Page 30

Shane

“I ’m so full. Why did you feed me so much food?” Matt whines next to me, rubbing his stomach.

The four of us are lounging in the living room watching football with food comas after the huge spread I made for Thanksgiving.

“I didn’t force you to eat anything. That was all you, man,” I say with my eyes closed, leaning back against the couch.

“Yeah, but you were the one that made everything so damn good.” He drags out the last three words.

I shake my head at him and peek open an eye when I hear heavy breathing. Ryder is passed out in his recliner with his mouth open. I look down at Asher spread out on the floor with his eyes closed. A proud smile lifts my cheeks.

I love feeding these guys.

Pulling out my phone, I open the pictures Charlie sent a few hours ago. I was only able to take a quick look earlier when I was in the middle of cooking but now I’m able to look as long as I want.

He looks incredible. Whoever took these pictures must be a professional because Charlie looks like a model with his poses. His hair is swept off his face so I can see those beautiful golden-brown eyes and the dark blue suit paired with the dark pink tie brings it all together. He looks confident. Something I have yet to see in person.

I save them to my phone and use a close-up of his gorgeous face as his contact photo.

Fuck, I miss him.

He doesn’t get back until tomorrow afternoon but it’s not soon enough. I have plans to clean his art room before he gets home as a little surprise so he can walk in there without being reminded of what happened.

Matt lets out a massive burp.

“Ah, that’s better. Where’s dessert?” He sits up with a hopeful smile like he didn’t just eat two helpings of everything.

I roll my eyes at him, chuckling.

“Dude, how do you still have room for more food,” Ryder says sleepily as he wipes drool from his face.

Matt stands up and walks over to where Ryder is still reclined in the chair. He bends over and loudly whispers next to his ear.

“He made apple pie, and I saw a huge tub of vanilla bean ice cream in the freezer.”

Ryder almost smacks his head into Matt’s when he abruptly pushes his legs down and stands up. Matt pushes him back down before running to the kitchen.

“Fucking cheater!” Ryder yells as he chases after Matt.

Asher grunts disapprovingly from the floor before he sits up shaking his head.

“Hey! My apple pie won at the country fair three years in a row, thank you very much.” I give him a cheeky smile.

He lets out a huff before sitting next to me on the couch and signing Charlie’s name, asking about him.

“He’s probably sitting at a table right now, counting down until the end of dinner. He said it started at six. How long do those things last?”

He shakes his head and shrugs.

Matt and Ryder come back with bowls filled with ice cream and pie.

“Damn, did you guys save any for us?” I give their full bowls a quizzical look.

Matt sits on the other side of Asher while Ryder returns to his chair. Matt offers a huge spoonful of ice cream to Asher, who pushes it right back. Matt shrugs and shoves it in his mouth before speaking.

“There’s like half-ish of a pie left. Ryder took a bigger slice!” He says around a mouth full of ice cream pointing to Ryder with his spoon.

I quirk a brow at the size of Ry’s slice. It looks like half the pie is in his bowl.

“What? You know apple pie is my favorite,” he says around a mouth full of apples.

Asher crosses his arms and leans back with a barely there smile, watching our two idiot friends bicker. I join him and laugh as they start arguing about who ate the most and who gets dibs on what leftovers.

It’s almost the perfect day. All that’s missing is my beautiful boy.

It’s a little past eight AM when I pull into a spot in front of Charlie’s townhouse. As I step out of my truck, I notice a nice-looking dark blue Mustang parked a few spots over. It’s the latest model and looks sick as hell with a silver muffler sticking out the back. I can see the driver sitting in the car, so I control my need to get a closer look. I can hear music coming from the car as I get closer and immediately recognize Linkin Park playing.

Nice.

I keep my gaze forward as I approach the car trying to keep my eyes from admiring the sleek Mustang. But curiosity wins out and when I glance through the windshield before turning to the building, I freeze.

I’d know that mop of unruly hair anywhere.

“Charlie?”

I didn’t know he had a car.

His head is down with a hand woven through his hair with the other one wrapped around his ribs.

I walk over to his door and try to open it, but it’s locked. Banging on the window I call his name.

“Charlie. Open up!” I hit my palm on the window again, but he shows no sign of hearing me.

I look around and make sure no one is around before placing my hands on the top of the door and rocking his car back and forth.

