Corrupted Flowers

@ BearGirl
Grabbing a container of fresh blueberries, some yogurts, granola, and a couple of other things that would be needed for a short stay, Justing then started to lead the way back towards the counters. Only pausing as he checked a text message he got on his phone. It was just a fellow gang member giving him an update on Bailey's brother.

When he glanced up, a small smirk slowly appeared on Justin's lips as he looked at the rack of sunglasses and little odds and ends. His gaze turned towards Bailey and took in her appearance with them on. "Well don't you look like a rockstar with those on." Justin mused as he motioned for the cashier to ring up the sunglasses along with the other things that he had put in the basket for them.

"Ring up that Tamagotchi as well," Justin said, noticing that it was still in Bailey's hand. He wasn't about to hut the girl's feelings over something so small. Plus, it was a fun little thing to have. He couldn't remember the last time he saw one of them. "Does it work?" He asked as he glanced at the cashier and listened about how it came with batteries in the box. Then, Justin paid for everything and grabbed onto the bags and Bailey's bags as he led the way back towards the car.

Once they were in the car once more, instead of getting back onto the highway, Justin started to drive down the dirt road into the forest towards their destination. "I used to come here when I was younger before everything turned to shit," Justin confessed to Bailey as he drove. "This was a paradise. The quiet, the fresh air, it's so relaxing out here." Justin pulled off onto a rocky road that leads towards a cute little cabin about an hour later. His little cabin on the lake. "This is home to me, what do you think?"

@ FallenHope95

Although it felt rather odd with everything going on, Bailey was pleased when Justin bought her the sunglasses and the Tamagotchi. Though with it came a very disjointing feeling of deja vu. It was reminiscent of getting in trouble with her father, getting yelled at and then him buying her something to show her that it was okay again.... Reminiscent but Bailey knew that the two situations were definitely not the same. But at least she had something to do besides think and the sunglasses would make her feel better in the car.

Once everything was paid for, the two of them were back in the car. Bailey slid the sunglasses down before pulling apart the container that her new little toy was in. The plastic wasn't all that easy but she was able to get it out and put the batteries in there. She didn't pay too much attention to where they were going but she did notice that they were now on a dirt road in the forest. Why he was bringing her out here still crossed her mind but she didn't want to focus on it too much.

Her eyes lifted when Justin started to speak again and slowly her head tilted to the words that were leaving his lips. Justin was bringing her somewhere important to him? Why? She had been sure that she was closer to being killed than to being brought on a mini vacation. When he pulled up to the cabin and the lake, Bailey pulled up her sunglasses and looked at it closer. "It's really pretty," Bailey responded softly. It was true, the cabin looked really nice and the lake was a beautiful crisp blue. It really did look like a lovely getaway.

When Justin came over to her side and opened up the door, Bailey slid out and continued to glance around, wanting to get a better look at everything. "Why are we here?" Bailey asked him, unable to help herself.

@ BearGirl
A shrug of his shoulders was Justin's best reply to why they were here. Turning to look towards the cabin that he grew up in for the most part. "Don't really know." He said, and then started to walk towards the cabin. His hands reaching into his pocket as fished out a little gold key that was for the front door. He didn't need to look behind himself to see if Bailey was following him or not. It was kinda pointless to try and run. The nearest gas station was a couple of miles through thickly dense woods and his neighbors were hidden in other places in the woods.

Raising his hand, Justin waved away some of the dust that was in the air as he stepped foot into the Cabin. Bringing his hand to his nose, Justin covered it as he walked around the main story of the house and started to open all of the windows. Allowing for the fresh air to come inside and help clear the place. "Haven't been here in months," Justin said as he heard the soft creaking of floorboards as Bailey entered the Cabin.

"Maybe a year and a half," Justin mumbled, rubbing his chin as he thought. Not really wanting to focus on the little details, Justin started to go around and pull the sheets off of the furniture. Revealing beautiful leather couches. Dark wood tables, a nice sized flat-screen TV, and whatever else made up the living room and kitchen. "Feel free to go check out the shed in back and the lake. I'm just going to throw the bedding in the wash and then I'll join you." Justin told Bailey, as he went to the ladder on the right side of the living room that led to the loft where a large king-sized bed laid. Waiting for someone to use it.

