Tangled Love

CHAPTER 102

"Let me show you something."

I nod and watch in silence as Tobias walks to the end of my bed. He breathes in deeply as if he's debating whether he's making the right choice or not. I wait patiently, wondering what it is he wants to show me.

He bites the corner of his lip before his fingers find the hem of his shirt. He begins to pull it over his head and I stop him midway, my eyes widening.

"Tobias, what are you doing?"

He carries on, completely ignoring my question. I watch, my eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he pulls his shirt over his head, the muscles in his stomach flexing. My eyes travelled down to where his jeans hung dangerously low. I avert my eyes, feeling all kinds of wrong.

"Tobias, get dressed." I demand, keeping my eyes away from his body. I hear him sigh and walk towards me, his shoes padding softly on the floor.

"Emily, look at me."

I turn my face towards him, my jaw clenched with frustration. I lose all anger as my eyes meet his, they held such vulnerability in them. A glossy sheen covers his eyes as if he's on the verge of breaking down right here.

"Look," he said firmly, pointing at a section on his body. I inhale deeply before glancing in the direction of his fingers. A sharp gasp escapes my mouth and I finally understand what he wants to show me.

His finger points at his chest, close to where his heart is located. It's hard to see at quick glance but when you look closely, it's clear as day. Underneath a tribal tattoo etched onto his skin is a scar. A circular scar that dipped deep into his skin. It's an ugly white colour, a sign it had been there for years.

"Is that a — "

"A bullet scar."

His jaw completely clenches, his face as icy as stone. My hand shoots up to my mouth as I examine it closely in awe. My other hand reaches towards it but I stop in mid air —

"Can I touch it?" I ask quietly and he simply nods at me, giving me his approval. The second my hand makes contact, I feel him breathe in deeply.

His whole posture tenses up as I run my fingers gently over the scar, feeling the bumps.

"You were shot?" I ask, looking up at him. His hair falls over his eyes as he nods, eyes staring straight into mine.

"It missed my heart by a few inches."

I've never seen his so vulnerable, so scared. He takes my hand in his and places it directly over his chest.

"If I can get through this Emily, so can you. You're strong beyond your wildest dreams."

His skin feels warm and I swallow the thick lump in my throat as I realise he's been through this. He's been shot and lived to tell the tale . . . Just like me.

"What happened?" I ask, quietly breaking the silence between us. He opens his mouth to respond but instead the sound of the door opening stops him.

Jake stands in the doorway, his eyes fixated on the scene in front of him. Tobias immediately let go of my hand and it drops to my side from the sudden release. He takes a step back, holding his hands up in the air. I watch as his eyes widen and he turns towards Jake —

"It's not what it seems, I swear."

My head turned to see Jake rooted to the spot, fists clenching and unclenching on either side of his body. His eyes had turned completely dark, filled with fire. His face turned towards me as his chest rose heavily up and down and I shivered from the icy look he threw my way.

He looked murderous, ready to charge any second. I felt my hands begin to shake as I watched his head slowly turn back towards Tobias, his lips curling up into a hateful sneer.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing?"

His words were cold and full of hate and I stopped breathing as every hair stood up on my body. I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out due to how frightened I was. I had never seen Jake look so murderous, so evil.

"It's not what it looks like, let him explain" I managed to croak out and Jake's head snapped towards me, eyes burning brightly.

"It's not what it looked like, is it? What it looked like was my cousin trying it on with you and you weren't resisting either!" He snapped at me, his voice rising threateningly. I retreated backwards, completely taken aback at his harsh words. His head snapped towards Tobias who was stood rooted to the spot, shirtless.

"You said you wouldn't do this again Tobias! You promised me!" He yells, charging towards him. I immediately run in front of Tobias, ignoring the pain that flares up in my stomach. Everything happens in slow motion as I watch his fist fly out, so much force put into it that his own hand shakes from the strain.

My eyes shut tightly as his fist comes hurtling towards me and I brace myself for the impact, knowing it would sting like hell.

Moments pass and nothing happens . . .

Maybe I'm dead and can't feel any pain.

My eyes open slowly as I breathe erratically. Jake stands in front of me, so close that our faces are almost touching. His eyes are wide and his fists are by his sides, shaking uncontrollably. I feel my heart crumble at the pain in his face, his eyes full of vulnerability. I watch as they fill up with tears and I lift my hand, cupping his cheeks.

"It wasn't like that, I swear to you." I breathe out. He doesn't respond, a glazed over expression on his face.

"Tobias, get out." I tell him firmly. He doesn't hesitate before leaving, holding his shirt in his hands. I take hold of Jake's shaking hands and pull him towards the bed. His face remains emotionless, cold as stone. I have to force him to sit, pushing down on his shoulders before taking a seat next to him myself.

"I almost hit you." He whispers, his voice trembling.

"But you didn't."

"Why did you stand in his way?"

"Because you promised me you'd listen before reacting! I don't want you hurting Tobias for no reason, he doesn't deserve it."

"How can you possibly explain what I saw?"

"Why don't you give me the chance to explain first?" I ask him sternly. He breathes in deeply, pushing himself backwards on the bed until his back hits the wall. He pulls his knees up to his chest, his head hanging low. "Go on."

"He was showing me his scar on his chest. The one he got from being shot. I'm scared Jake . . . I can't stop thinking about what Jones did. I've never felt more alone with what I'm dealing with mentally. I'll have to live with this for the rest of my life." I tell him, lifting my top up to show him the freshly dressed wound.

"It felt so good to know he had gone through the same thing! That someone knows how I'm feeling. He gave me hope that I can also get through this."

I lie down onto the bed in defeat and shut my eyes tightly, wishing all the heartache and pain would disappear. I ached for my parent's love and support, especially now. I want a life where I have a loving father and mother with no fear, no secrets. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Moments of silence pass, the only sound in the room of the steady beeps of the machines. I feel Jake's hand on my back and realise he finally understood, he believes me.

"I'm sorry Emily," he whispers, lying beside me and pulling me towards him.

"He's done it before, I don't trust him at all." Jake adds and I sit up, looking into his eyes which are filled with sadness.

"He's done what?"

"He slept with my girlfriend."

Suddenly the hatred Jake has towards Tobias becomes clear. The way he became so much more possessive when Tobias was in the room. The way he reacted when he'd seen him shirtless in front of me. The little remarks Tobias would throw towards Jake.

Tobias slept with Jake's girlfriend.

"He did what?" I eventually say, completely shocked. I figured out Tobias had betrayed Jake's trust over Violet somehow, I just didn't expect him to have taken it so far. Jake pulls me closer to him, nestling me in between his legs. I take hold of his hand, providing him with the support he needs to open up to me.

"You can talk to me Jake." I remind him and he nods, taking in a deep breath before starting.