His head jerks up and he grabs the steering wheel with both hands, breathing hard.

I knock on the window and watch as he turns his head in slow motion. I suck in a sharp breath when I see blood all over the side of his face. He visibly swallows before pushing the off button next to the steering wheel. Setting his hands in his lap, he stares blankly out the windshield.

“Baby, open the door for me.”

A tear slides down his bloody cheek, glinting in the sun’s rays.

I pull on the door handle again. “Come on beautiful. I’m right here for you.”

Another tear falls as he finally unlocks the door.

I pull it open and crouch down next to him. The side of his head is matted with dried blood and there are purple fingerprints around his neck. He’s also still in the suit he wore last night.

“I’m sorry,” he says, barely above a whisper still looking out of the windshield.

“Baby, what happened?” I gently turn his head to face me. The air is sucked out of me for the second time at the sight of Charlie’s right eye. It is swollen shut and is a deep purple color with a gash on his eyebrow.

“What the fuck happened Charlie,” I say a bit rougher than I meant.

His shoulders come up to his ears, but he lets out a small cry and drops them back down.

“I’m taking you to the hospital. Come on.” I stand up and hold out my hand to help him out.

He slowly puts his hand in mine but when I go to pull him up, he drops my hand with another cry gripping his side.

“Shit. Here put your feet on the ground and I’ll help you stand.”

He slowly sets his feet on the pavement, breathing heavily. I grab under his armpits and gently pull him to a stand. He sways before falling forward with his head on my chest, the metallic scent of blood hitting my nose. I wrap my arms around him, keeping a loose grip, and rest my cheek on top of his head.

“I’ve got you baby.” I go to kiss the top of his head but stop at the sight of blood caked in his hair.

Who would do this to him?

“Come on. Let’s get you to the hospital so they can clean you up and look you over.” I go to step back, but his weight follows me. I quickly grab his weak body before he hits the ground.

He looks up at me, his good eye only half open.

“No hospital. Too many questions,” he mumbles.

“You need to be looked at baby. This cut above your eye might need stitches and I don’t know where all this blood on your face came from.”

He gives me the saddest look I’ve ever seen as tears start pouring out of his eye.

“P-please. I c-can’t go. D-don’t m-make me, please.”

My heart physically hurts as his legs give out and he cries harder.

“I’ve got you.” I scoop him up and carry him to my truck.

After gently getting him in the passenger seat, I sit in the driver’s seat and take a second to collect my thoughts. The guys and I have a general knowledge of how to care for cuts and bruises thanks to years of playing sports. But what if he has a head injury? I’ve only had one concussion, and it took close to two weeks before I was able to get back on the ice.

Charlie lets out a moan when his head thunks against the window. I reach over and pull his hand into mine. He keeps his eye closed and doesn’t move. I awkwardly text Ryder with my left hand telling him to get my bathtub filled with hot water and to meet me by the door in fifteen minutes. Then I text Lily asking her to come over when she’s back in town.

I quickly drive home holding his limp hand in mine. I get him out of my truck as gently as I can without jostling him too much, his head on my shoulder as I walk into the elevator. The ride takes forever as I listen to his labored breathing in my ear. When it finally stops on my floor, I speed walk my way to Ryder who’s standing in the hall in nothing but gym shorts.

“Hey, man. Is he okay?” He pushes open the door for me.

“No. He’s hurt but doesn’t want to go to the hospital. Grab the first aid kit and the prescription bottle of ibuprofen for me,” I say rushing past him.

I shoulder open my bedroom door and walk into the bathroom, the steam from the tub filling the room. I set Charlie on the counter and carefully lean him back against the mirror. He flinches as his back hits the mirror letting out another small cry.

“I’m here.” I soothe him, rubbing up and down his arms.

Ryder comes in with the red first aid box, the orange bottle of ibuprofen, and a bottle of Absolut. I hold up the vodka and look at Ryder with a raised brow.

He shrugs. “I figured it’ll be good for disinfecting whatever caused all that blood. Plus, you might need a sip or two to get through what you’re about to see.”

I set the bottle down and start undressing Charlie from the feet up. Ryder helps hold him steady as I pull his pants and jacket off. I pull his tie loose and unbutton his shirt. And freeze.

