One Love
Blake
"Audio," I whispered after the police officer left the room. I couldn't take my eyes off of Audio's body. I was still trying to take in what I was seeing. All the bruises, scratches, and cigarette burns were too much. I wanted to look away and pretend I had never seen them, but there was no way in hell I could ever forget something like that. My best friend in this entire world was beaten up from head to toe in a numerable amount of ways and it just shattered my heart into a thousand pieces.
"Don't," he said back, holding his hand up, signaling me to stop there.
"What do you mean don’t," I spat. "You look like hell! I knew he was a shit head, but I never in my life would have guessed that you were allowing him to physically mark you. In so many places at once, at that."
"I said stop," he mumbled, slipping his clothes back on.
"No, Audio. I'm just getting started. I've kept my mouth shut for too long. If I would've spoken up when he first started talking shitty with you, then maybe you'd be in a healthier relationship."
"You can't blame this on yourself!" Audio shouted this time.
"You want me to blame you instead? Fine! It's your stupid fault for letting some poor excuse for a human being put his hands on you in an abusive way. It's your fault he stabbed you, Audio! It's your fault - "
"That's enough! Now you're just like Andy," he cried, racing past me.
Once he left the room in tears I knew I had screwed up pretty bad and I wanted to take it all back. I wished he had never heard me say that because he would probably never forget it. How could he? I was the only good person in his life and now I was acting just like Andy had in the beginning. And Audio even said so himself. I forced myself to fight back my tears and ran after Audio. It wasn't time for me to cry. I didn't deserve pity, especially from myself.
I rushed down the stairs, hoping to catch Audio before he got too far. Fortunately, he was only a few yards away. Unfortunately, though, it was thanks to Andy that he didn't get far. When I got outside, Audio was on the ground rubbing his arm and Andy was standing over him spitting insults and threats into his face. When Andy heard my presence he glared up at me and started running his mouth at me. "Hey, you're the piece of shit that ran Audio out of the hospital! What is he fucking you now too?"
Without shouting back any insults or threats, I lunged forward cracked him in the face with my fist, knocking him to ground. Right as he was getting up from the ground, my mom ran outside to see what was going on.
"Blake!" she shouted as she ran forward. She pulled out her cell phone and called the cops. I tried to keep Andy there so the cops would have easy access to him, but he got away leaving behind my bloody nose and a fresh bruise on Audio's arm.
Minutes later, the police arrived and after several moments of discussion with my mom and other police officers, they decided that Audio and I would be much safer in the Witness Protection Program. It was decided that first thing in the morning we would have our things packed and ready to fly to a secret location to be put under protection immediately.
"This guy is more of a loose cannon than we originally thought," one of the policemen had mentioned.
***
The next day, Audio and I arrived at our new super secret apartment in the late afternoon. Neither of us had slept much at all the night before, so we decided to go straight to sleep once we got settled in. Before going to bed, I hopped in the shower while Audio had a quick meal in the kitchen. Once I got back to the bedroom, Audio was already in getting undressed to get ready for bed. When he saw me, he stopped in his tracks and started for the door.
"Don’t mind me," I told him. "You have nothing I haven't seen."
After hesitating for a moment, Audio continued stripping down to his boxers. His back was to me, and I couldn't take my eyes off all of his wounds. I reached my hand out to touch them with my fingertips gently. Audio winced once I hit a tender spot, so I took my hand away. He turned around, wrapped his arms around my waist, and began to weep.
I ran my fingers through his hair until he was done crying. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
I didn't say anything back. I just kissed him on the cheek. He looked up at me and I noticed how little he looked in that moment. It broke my heart because he's always been such a strong person. I put my hand along his jaw and rubbed my thumb back and forth. He reached his face up closer to mine and kissed me on the lips this time. Without thinking, I put my hands around him and kept him pressed to me before he could pull away. We stayed kissing like that for several minutes before Audio started lifting my shirt off. Before I knew it, all of our clothes were on the floor and we were both naked under the sheets.
I had been in that situation more times in my life than I can count, but this time it was completely different. Instead of thinking about showing off, I was thinking about how to handle Audio. I knew he was physically fragile at the moment, so I thrust my hips into him slowly and softly. I kissed along his shoulder with light kisses. I held him close to me and peered into his eyes, trying to keep that moment in my memory forever.
