Page 14 of Ravage
“You have a deal.”
I walk back into the room to find Sloane looking absolutely defeated. “I don’t understand…” Her words are soft as they trail off with her thoughts. My legs bring me to the edge of her bed, where I take a seat on the uncomfortable mattress and grab hold of one of her cold hands.
“Everything will be okay; you probably just need some sleep.” I give her a reassuring smile, even though deep down I'm ecstatic that she's falling into my web.
“But Kole, I know th—” I cut her off because her arguing about this is just going to annoy me further.
“Stop, Sloane, you have the flu; you heard the doctor. Let’s get you home and some food into your system.” She nods her head begrudgingly and shifts to move out of bed. I help her up and help her out of the hospital gown and back into her street clothes. “Ready?” She nods her head again, denying me her words which makes something go off inside my head, but I refrain from bringing it up. She’s silent the whole walk to the car, not even responding to the nurses who wished her a good night. She continues to not talk the entire car ride home, and by the time I slam on the brakes into my parking spot at home, I can’t stand it anymore. “Say something, Sloane. I can’t stand this silence.”
She’s silent for a beat before answering, “Something,” in an amused tone. The one word has me wringing the leather steering wheel in my hands, making it creak in the confines of the car. “Sorry, I’m just not sure what to say. I think I just need some food and to sleep, like you said.” Her smile is soft and sincere. Nodding my head, I get out of the car and stride over to her door to help her out. The trip up to the apartment is slow going, because she’s still dizzy and weak. I take note to not give her so much potassium on the next round so I don’t kill her accidentally. I lead her back into my room because I’d rather be in my own space than hers. As soon as I get her settled into bed, I head into the kitchen to whip her up something light to eat. I return with a bowl of chicken noodle soup along with crackers and a bottle of water. Sloane is sitting up against the headboard, her gaze weary with exhaustion. She notices me when I get right next to the bed and reaches out for the tray holding the food. “Thank you, I’m starving.” She digs into her soup, huffing and puffing because it’s steaming hot. “Oh my god, this is so good.” She exclaims, and it just makes me chuckle.
“Courtesy of Campbells. You know, the finest just for you.” I give her a wink, and we sit quietly while she finishes the entire bowl. I opted out of giving her another dose so her body would get some of its strength back before the next time. She drinks the broth from the bowl, the slurping sound grating on my nerves, but I let it slide. I eventually take the empty tray from her and return it to the kitchen. By the time I get back to my room, Sloane is passed out on the bed, sleeping soundly. Reaching over, I brush her hair from her face, admiring her peaceful expression, and then whisper, “Not much longer until you’re stuck with me forever, my Sweet Obsession.”
Waking up the next morning proves difficult between still feeling nauseous, and Kole has me wrapped up in his arms. Surprisingly, the sense of safety I feel in his arms is enough to quiet my mind. I inhale his scent, making me sigh, completely content to stay here all day long. However, my stomach has other ideas. I push myself out of Kole’s arms, and he groans at the sudden movement as I rush towards the bathroom. My knees hit the floor with a slam, but I don’t have time to dwell on the pain before I’m heaving up what I ate lastnight in the porcelain bowl. My throat is burning from the acid that rushed up it, my head pounding with the exertion. I feel a hand on my shoulder when I eventually stop puking my guts out. “What is happening to me?” I whimper out. “I’ve never felt this bad in my life.” My eyes tear up with annoyance, because I know I’m being a big-ass baby.
“I don’t know, Sloane.” He rubs my back with a comforting hand, letting me whine about how crappy I feel.
“I think I should go back to the hospital. I haven’t gotten any better.” I go to get up from the floor, but the world spins on its axis, sending me tumbling into Kole.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. Honestly, I think you just need to rest some more. If you still feel bad tonight, then I’ll take you in.” He helps me back into bed, tucking me under the covers. “We never did finish that game of twenty questions.” His voice has a hint of a smile in it. If I’m honest, I don’t have any desire to play that game, but I also don’t want to sit in silence either.
“Okay then, have you ever had any pets?” I ask, deciding to start out with a simple question.
“I had a dog when I was younger; his name was Meatball. My parents hated him.” He chuckles like he just told a joke. “What’s the worst thing that you’ve ever done?” I have to ponder this, because I don’t think I’ve ever done anything bad.
“Honestly, the worst thing I’ve ever done was accidentally steal a Reese cup from the store, which I felt so bad about that I returned it.” That gets a full belly laugh out of him. “Why don’t you have a good relationship with your parents?” I know asking this question will probably shut him down like the last time, but maybe he’ll take pity on me for feeling so bad.