It was a stretch, but Justin hoped that being out in nature and away from the city for a day or so would be good for Bailey. She needed to clear her head, think about what had gone on. Things between them were shit, and it was a mixture of both of their faults. So, some peace and quiet was a good idea. Hopefully.

@ FallenHope95

As Justin walked away from her, Bailey went back to looking around the place they were in. The thought of running away crossed her mind for a moment but it was quickly squashed. There was nowhere to run to. She would just be getting herself lost in the woods. And, even if she did get away and make it out of the forest, then what? Bailey couldn't go back to her apartment, couldn't get her things or her brother. And she didn't think she would be able to make it to her parents without any money or a car. Could she even call the police and tell them what happened?

Her gaze slowly turned back to Justin. She didn't exactly feel safe with him. But there was a strange feeling in her chest that told Bailey that he didn't bring her here to hurt or kill her. Bailey closed her eyes for a moment and let out a small breath. She needed a better idea than just running into the forest with nothing. So, she slowly followed Justin inside the cabin. As Justin spoke, she took it in. It was rather musty and dark inside. But as he pulled off the sheets, Bailey could also see that it was nice and cozy. It just needed to be cleaned.

When Justin told her that she could check out the lake, Bailey turned around and made her way back outside. Although Justin told her that she could check out the shed, Bailey wasn't sure why she would want to. It was just a shed. Though she did head over to the lake, avoiding the beach part and just going to where it was just grass and then water. She dipped her hand in the water and let out a little sigh of content. It was cool but nice.

After a minute or so, Bailey wound up laying in the grass beside the lake. At first, she had been relaxing and taking in the view. But it was now long until she had fallen straight asleep. She had been so wound up the whole day that her body had been desperate for it and took the chance once Bailey had calmed down enough.

@ BearGirl
The bedding was in the wash, dishes were clean and in the since and the small thing of available groceries that were at that little gas station market were put away. The floors were cleaned and now Justin could feel his stomach starting to grumble a little bit. Raising his phone, Justin saw that it had been almost two hours since he had told Bailey to go and check out the lake. A while would have made him panic in any other situation, this one didn't. There was nowhere for her to go. At least, nowhere that she knew of.

Stepping towards the back door, Justin just needed to look through the glass door and look towards the water. A small smile coming over his lips as he saw her lying in the grass. Turning, Justin went to the fridge and grabbed two beers before making his way out towards the lake to join Bailey by the water. The soft crunching of the sand mixed with dirt under his shoes bringing in memories of his childhood.

"Hey," Justin said as he sat down next to Bailey on the ground. He brought one of the cold beers down and poked her cheek with the cold glass bottle to wake her. "I have lawn chairs in the shed. Why didn't you go to look for them?" He asked, waiting for Bailey to sit up before offering her the beer that he had just poked her with.

Then, once Bailey had taken the beer Justin brought his own beer to his lips and took a swig. His gaze focused out on the water that was in front of them. The sun was starting to set in the afternoon hours, causing the water to shine beautifully. "It's beautiful, don't you think?" Justin asked, then took another sip of his beer. "The lake, nature. It's all amazing. No smog from factories, no honking of traffic, it's just beautiful and peaceful. Plain and simple."

@ FallenHope95

A little, tired whimper left Bailey as she suddenly felt something cold pressed against her cheek. Slowly, she came to and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the beauty of the forest. Though as she turned slowly, her eyes landed on Justin. "I was sleeping," Bailey whispered to him, the tiredness seeping into her voice at the little whine.

It took her a few moments but Bailey slowly sat up beside Justin and took the beer that he offered to her. Bailey looked down at it, spinning it in her hand for a moment before taking a long sip of it before setting it down on the grass standing up. She then leaned back and pressed her bare heels into the earth, wanting to feel the grass against her skin. Her eyes focused on the man beside her for a second or so before looking back at the view.

