Page 82 of Light in Your Eyes
"Put him in our jail and don’t touch him until I fucking speak to him."
***
Morning has arrived.
I let Layla clean my upper body with a damp cloth while I’m sitting inside the bathtub. The water reaches my hipbone, and I’m not fully naked. I’m still wearing my shorts.
She’s helping me take a bath, and I’m so grateful for the way she treats the area near the wound with utmost care. Having her here calms me.
It’s funny that I thought she annoyed the hell out of me at the beginning of our interactions. It was the denial speaking to me.
The doctor said that there was nothing to worry about my arm. The stab was not that deep—probably because Marco had lost so much energy after fighting me—and it wouldn’t have any problem in healing.
I turn my head toward my upper arm, feeling Layla patting my shoulder blade gently. She tucks a strand of my wet hair that covers my eye, and I let out a shaky breath at the soft touch of her skin on my face.
"I can’t believe that someone did this to you," she whispers.
She has said that countless times since last night, and I still haven’t asked her about Marco.
I realize that I’m afraid of the answer. What if Marco is right?
I always knew that I couldn’t protect her and that she would be too good to be true. That was why I kept denying her in the beginning. But then, refusing such an offer from heaven was proven too hard for a person who had been in enough hell like me, and so I just couldn’t resist Layla.
"I wonder who did it," she mutters, sounding angry. "What a jerk. He cheated the fight. He wasn’t supposed to use any weapons." She’s talking as if she can’t bear the thought of someone hurting me. “Could he be the one who tried to poison you?”
I ponder in thought. “Not necessarily. But there’s a possibility.” I go silent for a moment before I finally speak again. "Speaking about the guy who stabbed me, his name is Marco."
A gasp leaves her mouth, and it confirms my assumption that she knows him. Irritation builds up inside me, but I’m trying my best to compose myself.
"What?" she whispers in disbelief. Her hand touching my shoulder shakes, and she pulls away.
I can feel her sinking to the bathroom floor. She leans her head against the edge of the bathtub, and my fingers brush her hair gently.
"What happened?" I whisper, not wanting to make her even more upset than she is now. "Talk to me."
Layla breathes, and it’s shaky. I hate it when she’s hurt. I feel her straighten up and focus her attention on me again.
“I don’t know. It’s just—" She chokes, her voice laced with confusion. "I never thought that he would react like that. I should have made him understand better. Maybe I should have voiced my argument more properly. I should have talked to him again after I objected—"
"What do you mean?" Urgency is evident in my voice. I become restless, afraid that he might have done something terrible to her. "Did he force you to do something you didn’t want? Did he hurt you?" I hiss venomously.
"No, it’s not like that," Layla quickly says. "It’s just..."She takes a deep breath, and the seconds that pass after that are so excruciating for me. "He actually cares about me. He didn’t harass or bully me like the other members did. He even saved me from Luca once. He was shoved into Black Wings while he was only looking for his brother, and I felt like he was one of the few people here who truly understood how I felt. But lately, he became aggressive in approaching me, especially after he was assigned to a mission. I just—"
She lets out another shaky breath, sounding like she’s about to cry. "I don’t know what made him attack you like that. He shouldn’t have done that. I feel bad for him because I know what kind of person he used to be, but on the other hand, I’m livid that he attacked you. Oh, God." Her voice is shaking, and she sounds like she’s covering her mouth with her hands. "If something even worse happened to you, I don’t think…" she stutters. "I don’t think that I’ll ever forgive him.”
I pull Layla into my chest, and she arches her spine, circling her arm around my neck.
When I close my eyes, my mind is filled with the words Marco shouted at me, that she’s too good for me and that I may not be able to protect her without my sight. My biggest fear is failing to protect her.
But I have to keep my restlessness away now. There’s something I have to do about Marco. I know for sure that if his punishment is executed to death, Layla will be heartbroken.
"You don’t have to worry about him," I say.
She moves her head, and I can imagine her looking up at me with wonder.
"I’ll talk to him." I say. "He’ll live, but he’ll be out of Black Wings."
***
