only going to hurt yourself more," He says gently, and he's probably right. His arm holding me up is strong, and through my pain, a fleeting thought comes to me that I'd like to feel his arms on other parts of my body. I shake my head in shock, and Laurie must have taken this as a protest to his statement.
"Fine, since you refuse to help yourself, I am going to drive you to the hospital myself." He states firmly, and hauls me out of the room.
I find my voice, and my balls, and try to stop.
"It's fine, I can drive myself." I wrench myself from his grasp and almost fall to the ground. I can see the edges of my vision getting a little fuzzy and my leg feels like it's splitting apart.
He grabs me again, and stands me upright, then pulls me along the corridor.
"Obviously, you can't. And I should probably pay you back for keeping you up these nights, as you clearly object to good music," he says, holding me tighter to his side. I'm not entirely sure how he's getting me down the stairs, as I think I have at least thirty pounds of muscle on him, and three or four inches. But I'm in too much pain to protest at this point, and I'm not stupid enough to think I can drive. I could call some of my buddies, but it seems like too much effort at this point, and we're almost down the stairs.
I make one last attempt to prove that this is not what I should want, and try to pull free of his grasp. Laurie laughs and pulls me back, and his support of my weight feels good--too good--and I don't really want to pull away again.