"It is really beautiful," Bailey responded truthfully before continuing on. "I really like it here. It is nice and quiet and everything looks so perfect." As she spoke, Bailey felt like she was kind of having an out of time experience. Like everything was happening as it was which was fine but it felt more like this situation was occurring just a few days before. Back when everything was fine and she had no idea about her brother or Justin. Back when the two of them were just friends.

Bailey shifted her eyes away before slowly moving onto her feet. "I'll get the lawn chairs." She said softly before making her way to the shed. A few minutes later, she was carrying two chairs down. Setting them down on the ground, Bailey slid into hers before grabbing her beer and taking another drink.

@ BearGirl
Nothing left Justin's lips as he listened to Bailey, as he had nothing to really say to her. What did one say when they agreed with what you had just said? A small hum escaped from the slightly older man as he heard Bailey say she was going to get the chairs. They'll definitely be a lot more comfortable to sit in because Justin was pretty sure that he has felt a rock digging into his right ass cheek for the past few minutes that he had been sitting on the ground next to Bailey.

So, when Bailey brought the chairs over Justin stood up and brushed the dirt off of his pants and sat back down in the chair. His arms resting on his kneed and the nozzle of the beer dangled between his fingers as he focused on the water that was before him. Then, he raised his beer to his lips once more. Allowing for the cold bubbly drink to take over his taste buds and warm his body on its way down.

"Ask me whatever you want, short answer questions only. Go." Justin said quietly, looking down at the ground as he watched the beer swinging around slightly as he let his loose hold be moved by the wind. The motion seeming almost hypnotizing in a way, relaxing. Then, he raised his gaze to look out towards the water once more and took a couple of deep sips from his beer. It was going to be a long night. Either he was going to sleep in bed with Bailey tonight, or he was going to sleep either on the couch or outside. It all depended on what she was going to ask him and how he was able to answer the questions.

(I'm sorry that it's so short. I just felt like it'd be a better choice and portrayed Justin better this way. <3)

@ FallenHope95

Silence fell over Bailey as Justin gave her the go ahead to ask any question she wanted. Her head turned slowly and she looked at Justin, a little unsure if that was actually true. Would he be upset if she asked a bad question? She wanted to believe that she could ask anything but it seemed hard to trust that. Especially since Justin didn't always care for all of her questions before all of this occurred.

Her head turned back in front of her, her eyes dropping down to the water. Bailey didn't want to lose this chance if it was true. There were some things that she needed to know. So she took in a small breath before beginning to speak. "You keep saying I should trust you and just follow your commands. But why should I?" Bailey dropped her head a little. "Which Justin should I believe? The one who told me yesterday that they would help me or the one who threatened me today?"

"And why do you keep hurting me? We were fine before all of this and now... Now you keep saying such horrid things to me and choking me. Do you like hitting me? Are you going to keep hurting me, Justin?" Bailey whispered to him before taking in a deep breath, feeling fear for the answer, especially for her next question. "Are you going to kill me? Or would you kill me if I got too out of hand for you? Or would you even give me back of your gang to do so?"

Bailey hesitated for a moment before looking over at him. "You also said some things at the flower shop... about stopping to wonder what was going through your head. And trying to figure out why you were doing any of this. So tell me. And who were you worried about watching you at the shop? What does it matter to them what you say to me?"

@ BearGirl
A small groan escaped from Justin as he raised his free hand and rubbed at his eyes. He knew that Bailey would take the chance to ask questions, but he wasn't excepting for her to be asking the hard ones right off the bat. But, he had told her to ask questions, so he couldn't go back on his word. He wouldn't go back on his word. Bailey deserved answers, she deserved to know he was doing his best.

Raising his beer to his lips, Justin took a sip of his beer as he thought about how to answer her questions. He was hoping for yes or no questions, but then again, Bailey was a college student and understood that term more than him. "Because I've been in this life for a long time, Bailey. I know how to survive this. You just need to not try and shoot me." He murmured, bringing up that he knew she was looking for something deadly this morning in his bedroom.

