I Don't Want To Solve Your Problems, I Have My Own

The next time she showed up, I wasn’t prepared. Tears streamed down her face, a bruise shining brightly against her eye. She had a backpack slung over one shoulder, and I gaped as I opened the door.

“Geno…can I come in?” she whimpered. I nodded dumbly and stepped aside so she could walk into my apartment.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I…I had a run in with an…old friend. He seemed to think I owed him some money, but when I proved that I didn’t, he wasn’t too happy…I’m afraid to go back to my place. He knows where I live now,” she squeaked.

“Well then you can stay here tonight,” I said, not even thinking before the words left my mouth.

“Are you sure? I mean, you hardly know me,” she said. I looked at her once more, and noticed that her bottom lip was split and starting to swell up a bit.

“Definitely,” I said quietly. I reached out and placed a finger on the bruised lip, and she turned her head quickly.

“I feel horrible for doing this to you,” she sighed.

“Doing what?” I asked.

“I hardly know you, and this is the second time you’ve come to my rescue,” she muttered.

“What can I say, I like helping people,” I chuckled quietly. For some reason, her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m glad there’s one person in the world who does,” she said, running her hands up and down her arms. Her bright yellow cast seemed dingy now, almost as if her fear and sadness had seeped into the color. I noticed a hand shaped bruise on her upper left arm, and my jaw clenched.

“Why do I feel like this person didn’t just want your money?” I growled. She stared at me in surprise for a moment, and sniffled.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” she whispered. I nodded in understanding and stood up.

“I’m going to get you some ice,” I said before walking into the kitchen.

A few hours, two aspirin, and an ice pack later, and Ashley was a bit calmer. She had stopped crying, and the eye that wasn’t swollen shut had returned to almost its normal color. She seemed jumpy, so I was keeping my distance, but she suddenly slid across the couch and snuggled against my side. I picked up my arm and draped it around her, and she placed her head on my shoulder. I ran my hand through her hair and she sighed. A few minutes later she had drifted off to sleep and I scooped her up into my arms and carried her into the guest bedroom.

“Evgeni!” I heard her scream. I bolted from my bed and ran into the guest bedroom to see her thrashing around in her sleep. I threw on the light and saw that she was still sleeping. Tears streamed from her closed eyes, and she looked like she was fighting someone or something off. I ran to the side of the bed.

“Ashley, Ashley wake up!” I said. She continued to thrash and let out a whimper, so I grabbed her arms and pinned them down.

“Wake up!” I barked. Her eye flew open and she started to gasp for breath, looking around wildly. She looked at me last, and collapsed into silent sobs.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered, letting go of her arms to pull her into a hug. She buried her face in my chest and let out a scream.

“Nightmare,” she muttered after a few more minutes of quiet crying. I pulled her back, and placed my hands on her shoulders.

“You don’t have to be afraid. It was only a dream,” I said. She nodded weakly and took a shuddering breath. Without speaking, I picked her up and carried her into my room.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked. I put her in my bed, and tucked the sheets around her before climbing into the bed beside her. I stretched out on top of the sheets and smiled softly at her.

“Now you won’t be alone,” I said.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

“When I was little, I used to have nightmares. I never wanted to be alone after I woke up,” I explained. She smiled gratefully, but motioned for me to get out of the bed, which I did. She picked up the sheets with her casted hand, and patted the mattress with the other.

“You don’t have to stay out of the sheets, I could really care less,” she said quietly. I swallowed hard, but slipped into the bed and she put the sheets down over me. Her hand traced its way up my chest before settling on my neck. She pulled me towards her, kissed me softly, and then fell asleep once more. I watched her sleep peacefully until I fell asleep myself.

When I woke up Ashley was curled into my chest. Her hair fell in her face messily, and it was the most adorable thing I ever saw. My arm was draped around her waist, and I left it there, perfectly content to just watch her sleep. She didn’t wake up for a little while, but when she did, the first thing she did was grab my hand.

“Morning,” I said quietly. She rolled onto her back and looked at me. The swelling in her eye looked worse, and I bit back a sigh. Her lip was still swollen, and fear still flickered on her face.

“Morning Geno,” she mumbled. We lay there, staring at each other for a few minutes, before everything changed. She grabbed me and pulled me to her, kissing me roughly. I felt my heart beat speed up, and I kissed her back. I let her push me down into the pillows and she perched on my stomach. Everything about the kiss was needy, and neither of us seemed to care. My hands danced up and down her body, and her hands slipped up my shirt and rested on my chest. I toyed with the edge of her shirt as our tongues met, and then allowed my hands to slide up her shirt as well. Her stomach was warm, and smooth, and she grinned against my lips as my hands brushed her breasts. I had the sudden urge to rip off her clothes, and I think she was getting to that point too. She scooted down a little further and that grin grew. Quite honestly, I blushed a bit, but shrugged it off as she continued to kiss me. Her hands slid down my chest and she was tugging at the waistband of my pajama pants when the front door opened. I cursed silently, and ignored it.

“Geno?” I heard Sidney call. Ashley and I both let out sighs and she slid off of me.

“Я ненавижу вас так много,” I murmured as I slipped out of the bedroom.

“Hey, you look a little more lively than usual in the morning,” Sidney chirped as I walked into the living room. I gave him a scathing look and he raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, well, there’s a reason you call people before you walk into their houses,” I growled. Sidney frowned.

“What?” He asked.

“Ты идиот…there’s someone here.” I whispered.

“Someone…oh…oh my God, I am so sorry Geno!” Sidney whispered. I simply rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, I am too. Why’d I give you a key to my apartment again?” I teased.

“Because you love me even though I’m a cock block?” He joked.

“Yeah, well you can leave now,” I said. Sidney nodded and practically ran out the door, and I turned back towards the bedroom.

“Теперь, где мы были?” I asked myself as I pushed the door open and saw Ashley sitting there, hugging one of my pillows to her chest.