“Sloane, I don’t—” He raises his voice in irritation, so I cut him off with my own words. “It’s okay; you don’t have to talk about it. What’s your favorite season?” I roll over onto my backand stare at the ceiling, wondering when he will ever let me into his head. I feel like all I’ve done is let him into parts of me that I keep closed off to everyone.
Kole leans his head back into the headboard with a loud sigh, seemingly lost in thought. “My parents weren’t like yours, Sloane. They were shitty as fuck, and I’m better off without them.” I open my mouth to reply, but he puts a finger to my lips to silence me. “I’m not done. My mother was too busy whoring herself around to even remember she had a kid. And my dad? He’s the one who sent her out to spread her legs for strangers, because‘her pussy was a money maker’I was stuck at home with him, being beaten for every little thing that set him off.” My heart breaks for childhood Kole the more he keeps talking. “I came home from school one week with all A’s on my report card, so excited to show him, and he beat me black and blue because I interrupted his football game.” My eyes sting from unshed tears, but I continue to keep my mouth shut, hoping he will tell me more. I reach down and wrap his hand in mine, rubbing circles on the back of it to calm him. “I tried to give them both the benefit of the doubt, but the day I turned 18, my father told me that I had to prove my worth to the family. We were sitting on the couch when my mother came in with a man on her arm. He was dressed to the nines in a suit and leather shoes that were too expensive to walk on our crusty carpet.” Kole stops to collect his thoughts, and I squeeze his hand to show him that I’m here. “My dad said the man was willing to pay five thousand dollars to fuck me in the ass. I remember the man throwing the wad of cash on the table in front of me, scattering trash to the floor. I couldn’t do anything but stare at the money that I knew I would never actually see. I told them I had to go prep myself and I’d be back. I went to my room and packed everything I could in a duffle bag and jumped out my window. Haven’t looked back since. They’re both probably dead for all I know.” He finishes with a shrug, andI’m so shocked that I’m speechless. My eyes well with tears that spill down my cheeks without my approval. Kole looks down at me, his face swimming in my teary vision. “It’s okay, Sloane. Not everyone gets a normal childhood.” He swipes my tears away gently, shushing me when I start to blubber about how awful it was for him. “Hush, I mean I think I turned out okay.” We both stare at each other before bursting out in laughter. We lay there in content silence until he speaks again, “What’s your favorite season?” His words are streaked with humor.
“Spring. It’s like a fresh start. Everything that had died off comes back more beautiful than the last time.” I say as a soft smile spreads across my face with my memories of reading in the meadow behind my childhood home.
“You’re beautiful.” Kole says, catching me off guard. I chuckle as I look over at him in surprise. “You are. Every time I call you perfect, I truly mean it.” He pushes my hair behind my ear and leans down to give me the most gentle kiss I’ve ever had. His lips are soft and unhurried as he takes his time, amping up my pleasure and making my toes curl. My arms curl around his neck on their own accord while I fall deeper into the kiss. He doesn’t try to go any further, seemingly content on ravaging my lips. However, my stomach rumbling totally ruins the moment, and we both pull away with a laugh. “I guess your pussy isn’t the only thing that’s hungry, huh?” He says with a wicked gleam in his eyes before kissing my forehead and getting out of bed. “I’ll get you something to eat; hold tight.” He walks out of the room without a backward glance.
I’m conflicted on what to feel now that I’m left alone to my own devices. I decide to get out of bed myself and stretch my sore limbs. Looking around Kole’s room, I finally notice how impersonal it is. It might as well be a hotel room with how little of him is on the walls or shelves. I hear pots and pans clattering in the kitchen, and my curiosity gets the better of me. I searchthrough the room looking for any crumb of Kole’s life I can dig up. His desk is empty except for a laptop, a few pens, and sticky notes. I walk towards a door on the other side of the room I have yet to see him open, and all that lies behind it is the closet. Neatly hanging clothes line the walls, and not a shoe is out of place. I look around the space, and there isn’t even a tattered box on top of the shelves or a dust bunny for that matter. With a huff, I leave his closet, crossing my arms over my chest in the middle of the room. I try to think of where someone so reclusive as Kole would hide his secrets, and the only thing I can think of is under the bed. But the simplicity of that thought is so absurd it makes me laugh. I tiptoe over to the door, cracking it open just enough to hear Kole still milling around in the kitchen. Rushing back over to the bed, I drop to my knees and peek under the bed skirt. Frustration courses through me when beneath the bed is as spotless as his closet, but then I see a dark object tucked into the very far corner. Looking back at the door to confirm he’s not standing behind me before I slither under the bed and grab the object, pulling it out into the light. It’s a small oak box with nothing descriptive on it; just plain polished wood lies before me. Getting up, I make sure the door is firmly closed before I plop down next to the box again. Part of me says this is a bad idea to infringe on his privacy, but the other part that is too nosy for their own good wins out on this argument.