Slowly, Justin ran his tongue over his lips as he listened to Bailey's next set of questions. "I don't know." He said honestly, then flinched as Bailey asked if he'd keep hurting her. "I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Justin let out a small snort. "I don't mean to, and I don't want to. I just lose myself sometimes." Justin told Bailey honestly. Glancing over at her through the corner of his eye, Justin frowned. "I'm sorry about that shit, Bailey. I." Justin said quietly, knowing that it'll take more than a simple apology to get rid of the hurt he's done to her.

At the mention of killing her, Justin couldn't help but to scowl and look at her full on. His eyes growing hard as she asked about it. "If your life is ever in deeper shit that could lead to your life ending, you can bet your ass that I'm sending you out of here. Bailey." Justin told her. "I will not allow for your life to end so easily. You can count on that. I will take any bullet that comes your way, any knife, any fist. I will take it." Justin brought his beer to his lips and took the last few deep gulps that were available to him from his bottle of beer.

"Fear, regret, pain. Anxiety." Justin started to name things that he's constantly feeling. Thoughts that are always on his mind. Even as he smiles and talks big. He's always hurting, on the inside, where no one could see him. Where he could bottle things up and just lock away, only to explode at the worst times imaginable. "My father," Justin said quietly as he looked out towards the water. Watching as the last few rays of light started to sink below the treeline. "He's always watching. Hacking into the live feeds of surveillance that the gang has set up around town. If he catches a whiff of a snitch. You're as good as dead." That was the end of the questions, Justing didn't know what else to say. So, he just stood up and offered Bailey a hand. "Come on, it's going to get cold out tonight." He told her, waiting to see if she'd accept or not. Either way, Justin was going to go up to the cabin to start warming the oven to warm that pizza that he put in the fridge a little while ago.

@ FallenHope95

As Justin responded to her questions, Bailey was quiet. She didn't interrupt him nor did she want to be distracting as Justin finally told her what was going on, and why any of this was happening. Bailey wanted the truth and she was going to listen to every word, even if he wasn't saying what she wanted to hear. Though as he spoke, she wondered if what he was saying was true... It felt true. How Justin said it, what he was saying, even his body language. Although her faith in Justin had plummeted, there was something at that moment that made Bailey sure he was being honest with her.

When Justin answered her questions about him hurting her, a deep frown came over her face. It wasn't a great response or reason...but at least it was better than some answers. At least he didn't enjoy it. At least Justin didn't want to. Though it still stirred up a bad feeling in her chest. He didn't want to but he also didn't say that he would stop. And his little apology certainly wasn't enough to make up for the day. Though when he looked her right in the eyes and assured her that he wouldn't let her die, Bailey couldn't help the sigh of relief that left her. He wanted to save her and, for now, that was good enough. Justin's temper was frightening but at least he would save her from a much larger and more horrid beast.

There were other questions she wanted to ask. More things she wanted to follow up on. But it seemed that Justin was done with the questions for the time being. She wouldn't push it any further for now. She felt lucky that he wasn't upset by her questions.

Bailey went still when Justin offered his hand to her. Her hand lifted up for a moment before her eyes noticed the bruising around her wrists from him pinning her down multiple times. Immediately, her hand dropped, not feeling comfortable with Justin touching her. She felt better knowing that he wouldn't kill her but Bailey was concerned about him snapping at her. Besides, her wounded hands would only hurt from him touching them. But instead of holding his hand, Bailey moved behind Justin and lightly held onto the back of his shirt as she followed him inside. She felt better about that level with Justin.

Once they were inside of the cabin, Bailey released his shirt but still followed Justin into the kitchen. She looked at him for a moment before speaking. "This morning... I was looking for a gun but it wasn't to be used against you. I don't want to shoot you. I was...I am scared and I wanted to protect myself."

@ BearGirl
"Having a gun in your hand, Bailey." Justin started to say. Keeping his back to the young girl as he turned on the oven, twisting the dial back and forth a little to get to the correct temp for the frozen pizza. "Is going to be what gets you killed." Justin slowly turned around to face Bailey once more. His arms crossed over his chest as he relaxed back against the counter. The corner digging into his back ever so slightly. "Especially if you don't know how to use one." Of course, this is Justin assuming that Bailey doesn't know how to use one.