His entire torso is covered in deep purple and red bruises. There’s a round bruise below his ribs on the right side and his ribs on the left side are an angry red color.

I slowly pull his shirt off his shoulders, but it gets snagged on something causing Charlie to scream. He falls forward into my chest, soaking my shirt in tears.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” I whisper into his dirty hair.

I look over at Ryder who’s standing with his arms crossed over his chest, clearly furious. I feel the same way but now is not the time. I give him a quick shake of my head. He drops his arms and steps closer.

“Do you know who did this,” he whispers in my ear.

“No, but when I do, I’m going to return the favor.”

He gives me a firm nod before looking down at Charlie.

“You want me to do that while you hold him? I think there’s something on his back causing him pain.” He lifts the collar of his blood-stained shirt and looks down at his back. “I don’t see anything but blood streaks.”

I take in a breath and slowly let it out as I change my stance so we won’t fall if Charlie pushes on me.

“Go ahead.” I give Ryder a nod and hold onto Charlie’s hips.

He leans over the sink to get a good grip on Charlie’s shirt then slowly tugs it down. The room is silent except for Charlie’s ragged breathing. Ryder slides the shirt further down his back and off his arms.

“Oh shit,” Ryder breathes out as he drops the bloody shirt on the floor.

I can’t see anything through the mirror besides dried blood.

“What is it?”

Ryder opens the first aid kit and pulls out tweezers. He leans over and slowly pulls a piece of glass out of Charlie’s back.

“There’s at least a dozen more. I’ll get the bigger pieces then he should soak in the tub for a little bit before we get the smaller ones.” He gently pulls out another jagged piece, dropping it in the garbage. He opens the vodka, takes a sip then pours some down Charlie’s back.

I squeeze Charlie’s hips when he jerks away from Ryder.

“Shh. I’ve got you, baby.” His panting breaths warm my chest through my shirt. He flinches as Ryder pulls a large piece out. “Almost done, beautiful.” I move some hair from his forehead and place a gentle kiss above his black eye.

“Okay, I think that’s all I can get without causing him more pain.” Ryder sets the tweezers on the counter and then places his hand at the base of Charlie’s head. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Charlie. I promise to find whoever did this.”

As he walks around me to leave, he puts his hand on my shoulder and whispers in my ear.

“I’ll let the guys know. Call out if you need help. I’ll be in the living room plotting Benji’s interrogation. There’s no way he didn’t know about this.” He pats my shoulder before leaving.

I don’t think Benji is responsible for this but there’s no way he couldn’t have known about it when he was with Charlie last night.

Charlie is still slumped against my chest, so I pull his butt closer to the edge of the counter and pull off his boxer briefs without letting him go. Picking him up, I carry him over to the steaming tub and gently place him in the warm water.

His one eye drifts open when I lean him back.

“Hey, beautiful.” I wipe away the blood on the side of his face. He doesn’t keep his eye open long as I drizzle warm water over his pale skin.

I grab my body wash and a cloth and start washing off every inch of his skin. I coax his sleeping body lower into the water so I can rinse his hair, feeling for any cuts. I don’t find any but something had to have caused all that blood on his face.

I lift him up a little and move his hair from his face and that’s when I see a cut along his hairline. It’s bright red and looks like it’ll start bleeding if anything touches it.

I blow out a breath to keep from breaking down. My sweet, beautiful boy doesn’t deserve this. He’s already gone through so much, battling his inner demons almost daily. I hope this doesn’t make him pull away from me again.

I let him soak until the water starts to cool off then pull the plug and lift him out of the tub. I grab my large towel and wrap him in it, then walk into my room and gently place him on my bed. He lets out a soft moan as I gingerly roll him to his stomach. My blankets are thick so they should be a good cushion for his bruised torso. I run back into the bathroom and grab the tweezers and first aid kit before returning to Charlie.

I cover his lower half with my throw blanket and kneel next to my bed. I spot a few pieces of glass shining in his skin, so I carefully pull them out, his warmed skin making it easier. Shining my phone’s flashlight over his inked skin, I pull out the other pieces I find. A few of the cuts start bleeding so I quickly wipe them up and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Charlie doesn’t make a sound as I continue applying pressure and sticking gauze with surgical tape over the cuts.