I slowly flip the lid of the box open, and my brows furrow at the contents. A stack of photos lies within the box, the one on top being me when I was sleeping. I study the photo, and it has to be from one of the first nights I was here. Grabbing the stack of photos in my hand, I thumb through several more photos of me at various angles until I get to ones that are of someone completely different. A woman with a brunette bob and blue eyes stares back at me in the photo; she looks happy as she laughs at the cameraman. The next few photos are of thesame woman in different poses and outfits, and some are candid shots when she’s completely unaware that the picture has been taken. The last photo in the box makes me drop the rest of the photos to the floor; my heart pounds in my chest at the image that I’ve already seen before on my computer screen. It’s a copy of the photo of the woman who was spread out on the sidewalk in the middle of the night. Chills run up my spine when the puzzle pieces finally slot into place. “Bailey…” I whisper out into the empty room. The photo drops through my fingers, landing on top of the pile that is already there. My stomach turns with fear for the secrets hidden away in this box. I gather the photos, attempting to return them to their original order, and as I place them in the box, I notice a clump of hair at the bottom that I hadn’t noticed before. It’s neatly tied together with a thread and tucked into one of the corners. I shove the photos back into the box and rush to push the box back under the bed where I found it. I jump to my feet and start to pace the room, but don’t get too far into my spiraling before Kole comes back into the room. I jump and squeak, turning out to see him carrying another bowl of soup in his hands with a bottle of water.
“Everything okay?” He asks and then sets the bowl and water on the nightstand. “What are you doing out of bed?” His brows furrowed with confusion.
“I just… I had to use the bathroom, and I was tired of lying down.” The lie slips off my tongue easier than others I’ve ever told. Something about the contents of the box has told my brain to be a better liar.
“I brought you some more soup, chicken noodles again, I’m afraid.” He gives a smile and waves his hands towards the food. I waste no time plopping back down on the bed and picking up the steaming bowl of soup, scooping a spoonful into my mouth. “Good?” He asks.
“Tastes great, thank you.” I give him a smile and busy myself with eating the soup and polishing off the bottle of water. “Want to watch another movie?” I make myself comfortable in the bed and pick up the remote, thumbing through the available options until I land on an action movie that I’ve already seen before.
“That one looks good.” He says, seeing my selection on the screen while he climbs back into bed next to me. I snuggle into his side like nothing is wrong and press play on the movie. My mind is moving at a mile a minute, thoughts drowning out any noise from the movie. I play with the hem of the blanket that Kole dragged up over us and try to figure out a plan on what the hell I’m supposed to do with my newly acquired information. “You okay?” Kole asks, looking at me with worry, “You’ve been fidgeting this whole time.” He stares pointedly at the blanket clutched in my fingers.
“I’m good, just restless, I guess. I feel like I’ve been in bed for days.” I give him a frown while I try to remember the last time I even left the apartment. “What day is it anyway?”
“It’s Sunday; is there a problem?” He asks with curiosity, grabbing my fidgeting hand in his own to stop my picking at the blanket.
“Just making sure I don’t have to work again for a few days. I go back on Tuesday though, so I hope I’m feeling better by then.” I give him a smile and turn back to the movie. By the time the credits start rolling, so does my stomach. “I think I jinxed myself earlier.” I say in a panic as I climb out of bed.
“What do you mean?” Kole looks at me frantically as I rush towards the bathroom and take my spot in front of the toilet. Hands gather my hair up right before I start heaving into the bowl. I groan at the sour taste in my mouth from the soup, which definitely doesn't taste as good coming back up. After what feels like hours, I manage to completely empty my stomach. I’ve slumped down to lie on the floor because the cool tiles soothe myburning skin. “Do you want me to take you to the hospital?” Kole asks with worry in his eyes, and all I can do is nod my head in exhaustion.
“Sloane.” I hear the deep voice in my ear through my dreamless sleep. “Can you hear me?” My fingers twitch at my side, and I turn towards the person speaking, but I'm just so tired. “Let me see those pretty eyes, baby.” A soft touch runs down my cheek, and I eventually get my crusty eyes pried open. “Ah, there she is.” Koles' smiling face is taking up my view, his head outlined with a bright light, looking every bit of an angel. His hands grip under my arms to help sit me up in bed. The light in the room burns my sensitive eyes, making them watery. Kole gets me positioned how he wants and then steps back from my view. “The doctor is here.” As he speaks, I notice the doctor standing near the door with a pitying smile.