Slowly, Justin ran his tongue over his lips. Observing the young woman who had gotten herself into deep shit with a gang. The same girl who annoyed the fuck out of him until he accepted hanging out with her. The same girl who stuck up for her brother. "You're a glutton for getting into trouble, aren't you?" Justin murmured, his shoulders sagged a little bit as he turned his head to the side and sighed. What was he going to do with Bailey? She was trouble.

Putting his hands on the edges of the counter, Justin stood up straight and walked towards the fridge. He pulled out the frozen pizza and carelessly tossed it onto the counter next to the fridge. "You're nothing but trouble, Bailey." Justin murmured, the corner of his lips twitching up slowly into a small smirk. The girl was interesting though. She was naive, yet feisty. A rare and amusing combination.

Moving around the kitchen, Justin got the tray ready for the pizza and opened the box. He kept his back to Bailey as he moved around. Not bothering to check if she was still in the kitchen with him or not. "Remote for the TV should be on the coffee table," Justin said as he put the pizza into the oven. "We can talk sleeping arrangments after we eat." He told her and walked into the bathroom that was to the left of the small kitchen and closed the door. Needing a couple of moments to clear his head and have some peace and quiet.

@ FallenHope95

Bailey dropped her head a bit as Justin gave her a little lecture about the gun. Part of her wanted to pipe up and say that she had shot a gun before. Though she was sure that Justin wouldn't find it very amusing when he learned that she was referring to a paintball gun that her father let her shoot almost 10 whole years ago... Even so, Bailey didn't like the helpless feeling that was now clinging to her. A weapon would make her feel safer but Justin was probably right in that, in reality, it was more dangerous for her. If Justin was true to his word about protecting her through anything, then she shouldn't need a gun.

Though her head lifted up and her eyebrows furrowed together as he continued on. "I am not," Bailey mumbled, a clear pout coming in through her voice. "Everyone else is trouble and I just get dragged into it..." At that thought, she let out a small sigh. It actually was a pretty true statement. Her brother had always gotten her into situations that she shouldn't be in. And now Justin. Well, he hadn't dragged her into anything yet but there was no doubt that he was trouble with a capital T. How could a gang member not be trouble?

Once Justin had walked away from her, Bailey slowly turned and made her way over to the living room. She glanced around, unfamiliar with this place but eventually, her eyes dropped to the coffee table and then to the remote that was on top of it. Bailey turned on the TV and flipped through some of the channels until she found something that was a more light and airy. Just some people who were trying to fix and then sell a house. No serious issues should arrive there.

Bailey sat down on the couch before slowly melting into it, half sitting-half laying down. Even though she had taken a nap out by the lake, the woman was still exhausted. There was so much that brought her down. In truth, Bailey felt like it would take a century to sleep off all of the stress and anxiety she had managed to feel in the last day. She was tempted to just fall right back to sleep, but at the same time, she was hungry.

@ BearGirl
With the Pizza in the oven, a timer set and an open beer in his hand. Justin was ready to just relax until their dinner was done. That's what he had planned until he laid his eyes on the beautiful young woman that was laying on the old couch that resided in the cottage that he spent most of his childhood in. Bailey looked exhausted, and he didn't blame her. She's been through a shit ton of stuff the past couple of days.

Raising his beer to his lips, Justin took a large swig before he walked towards the other end of the couch and sat down. Being careful to not sit on Bailey's feet as he does so. Looking towards the TV, Justin couldn't help but arch an eyebrow as he saw what she had put on. Of all things, it had to be a decorative show. "You really like the idea of arrangments." Justin murmured, glancing towards the young lady before looking back at the TV. A small frown coming to his lips as he saw that it was two men who were the main focus of the show. Property Brothers, the station said as it flipped to commercials.

"So," Justin said a couple of moments after watching the pointless commercials about law firms that could get people who were in car accidents money. His head fully turned towards Bailey. An arm moving to rest on the back of the couch as well to prove that Justin was feeling quite relaxed right about now. "What is it exactly that you're going to school for? What're you hoping to become?" He asked, arching an eyebrow as he waited to see if the young beauty on his couch would speak to him. Justin could completely understand if Bailey wanted to just keep the silence between them going. He's an ass, he's been told so multiple times, and it won't be a surprise if he was called one now.

