' Please let me in.' Desperate concern filled his voice and another pang of guilt stabbed at me. But I couldn't let him. Yet.
'I will, but I need to know something first.'
'Anything. I'll tell you anything. Just let me help you.'
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
'Do you really love me?' I finally asked.
'What?'
I pressed my cheek against the door. It felt comfortingly cool against my warm skin.
'You told Sophia you love me. Were you serious?' It came out so quietly, I was surprised he even heard me.
'Yes, Alexis, I really, truly love you with all my heart,' he said almost as quietly, and I could hear in his voice he really meant it.
I didn't understand how either of us could feel it. It seemed too soon. But I knew it was true, at least for me. Until now, I'd only known love between a mother and a daughter. When I was little, there was a boyfriend of Mom's who I loved and I thought he loved me, but I was painfully mistaken. I hoped I wasn't about to make the same mistake again.
I gathered everything I had and pushed back the thought that I may regret what I was about to do. If he reacted like everyone else, it would be the worst pain ever. But I had to say it, knowing it may be my one and only chance.
'I love you, too, Tristan.'
He exhaled loudly. 'Good. Now, can I come in before you bleed to death?'
I wiped away my tears, reached up and unlocked the door, cracking it open. He sat on the floor right in front of the door. 'Close your eyes, please.'
' What? What is wrong with you?' He obediently closed his eyes, though. I opened the door, crawled into his lap and kissed him, hoping and praying it wasn't the last one ever.
'I needed that first,' I whispered. I took a deep breath as he opened his eyes. 'I hope you really love me… because things are about to get weird.'
'What's going on?' he asked, his beautiful hazel eyes filled with concern.
I reluctantly held my arms straight out in front of him. He studied them, running his fingers over the last of the pink marks. I watched his face with trepidation and braced myself for the worst.
'They're perfect,' he said matter-of-factly. He tilted my head, gently separating my hair to examine the head wound. 'Nothing. It's gone. So what's wrong?'
I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicious at his reaction or, rather, non-reaction. 'You don't see anything wrong?'
He smiled slightly. 'No. They're all healed. I think that's a good thing.'
I held my breath, watching him and waiting…and waiting…. And still no reaction. I know he's not stupid…. He'd seen the blood on my hand when I touched my head at the store. He knew there had been some kind of wound there not ten minutes ago. And now nothing . He said so himself.
'Ah, must be your leg…,' he said, his hand moving toward my thigh. I instinctively shifted away, tumbling off his lap, onto the bathroom floor. 'Lexi, I won't hurt you.'
'That's not the problem!' I said sharply.
'Then what is?' Both concern and bemusement filled his face.
'Tristan…you saw how much my head was bleeding.'
He shrugged. 'Head wounds bleed a lot. It must not have been bad and it's gone now.'
'Exactly! It's gone. So are the cuts on my arms. Don't you find that…I don't know…a little weird ?'
'Not at all. Should I?'
'Uh, yeah, you should! It's not normal! I'm a freak!'
He laughed and I glared at him. Here it comes. He abruptly stopped and put his arms around me. 'What ever gave you the idea I thought you were normal ?'
'Are you mocking me?' I pulled away and stared into his eyes. The gold sparkled beautifully. He wasn't freaked out. He wasn't being mean. He wasn't counting the seconds to get out of here and never return. He was just concerned. And his eyes were filled with…love.
'Alexis, you are really making a big deal out of nothing. I don't care that you heal fast. Remember what I told you? I can handle anything. You could grow a second head and I would love it.'
'You expect me to believe that?'
'Okay, a second head may be a little weird,' he admitted. 'But healing yourself, well, that's just not a deal breaker for me. Okay?'
I stared at him, not able to think of a single thing to say. He's not running. He's not laughing. What's wrong with him?
'Now, please let me look.'
He turned me so he could better see the injury and pulled my hand with the now red, wadded t-shirt away. I was too dumbfounded to fight him off anymore. Besides, I knew this one was not healing so fast…if at all. It actually scared me now. The pain continued to shoot up to my hip and down to my ankle and it still hadn't stopped bleeding. Mom and I didn't know the extent of my body's ability to heal and this was the worst injury I'd ever had. It could be my body's first real test. If it didn't heal on its own, Mom had a professional grade first-aid kit with needle and thread. But Mom wasn't here….
'Alexis, have you taken a good look at me since that car came through the window?' Tristan asked as he studied the injury.
Huh? Is he trying to distract me? That would be a good way to do it. I was taking a good look at him right now, actually—he still had no shirt on. His body was perfect. He glanced up at me when I didn't answer and his face was perfect, as usual, too.
'Of course. You're beautiful, as always,' I mumbled.
He rolled his eyes. 'I mean, no cuts, no blood.'
I realized what he meant and thought back over the last ten or fifteen minutes, since the accident. Yeah…no cuts or blood on him . And he had shielded Mom and me. He should have been the worst off.
'How come you're not hurt?' I gasped as he poked at the raw flesh. 'Ouch!'
'Sorry. This is pretty serious.'
'And you know because…?' I asked, momentarily forgetting my first question.
'Because I have medical training. The glass cut through rather deeply. There's so much blood still.' He grabbed the towel I'd been using and soaked it under the tub's faucet. 'I can't even see if it's healing on its own.'
He dabbed at the wound and I winced.
'So how come you're not hurt?' I asked again through clenched teeth, now trying to distract myself. 'That's hardly fair. Ow! '
He'd gone in deeper.
'Sorry. Here.' He put my hand on his leg. 'Squeeze as hard as you need to, if it helps.'
I squeezed. Hard.
'I heal, too,' he said, 'and much faster than you.'
Chapter 9
' What? '
Tristan definitely had me distracted now.
'Any surface cuts from the flying glass would've healed before they even bled,' he said. 'It'd take a shard like what did this to even pierce my skin. Or a dart….' He glanced at me with a slight smile, then went back to work.
I ignored the dart comment as my breaths became shallow. I didn't know if it was from the pain or a
