Page 116 of Frayed Bonds

He lifts his face to look up at me and a gasp leaves my lips. He has a cut above his left eye and a pretty busted lip. “Fuck Ambs, let’s get you cleaned up.” I extend my hand, he stares at it briefly and then takes it allowing me to guide him to the bathroom.

“Sit down,” I point towards the toilet, I duck under the counter and grab a first aid kit.

“Use a damp cloth first, and then the alcohol swab,” he mutters so deeply that I jump.

I nod, grabbing a washcloth and walking toward him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not right now.”

I nod and cup his face so I can move it gently to have access to his wounds. He barely flinches as the washcloth makes contact with the open wounds. His eyes trail my movements and I watch as his brows furrow.

“What’s wrong? Am I hurting you?” I pull my hands back.

“No, I just don't understand why you're here right now instead of out there with him?”

I want to ask why he’d even ask such a stupid question but the vulnerability in his eyes tells me he needs reassurance right now more than any sarcasm I want to dish out.

“You’re my boyfriend, Ambs.”

“And he’s your best friend,” he counters.

I place the cloth down and reach for the alcohol pads. “Ambrose, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be, and right now there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than making sure you're okay.”

He nods and allows me to finish my task of cleaning his wounds.

“Thank you,” he chokes out and I stare at him worriedly.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” I rush and wrap my arms around his head, drawing it carefully into my chest. His arms softly encircle my waist at first but they quickly tighten and it feels like he’s clinging onto me for dear life. He inhales deep jagged breaths for a while.

I let him, while I gently run my fingers through his hair and whisper how much I care about him until he slowly loosens his grip and looks up at him.

“You should call your dad and let him know you're okay, the story is probably all over the news now especially with Horatio getting away. And then you should go check on Antonio.”

“What? why?” I furrow my brows.

“To make sure he’s okay Val. He was right, I have been a shitty brother and right now he needs a friend.” Ambrose says reaching up to push my hair behind my ear. “I’m gonna get Gus and go check on Adriano.”

I nod and we both head out of the bathroom. “We’re fine, right?” I stop and turn to face him.

He looks down at me, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. “We're great sweetheart, don’t worry about us. I love you”

“I love you more.”

Chapter fifty

Ambrose

The hardwood beneath the thin cushion of this god-awful chair digs into my ass. Augustus and I sit across from each other in Adriano's hospital room. He’s still in surgery and no one seems to be able to tell us how long the surgery might still be.

The tension in the room is palpable and the silence is deafening. I may be quiet but I'm far from blind, the way he shifts in his seat every few seconds shows me how uncomfortable he truly is.

I haven't said a word to him since we left the house out of sheer fear that I may say the wrong thing and jeopardise this already fragile relationship even more. Antonio, as much as I hate to admit it, was right. I haven’t been much of a brother to any of these boys for years and it’s only gotten worse since my papá passed away.

He coughs and my eyes shift up to see him staring at me, but they quickly shift off towards the door.

“Augustus,” I say and my voice cracks slightly.

His eyes are on mine again, a silent permission to speak.

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