Glancing towards the TV Justin watched as the show came back on. The house was almost done and they were talking about how to sell. It was an interesting show, but he wouldn't be caught dead watching it on his own.

@ FallenHope95

"They are okay," Bailey murmured as she laid her head against the cushions against the couch. She thought that the house on the TV show looked pretty nice but it really wasn't how she would decorate something. As Justin moved to sit down, Bailey pulled her feet back a little but then moved them back into place. The tips of her toes lightly rested against his thigh. With a little sigh, she sunk deeper into the couch. Her eyes stuck on the TV but phasing out as the commercials came on.

As Justin started to speak again, her head turned to focus on him. Though as he asked about her schooling, Bailey's eyes shifted to the side for a moment. School was something she had talked about often with him so it hearing that he didn't remember hit a sore spot. But it was clear that she didn't know Justin very well either. "I am getting my grad degree in computer science." Bailey told him after a moment, her eyes shifting back to look at him. "Originally, I was thinking of becoming a software engineer but there are a lot of options I could take so..."

A little sigh left Bailey's lips. She couldn't really wrap her head around the idea of having a somewhat normal life after this. Hell, she couldn't really wrap her head around how she was going to get out of this situation alive. Though Justin seemed sure that he would be able to get her safe. But even if he managed to do that, Bailey wasn't sure about the rest of it. "Did you ever go to school for anything?" Bailey asked softly, though she felt like the answer was probably no. Not that Justin wasn't smart enough, it just seemed unlikely that he thought he would need it.

Her eyes shifted back to the show once it came on and Bailey refocused her attention on that. She could feel her eyes getting heavy, her body urging her to go back to sleep. But the smell of pizza that was filling up the cabin was too inciting to allow herself to miss out on it.

@ BearGirl
Sinking down on the couch a little bit, Justin stretched his feet out and relaxed them on the coffee table. Not caring what Bailey thought of the action. This was his house, so he was allowed to relax how he wanted to. Then, his arms crossed over his chest and his head turned towards Bailey as she spoke. A small spark of remembering flitted through his eyes, before disappearing. He honestly forgot about a lot of that stuff. The school really wasn't his thing and it often went in one ear and out the other.

"I did, believe it or not," Justin mumbled quietly as he watched Bailey silently through the corner of his eye. "I have a master's in Business." Justin turned his gaze away from Bailey. He didn't need to see the disbelief in her gaze. It didn't do him any help anyways, plus he really didn't remember most of it. Just the stuff about learning money and accounting things. Everything else was pretty boring to him. "Didn't get a chance to look into other job opportunities though, my father thought that since I had my fun, it was time to join the family business."

Raising his beer his lips, Justing finished the cold drink just as the timer for the pizza went off. A small sigh escaped from Justin. Saved by the bell. Getting up from the couch, Justin walked into the kitchen. He set the empty beer bottle into the sink and put on an oven mitt as he opened the oven and brought the pizza out of the oven. Setting the steaming hot pizza onto the top of the stove. Justin paid no mind to Bailey, not really caring if she came to help, sat at the table or anything. He was focused, heating pizza was his specialty. Other types of cooking? Not so much.

Getting two plates out of the cupboard that he recently cleaned, Justin cut the pizza into slices and then put two slices onto each plate. He brought them to the table and looked towards wherever Bailey ended up. "What do you want to drink with dinner?" He asked, arching a brow at the girl. He got pizza's best friend, Pepsi, water and more beer. So, limited options but at least they weren't going to get dehydrated. Grabbing a glass and filling whatever it was that Bailey wanted to drink with dinner, Justin set her drink on the table and then went to sit in his own seat. "Well, it's not world-class. But it's edible."

