Page 56 of Until You Found Me

“I know.”

She looks down at her hands, finding them coated in her own blood and a look of horror flashes across her already wet face.

“You scratched yourself a little bit. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” He offers his hand, and she takes it quickly, much to his relief. It’s only then that he notices she’s been naked this whole time and so has he.

They’d fallen asleep after being together, curled up with tangled limbs. It didn’t occur to him to put his boxers back on at the time. Used to be the type to wear pants to bed, zippedup, and uncomfortable. It was an effort to provide some kind of barrier, but he drifted off almost instantly beside Tessa. He’s wishing he kept that over-clothed habit right about now.

Logan grabs one of his shirts off a chair, wanting to cover her first and she lets him do it with concerning ease. She’s pliable and docile as he pulls it over her head and helps her arms through the holes. After that, he’s never pulled on a pair of boxers so fast in all his life.

He leads her out to the kitchen sink and holds her injured forearms underneath lukewarm water. “Got ‘em pretty good. Should put some peroxide on it.”

There’s no reaction when he pours the stinging liquid over her cuts. She lets him fuss over her with a vacant stare until he presses paper towels to the worst jagged lines that still bleed.

He flips up the table top at the dining area so there’s nothing between them and sits her down on a bench before taking up the other himself, their knees brushing while he holds the towel in place.

“Can you tell me what you saw?” he asks carefully.

“I was on fire and I couldn’t put it out.” She looks up to meet his eyes, her voice childlike. “He set me on fire, Logan.”

“It wasn’t real. You don’t have any burns on you.” He has no doubt her ex did terrible things, but if he tried to burn her alive, there would be scars left behind. The ones he’s seen have come from different sources.

“I’m sorry I said I hated you. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t know it was you.”

He chuckles, just barely, if only because she sounds so serious, like he took offense to her nightmare-induced terror. “I already know that.”

“I don’t wanna go back to therapy. I saw this tonight becauseof what I saw there.”

“Okay, then we won’t go back.”

Any hope she had of holding it together shrivels at his words and she dissolves into hitching sobs, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands. “Why is this happening to me?”

He scoots closer, mumbling into her temple. “I don’t know.”

“I can’t do this. I just want her back without having to see all this. I’m not strong enough.”

“You are strong enough. I know that for a fact.”

He wishes more than anything that he could take this for her somehow, shoulder the burden of the nightmares and the memories so she doesn’t have to. Shield her from the worst of it and pluck out a little girl amid the rubble to present to her as an offering.

“I didn’t see her this time.” She sobs. “She’s out there wondering where I am. Maybe she’s hurting. Maybe he’s hurting her and I can’t remember.”

“You will. You will.” They’re only useless words that aren’t enough, but she begins to quiet, her tears slowing where they pool on her knees.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“This. It’s always something, and you didn’t ask for any of it. These nightmares waking you up at two am or my complaining every five seconds. It’s not fair. You found a crazy person on the street, literally, and now you’re stuck with her living in your house. You should have kept driving.”

“Stopping for you that day was the best damn thing that ever happened to me. I just wish it wasn’t the worst day of your life, too.”

“Logan—”

“No, that’s it. Period. I don’t feel stuck. Now let’s go back to bed?”

She nods with a sniffle, and they find their way back under the blankets where he gathers her up against his chest. He’s still not good at this, but it’s not so difficult to figure out what she needs when she’s already trying to melt into him, unable to get close enough.

“Will you talk to me until I fall asleep again?” she asks.

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