I sent Ryder a text to come check if I missed any glass. After a thorough scan we both agree that we got it all. He helps me flip Charlie back over and get him under my blanket. He hands me two ice packs wrapped in hand towels, so I place them on Charlie’s ribs. I pull the blanket up to his chin and lightly brush my thumb over his black eye. Taking a closer look at the cut on his eyebrow, it doesn’t look too bad, so I rub some antibiotic cream over it. I move over to the cut on his hairline. This one is deeper and slightly bleeding. I use the antibiotic cream again and place three butterfly bandages over it, hoping it’ll stay closed as he sleeps. I place a light kiss on his chapped lips before standing up.

“Come on, man. Let’s let him rest. He’s going to be hurting when he wakes up and I know you won’t want to leave his side.” Ryder opens my door and motions me through it.

I leave my door cracked open and follow him to the kitchen where Matt is looking stressed out at the island and Asher is leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed over his chest, anger radiating off him.

Matt stands up and wraps me in a tight hug. “Is he ok? Did he say what happened? Can I finally beat the shit out of Benji?”

A low growl comes from Asher making Matt release me and back up.

“Sorry. They told me not to ask too many questions, but I forgot when you walked in.” He pops his knuckles nervously. “So…how is he?”

I sit down at the island and run my hands down my face. “He hasn’t said anything besides not wanting to go to the hospital. He has cuts all over his back from broken glass, a badly bruised torso, a deep cut on his head, and a black eye,” my voice catches on the last part. I fight back the tears that have wanted to escape since I found him.

Matt and Ryder sit on either side of me, placing their hands on my shoulders. Asher walks to the opposite side of the island so he’s in front of me, looking me in the eye and giving a single nod, showing his silent support.

“So how are we going to do this with Benji? Corner him after the game tomorrow when everyone else leaves and refuse to let him go until he tells us what happened?” Anger still radiates from Ryder as his serious voice comes out.

“I’m down,” Matt says from my left.

A deep growl comes from Asher, having the three of us look over at him. I see him fighting himself, wanting to speak as his lips bunch together repeatedly.

He shakes his head as he starts signing. ‘We can’t do it on school property. All of us will lose our spots on the team. No NHL.’

“Shit. I didn’t think of that.” Ryder looks over at me. “But a little friendly chat won’t break any rules, right?”

“Nope!” Matt high-fives Ryder over my head.

“How am I supposed to leave Charlie tomorrow? What if he wakes up and has a panic attack and I’m not here? Or he’s in a lot of pain and can’t stop crying?”

“I’m sure Lily won’t mind being here with him. We can show her where we keep the pain pills and how often he needs to keep icing his injuries. He’ll be alright.” Ryder squeezes my forearm.

“Yeah, we’ll help make sure he’s all set before we head out tomorrow. I’ll even turn on the Gannon U Sports channel on your TV so he can watch us kick Hamilton State’s ass.” Matt chimes in.

I couldn’t be more thankful for our friendship than I am right now. “Thanks guys.”

A painful cry comes from my room followed by my name.

I jump out of my chair and hurry to my room. Charlie has tossed the ice packs to the floor and is writhing in pain, hugging his ribs. A whimper leaves him followed by a few tears. I rush to his side and get down on my knees.

“You’re okay, baby. I’m here.” I brush his hair out of his good eye and see the pain in it. “I have some medicine for the pain.”

I pop open the ibuprofen I had left over from when I had my wisdom teeth pulled and pour one out into my palm. I shove a few more pillows under his head to prop him up without causing him more pain. Cracking open the bottle of water, I bring the pill to his lips. His half-open eye looks at me as his lips slightly part. I put the pill in his mouth followed by some water. He closes his eye as he swallows.

“Do you need me to get you anything?” I gently run my fingers through his hair, careful to avoid the cut.

He shakes his head, keeping his eye closed. I continue running my hand through his hair until he’s fallen back asleep. I stand up and kiss the top of his head before closing the curtains, making my room darker for him. I turn on my TV and start an Avatar movie, turning the volume low. Walking back to Charlie, I slowly pull the extra pillows out from behind his head and adjust the blanket before placing a light kiss on his forehead.

“I love you,” I whisper against his warm skin.

When I step out of my room only Ryder is sitting in the living room. I sit in my normal spot on the couch letting out a whoosh of air.