@ FallenHope95

Bailey didn't react all that much when Justin revealed that he had, in fact, gone to college and even finished with a master's degree. Once again, she thought that he was smart enough to do so. Why he had gone though was a mystery to her. Though when he mentioned his father pulling him into the family business, things started to click together for her. "Is the family business the gang?" Bailey whispered, keeping her voice gentle as she did so. Although Justin was being reasonable and kind again, Bailey didn't know if he would be likely to snap at her again.

When the timer went off, Bailey turned her head away and glanced off at one of the walls. Although she wasn't watching him, Bailey could hear what he was doing over the noises of the TV. The sound of the oven opening and him setting it down. Though when she heard plates being pulled out of the cupboard, Bailey slowly sat up from the couch. She rubbed her tired eyes for a moment before making her way over to the table and sat down.

"Just a water, please." Bailey mumbled as she set her hands on the table. She knew what her plan was. To eat until she was fully and then quick head off to bed. Though Bailey had to hope that worked out with whatever Justin had in mind...Even if he wanted her to do something else, Bailey wasn't sure that she could keep her eyes open for it.

Once the water was set down in front of her, Bailey took a sip before beginning to eat her slices of pizza. Justin was right, it was not world-class but pizza was pizza. It was cooked properly and all of the basics for what a pizza should be were met. And, Bailey could say with confidence that it was a much better meal than Justin had made this morning. "It's good. Thank you," Bailey told Justin before she continued to eat her slices.

@ BearGirl
Keeping his eyes focused on the food that was in front of him, Justin ate. It tasted like his childhood, terrible, cheap. It was what one would expect from an abusive asshole of a father and a broken woman for a mother. Memories of being left alone in the closet while his father harmed his mother. Listening to screams as his father tortured people in the basement before upgrading to a safe house with padded walls to silence the screams. It was his life, his past and nothing could change that for Justin.

"Why don't we talk about your parents instead since we're on the topic of families." Justin murmured quietly after sitting silently and eating his crappy pizza. His gaze didn't shift towards Bailey as he waited for a reply, no. He didn't need to see her stiffening body language or the fear that appeared in her eyes. She'd probably think he was only asking because he wanted to hurt them. An while he was a man with an aptitude for violence, he wasn't really interested in going after people because they had a dipshit for a son and a daughter with to pure of a heart.

After finishing his second slice, Justin finally managed to gain enough courage to glance up towards Bailey. She looked tired. Darkness encased the bottom parts of her eyes, her skin a little pale as well and her posture looked a little droopy. Narrowing eyes in an examination sort of way instead of accusatory, Justin slowly tilted his head to the side as he looked at Bailey. "I think once we're done eating, you should head to bed. You look exhausted." Justin murmured, doing his best to not sound like he was ordering her around. As that was the last thing he wanted to have Bailey complain about.

Reaching out, Justin grabbed his drink and raised it to his lips. Taking a couple of sips before he lowered the glass. "How are your hands? Do they hurt still?" He asked, remembering the glass shards that had sliced her and briefly wondered how she'd be able to get into the loft if her hands still ached. Although, she was no child so surely Bailey could push through the ache of a couple scratches. Right? Hopefully.

@ FallenHope95

At his request concerning her parents, Bailey lifted her eyes and glanced over at him. A confused look took over her face before it was quickly replaced by a frown. Why did he want to talk about them? She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and looked away from Justin. She had a lot of conflicting feelings about Justin but she didn't think she would hurt them...but Bailey couldn't say that she knew he wouldn't and that was frightening to her. There was a moment of hesitation before she responded. "They are just normal people." Bailey's voice was quiet and tired. "It's not like they are perfect or anything but they have always supported me. And they tried their best to help my brother. I don't know what else to say...Was there something you wanted to know?"

Bailey nodded her head slowly as Justin mentioned her going to bed after dinner. Her eyes shifted over to his, catching his gaze for a moment before she looked back down at her plate. "I would like that... thank you." She went back to taking small bites off of her second piece of pizza. After finishing off her second piece, Bailey pushed her plate away from herself slightly and finished off her glass of water.

