Keith
I stared in the mirror. My reflection became a foreign concept to me over the years. I hadn't realized the amount of scars I had or how tired I looked.
My jaw was covered in bruises, no doubt from the fucking gravel. I closed my eyes while I tried to calm the anger bubbling deep down.
I had never felt that type of rage before. When I watched that fucking idiot step on Perry, I wanted to crush his god damn ribcage. You don't do that to anyone, especially that girl.
I shook my head and used the overly soft towels to dry my hair, water dripped onto the cold countertop. I just grabbed a pair of boxers and grey sweats from the drawers. Their selection sucked.
I never gave a fuck about clothing but I'm not about to dress like a chick and put on pink pants.
I stood straight, grimacing at my reflection one last time before exiting the bathroom. The cool air was like a smack in the face.
I looked around for Perry and noticed her leaning on the table, eyes closed. Two plates with sandwiches sat on the table. I smirked and walked over to her, crouching next to her.
I reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. She looked pale, still beautiful regardless.
"Perry," I whispered and shook her shoulder a little. She stirred but remained asleep. I stood and gently picked her up off of the chair and carried her to the bed. My breathing hitched when I felt her snuggle deeper into me.
I fucking hated the fact I had to put her down. I placed her small body on the bed and sat next to her. Perry's clothes were stained with copper colored spots.
I silently stood and quickly retrieved a wet washcloth from the bathroom. I slid off her flannel and began cleaning up the dried blood and wounds all over her arms.
I was the reason she had all of these cuts. I should have told her to move the fuck out of the way before shooting the glass.
I used some gauze and tape to cover the cuts up. I prayed they healed quickly.
"Keith," I looked up and met her sleepy gaze.
"Good morning," I greeted her dryly. I shouldn't be getting attached.
"I made you dinner," She said and tried sitting up, I pushed the palm of my hands against her shoulders, "Sleep."
It was more of an order rather then a suggestion but I knew she wouldn't take it.
"Okay, Make sure to eat." She said and turned on her side, I watched her face grimace as she leaned on the wounds. I was surprised she gave in. She has been stubborn all day. I was grateful she did.
***
Perry
I woke up drenched in sweat. I didn't realize I was out of breath and sitting up until I snapped out of it.
Where the hell was I? I looked around the unfamiliar room until it all came back to me. We were at the compound. My parents died this morning. I felt tears welling in my eyes and I quickly looked around for Keith. He was asleep on the very far side of the bed with a line of pillows between us.
Oh my, A man who respects a sleeping woman and boundaries.
I wiped my eyes and tip toed to the bathroom. The clothes I picked out were sitting on the counter and next to them was a towel. I ran my hands up and down across it and smiled at the plushness. It reminded me of the feeling my mom gave me.
I sighed and turned on the water. I made sure it was set to scolding hot before I stripped and hopped in. I wanted all the pains of today to be washed away, even if it wasn't that simple.
I couldn't help but cry. I had no time to grieve today. I had no time to process that my life as I had known it, was over.
I cried until I had nothing left and shut the water off. Dirt and blood swirled the drain. I was grateful that I was no longer filthy.
I quickly towel dried and changed into the clothes. The shorts were a bit too short but I didn't care. I was too tired and way too drained to.
I quietly opened the door and shut off the light.
"Holy fuck!" I yelped as I emerged. Keith was leaning on the wall outside of the bathroom.
"What are you doing?" I whispered, remembering what the solider had told us.
"Checking on you," Keith replied, his voice low and rough. I felt a sensation in my core and ignored it. Now wasn't the time.
"Im fine, Go back to sleep." I said and walked past him. I was confident until I remembered my ass was hanging out of these shorts.
"I heard you in there, Perry." He said and grabbed my elbow, spinning me around to face him.
I looked up at him. I was confused, "Yeah I showered. Sorry, I tried to be quiet."
"No. I heard you crying," He paused as I began stuttering. I felt my face turning red.
"Its okay not to be okay right now. Im here if you need anything, okay?" He asked and gently tugged me into a hug. I was grateful for it and wrapped my arms around him. I felt his hot abdomen against me as we hugged. I hadn't realized he was shirtless and that made me turn even redder.
Keith released me and smirked at me, "What?" I asked and stepped back, crossing my arms.
"I like the new digs." I looked down and realized without a bra, He could see through the white top. I quickly crossed my arms over my chest.
"Pervert!" I whisper yelled at him and turned towards the bed. I threw the covers back and crawled into the bed, pulling them back over me. Keith did the same on the other side of the bed.
"Goodnight, Perry." He said, his voice having the same affect on me as it did earlier.
I grunted in frustration and sat up turning to face him. He laid where he was, hands behind his head and his whole torso was bare still. I cleared my throat and looked into his dark brown eyes, the same way I had this morning.
"Why did you help me?" I asked, running a hand through my hair. Some people bit their nails, others tapped their foots, I messed with my hair.
"Because I did." He said, his tone meant it wasn't up for discussion. I did learn that about him today.
"That's not a reason." I said and tilted my head to get a better look at him. He sighed and sat up, making me move back. He propped himself up on his elbows and kept his eyes locked with mine. It reminded me of what happened outside.
"Perry, I saw a girl in trouble. So I reacted and shot the glass. Its nothing deep," He reached up and took a lock of my hair between his fingers, "Now if you were a blonde, You would have been that biters' appetizer." Keith winked and I rolled my eyes, pulling my hair out of his grip.
"Okay. That's understandable. But why did you protect me all day? Bring me with you today?" I asked more questions. Maybe the middle of the night wasn't the best time, but when would be?
"I don't know. You're just different from the others." Keith shrugged and laid back down.
I raised an eyebrows, "The others?"
"Women." Keith said all nonchalantly. He was a total manwhore.
"Gross. Goodnight." I threw myself onto my side of the bed and rolled away from him.
"Goodnight, Perry." He whispered and I closed my eyes.
What a fucking chain of events.