“Where’d Ash and Matt go?”

He finishes his text before looking up. “Matt said he had something to do at eleven and Ash wanted to finish a project for one of his classes so he doesn’t have to rush to finish it on Sunday.”

“Do you know what’s going on with Matt? He keeps avoiding me and I haven’t had the chance to ask him about the whole job thing and why he was so pissed that day.”

Ryder shrugs. “I asked him if he needed help with money and that we’d help, no questions asked. But he said that he was good and had to take care of something back home. Ash is keeping an eye on him.”

Still doesn’t explain why he was so mad. Hopefully he isn’t lying about the money thing. He knows Ryder and I come from families with money and wouldn’t hesitate to help him.

“He fall back to sleep?” Ryder nods towards my door.

“Yeah, but I’m not sure how long he’ll stay out for. Those bruises looked brutal, and I can’t imagine the pain all those cuts on his back could be causing.”

My heart clenches at the pain I saw in his dimmed brown eye. A wave of hatred for anyone who’s ever touched Charlie and caused him any amount of pain washes over me. I ball my fists in my lap and squeeze my molars together when Benji’s face flashes across my vision.

“I feel the same way, man. But we have to go about it the smart way.”

Sometimes I forget how well Ryder knows me. We’ve known each other since Juniors and have been playing on the same D line together for years. He knows my tells better than anyone.

I relax my fists and take a deep breath to calm my rising anger.

“He’s not getting out of this without telling us exactly what happened. I don’t give a fuck who his dad is. Even if he didn’t have a hand in hurting Charlie, there’s no way he didn’t know about it.”

Ry nods.

We sit in silence as we think of ways that’ll get Benji to talk without getting us kicked off the team. With Matt’s bigger build and Ash’s taller frame along with his perma-scowl, they can easily corner him without touching him. But what do we use as a bargaining chip to get him to talk? He’s the most arrogant, self-centered guy I know. He has zero respect for any of the women he dates so that won’t work. I scrub my hand over my hair in frustration.

“Wait! I know what we can do.” Ryder sits up, scoots to the edge of his chair and leans forward. “What does Benji always talk about besides the women in his bed?”

I think back to the few times I actually listened to what he was talking about. He talks a lot about sleeping with each of the puck bunnies, how much money he has, and…

“His car.” I jump up at the same time Ryder does.

“Exactly! I know a few guys who can get into his car without the alarm going off and hotwire it. They have a garage in the next town over that they’ll be able to keep his car hidden. Benji’s made a lot of enemies here and I know for a fact these guys will gladly take his precious Aston Martin off his hands.”

He pulls up his contacts and hits call on some guy named Lee. He looks up as he puts his phone to his ear.

“Do you know what time they were supposed to be back?”

“Charlie said twelve before he left but I’m not sure if Benji still plans on coming home around then since Charlie left early.”

He nods as the guy picks up and starts setting up a plan.

I glance over my shoulder at my door that I left ajar, suddenly feeling miles away from Charlie. Waving my hand to get Ryder’s attention, I point to my door. He nods and pats me on my back as I turn to my room.

Quietly opening my door, I make my way next to my bed and slowly climb in next to Charlie. He stirs slightly as I face him. His good eye opens a little. When he sees me next to him, he tries to move closer but stops with a sharp inhale. He grabs his ribs and shuts his eye again.

As gently as I can, I slide my arm under his neck and use his hip to carefully pull him into my arms. His black eye bumps against my chest but instead of wincing like I thought he would, he turns his head slightly and nuzzles my shirt with his nose. I massage the back of his head, feeling him settle once more. His nuzzling slows as he drifts back to sleep.

I bring my lips to his forehead and hold them there for a minute.

I could have lost him yesterday.

I would never hear his voice again. Never hold him in my arms or watch him get lost in an art project. Never hear his elusive laugh that also brings out his adorable dimples. I would never get to see those beautiful golden-brown eyes I’ve fallen in love with. The thoughts have tears silently rolling down my cheeks.

Leaning back, I lay my head on my pillow and watch him sleep while his favorite Avatar movie plays in the background.

I move the hair that’s fallen over his face and softly stroke over his sharp cheekbone. “My beautiful broken boy. You are the brightest star in the sky of a million stars and I promise to do everything I can to keep your light shining. Always.”