Her fingers wiggled a little as Justin asked about her hands. Bailey slid her hands in front of herself but kept them resting on the table. The truth was the aches on her hands were quite painful. And the deep cuts, in particular, throbbed even when her hands were open and free. But her chest tightened as she thought about how she got those cuts to begin with. That situation was certainly a sore spot and Bailey was trying her best not to upset Justin in the chance that he would hurt her again if she misstepped. Even though he said he didn't mean to hurt her but Justin never said that he wouldn't. "They don't hurt." Bailey lied.

Feeling her chest tightening up, Bailey slid out of her chair and took the empty plates into her hands. She walked to the sink and quietly washed their plates although it caused her bandages to become wet. Though when she was done, Bailey slowly turned around and looked to the rest of the cabin, looking around silently, wondering where Justin would want her to sleep. She felt as though she could barely keep her eyes open.

@ BearGirl
Leaning back in his chair, Justin crossed his arms over his chest as he listend to Bailey. His lips pursed into a thin line as he slowly nodded his head when the situation called for it. Attention, he was giving it all to Bailey. His gaze zeroed in on her reactions to the little things she said. The way her lips slightly twitched up when she spoke of her brother or her parents. The way she casually said caringly. She must have had a good childhood if she spoke so freely of them. At least, mostly. "No, I just wanted to know about you." Raising his beer to his lips once more, Justin just stayed quiet as he watched Bailey. She was so pretty, he hoped things smoothed over between them again soon.

Looking down at the table as Bailey cleared the table, Justin let his eyes closed for a moment. he was tired as well, but there was a lot of shit that needed to be done still. He needed to use his phone and contact his dad to let him know where he was. He needed to make sure Bailey's brother wasn't dead in a ditch yet. He needed to figure out how to fucking protect Bailey from even more shit.

Hearing the water from the sink, Justin looked over his shoulder and watched Bailey for a moment before he stood up. A frown slowing on his lips before he raised his gaze to hers. "Why don't we let your cuts air dry? Some fresh air will be good for them." Justin said in a calm voice as he slowly walked towards her. His gaze down as he focused on her hands. Then, he reached out slowly and started to unwrap her right hand. His eyes flickering up to her eyes and held her gaze as he slowly raised her un-wrapped hand and pressed a small kiss to her inner wrist. Then, he did the same to the other wrist.

"Do you think you'll be able to climb up there alone? Or, do you want me to carry you?" He asked, his voice quiet as he stared Bailey in the eyes. Wanting to gauge her reaction, he wanted to memorize everything about her.

@ FallenHope95

Bailey's half open eyes shifted up as Justin stood up and headed over to her. The young woman let out a small relaxed breath of air as Justin spoke so softly to her. She found it calming. So all she did was nod in agreement to his suggestion and lift her hands up ever so slightly to him.

As Justin started to unwrap her right hand, Bailey winced in pain and slightly jerked her hand back. Though she stopped herself from pulling it away completely and moved her hand back to where Justin had lifted it up to. Once the wraps were removed from her right hand, it was clear to see how they were healing. Her right hand was swelled up slightly and bruises covered her palms. The cuts on her hand, however, had dried and beginning to scar. Although it looked bad, anyone familiar with similar injuries would know that it would look worse before it got better. And that it, while sore and aching, would heal with time.

While Justin had continued to unwrap and look at her hand, Bailey had phased out and her eyes were closed. Though as she felt Justin's lips press against her skin, Bailey's eyes opened up widely in surprise. This time, Bailey watched Justin closely as he unwrapped her other hand. It looked the same as the first. But as he did so, Bailey continued to relax and her eyes softened as she looked at him. At the second kiss against her wrist, Bailey hummed softly in response. She was undoubtedly conflicted about Justin but the gentleness that she knew he could show was welcomed.

"Can you please carry me?" Bailey whispered tiredly. If Justin was going to act like this, Bailey didn't mind the closeness that had repulsed her at the beginning of the day. The truth was Bailey wanted her old Justin. She wanted to be helped and comforted. Especially since she had no idea what to do. As for his help up the ladder, Bailey was glad for the offer as she was exhausted and her hands hurt like hell. When Justin turned around, Bailey got onto his back, her arms and legs wrapping around him as her face buried into his back with a tired yawn.