D U S K ✔

Chapter Fourteen

  "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Gabby?"

  I turned to Rob as he ushered me through my front door, "I'm fine Rob, I promise."

  Andrea looked toward me, "Are you sure? You got all pale at the park, and you still don't look so good."

  I nodded again, I felt awful for having to lie to them, but I knew I needed to get them out of there. The clenching feeling in my gut was enough to know that we weren't safe there.

  I knew from the instant I saw them that they were different, I couldn't put my finger on it at first but after a while it smacked me in the face like a brick.

  "I'm okay now, guys don't worry." I said, sitting down onto my bed with my back pressed against the wall. "I'm sorry I made you guys cut it so short, I just didn't feel so good all of a sudden." I paused watching Rob's lips press together, worried lines spread across his forehead.

"You guys should go, I don't want you all to catch what I have." I lied again, grinding my teeth together.

Andrea pulled herself away from the wall and stood to leave, but Rob didn't move a muscle.

I peeked through my eyelashes at him and faked a cough, he sighed and got took the clue to leave. "Have fun though, guys." I said.

Rob didn't look pleased but left anyway, they both murmured a goodbye, and called out wishes for me to get better.

  But that made me feel all the more worse.

  I followed them to the door, looking outside at the darkness. It had surprised me how quickly the day flew away, but the sun was setting; the hunger gnawing at my stomach only making me realise how much time had passed.

  I waved them goodbye, and watched as they left, not waiting a second more before shutting the front door. I thought back to the men, and as soon as I did, a horrible feeling bubbled in my stomach.

  I shook my head and began making my way to my favourite room in the house. The kitchen.

  Only to be stopped dead in my tracks.

  A thunderous clamour from the front door had the hairs on the back of my neck raising, and I slowly turned back around.

  What was it with this house.

  I sighed, knowing that Rob had probably forgotten something, and shook off any and all other contaminating thoughts that plagued my mind.

Opening the front of the house, I wasn't prepared to see him again.

  And definitely not in the state he was in.

"Are you just gonna stand there, Sunshine, or are you going to let me in?"

I gaped at him, staring in shock at his bloodied face, bruised and battered, and watched in somewhat disgust as it dripped onto the welcome mat.

Great.

"Well, are you just gonna let me make the front of your house look like a fucking crime-scene or what?" He didn't wait for me to answer, instead barging through the door and stopping in the hallway.

"Adam, what are you doing here?" I asked, after getting over my shock. "And why are you bleeding?"

  He pinched the bridge of his bloodied nose and glared at me irritated, "Oh, this?" He motioned to his face, sarcastically.

  "Yes that. What else?"

  "Well, I just thought I might as well punch myself in the face, maybe try to break my nose while I'm at it. You know me, always searching for a new look."