Those moments with Audio were perfect and something I never wanted to take back. However, I did want to take back the awkward and silent moments spent facing away from each other following our afternoon in bed together.
"Don't," he said back, holding his hand up, signaling me to stop there.
"What do you mean don’t," I spat. "You look like hell! I knew he was a shit head, but I never in my life would have guessed that you were allowing him to physically mark you. In so many places at once, at that."
"I said stop," he mumbled, slipping his clothes back on.
"No, Audio. I'm just getting started. I've kept my mouth shut for too long. If I would've spoken up when he first started talking shitty with you, then maybe you'd be in a healthier relationship."
"You can't blame this on yourself!" Audio shouted this time.
"You want me to blame you instead? Fine! It's your stupid fault for letting some poor excuse for a human being put his hands on you in an abusive way. It's your fault he stabbed you, Audio! It's your fault - "
"That's enough! Now you're just like Andy," he cried, racing past me.
Once he left the room in tears I knew I had screwed up pretty bad and I wanted to take it all back. I wished he had never heard me say that because he would probably never forget it. How could he? I was the only good person in his life and now I was acting just like Andy had in the beginning. And Audio even said so himself. I forced myself to fight back my tears and ran after Audio. It wasn't time for me to cry. I didn't deserve pity, especially from myself.
I rushed down the stairs, hoping to catch Audio before he got too far. Fortunately, he was only a few yards away. Unfortunately, though, it was thanks to Andy that he didn't get far. When I got outside, Audio was on the ground rubbing his arm and Andy was standing over him spitting insults and threats into his face. When Andy heard my presence he glared up at me and started running his mouth at me. "Hey, you're the piece of shit that ran Audio out of the hospital! What is he fucking you now too?"
Without shouting back any insults or threats, I lunged forward cracked him in the face with my fist, knocking him to ground. Right as he was getting up from the ground, my mom ran outside to see what was going on.
"Blake!" she shouted as she ran forward. She pulled out her cell phone and called the cops. I tried to keep Andy there so the cops would have easy access to him, but he got away leaving behind my bloody nose and a fresh bruise on Audio's arm.
Minutes later, the police arrived and after several moments of discussion with my mom and other police officers, they decided that Audio and I would be much safer in the Witness Protection Program. It was decided that first thing in the morning we would have our things packed and ready to fly to a secret location to be put under protection immediately.
"This guy is more of a loose cannon than we originally thought," one of the policemen had mentioned.
***
The next day, Audio and I arrived at our new super secret apartment in the late afternoon. Neither of us had slept much at all the night before, so we decided to go straight to sleep once we got settled in. Before going to bed, I hopped in the shower while Audio had a quick meal in the kitchen. Once I got back to the bedroom, Audio was already in getting undressed to get ready for bed. When he saw me, he stopped in his tracks and started for the door.
"Don’t mind me," I told him. "You have nothing I haven't seen."
After hesitating for a moment, Audio continued stripping down to his boxers. His back was to me, and I couldn't take my eyes off all of his wounds. I reached my hand out to touch them with my fingertips gently. Audio winced once I hit a tender spot, so I took my hand away. He turned around, wrapped his arms around my waist, and began to weep.
I ran my fingers through his hair until he was done crying. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
I didn't say anything back. I just kissed him on the cheek. He looked up at me and I noticed how little he looked in that moment. It broke my heart because he's always been such a strong person. I put my hand along his jaw and rubbed my thumb back and forth. He reached his face up closer to mine and kissed me on the lips this time. Without thinking, I put my hands around him and kept him pressed to me before he could pull away. We stayed kissing like that for several minutes before Audio started lifting my shirt off. Before I knew it, all of our clothes were on the floor and we were both naked under the sheets.
I had been in that situation more times in my life than I can count, but this time it was completely different. Instead of thinking about showing off, I was thinking about how to handle Audio. I knew he was physically fragile at the moment, so I thrust my hips into him slowly and softly. I kissed along his shoulder with light kisses. I held him close to me and peered into his eyes, trying to keep that moment in my memory forever.
Those moments with Audio were perfect and something I never wanted to take back. However, I did want to take back the awkward and silent moments spent facing away from each other following our afternoon in bed together.