Page 33 of Broken Hero
All of a sudden, I hear the door click, and it opens. He has boxer briefs on now, a pained expression on his face as he looks down at me.
“No one sees me like this, Sophie.” He brushes past me and goes to sit on the bed, his head in his hands. It breaks my heart to see him like this - it reminds me of the night I took him home - a broken man.
I go over to him and kneel, moving his knees apart so I can fit in them. “Hey, what are you so upset about? Your scars? Yeah, you have scars, so what?”
His head snaps up. “So what? Have you fucking seen them? I'm surprised you haven’t thrown up.”
“Dec, seriously, Big Guy, they're nothing. I don't care about a scar on your body.”
“I'm a freak - no one would ever be attracted to me with these – not that I care - I don't deserve to be with anyone anyway.”
I start to get mad and grab one of his hands. “Right, stop this bloody pity party right now!”
With my other hand, I reach up to his shoulder - the side with the scars and touch my fingers lightly to the rough skin.
His whole body stiffens. “Don't touch me.”
I carry on doing what I'm doing with a feather touch. It feels a little rough, but so what? I don't understand why he’s making such a big deal of it.
“Babe, they don't bother me - one little bit.”
He makes eye contact with me then looks away quickly. He doesn't speak.
“How did you get them? Was it on the job?”
“I need to get some air. I'm going for a run.”
He pushes me to one side to stand up. He pulls some shorts on - he must have brought them for the gym and a t-shirt. Once he’s put on his trainers, he gets up, walks out and slams the door behind him, not saying a word.
I remain there on the floor by the bed, wondering what the hell happened to this man to make him like this.
Chapter Seven
Sophie
I have no idea what to do next. Do I get ready? Is tonight off? Is the whole weekend off? I have no bloody clue. I decide to take a shower and prepare as though it's still going ahead - it gives me something to do, something to focus on while I wonder if he’s going to come back at all. What a mess and the weekend has only just started.
