Page 225 of Obsession

“It’s going to be okay, Kath, he can’t get to you anymore,” Jay reassured me, his tone quiet and more serious than I’d ever heard him.

“We’re keeping a close eye on the precinct, he won’t have another second of freedom,” Ty added.

They had clearly misunderstood my reaction.

“What if he gets a restraining order?”

They all giggled at the same time, while Harris just smiled like a wolf that seemed excited to play with its prey.

“I’ll shove it so deep down his throat that it comes out the other side, along with his teeth,” Jay said, clenching his fist around his drink.

“And the other guy? Olsen?” I changed the subject as Harris picked up the sandwich and held it out to me.

“Taken care of,” Jay replied, and I looked at him in shock.

Ken sighed softly.

“He means you don’t have to worry about him anymore, Kath,” he explained, giving Jay a nagging look.

“That’s what I said.”

“It’s clearly not the same,” Ken grumbled as he twirled a lighter between his fingers, probably wishing he could light a cigarette.

I would have liked one too.

“Please, eat something.”

Harris whispered the same request in my ear, but my eyes went straight to his gloves. I couldn’t stand him touching me with them, no matter how sexy he looked. I knew it wasn’t okay to do that, not here, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to see it. I needed to know.

I took his hand in my lap and covered it as best I could. When I undid the button on his wrist, Harris clenched his fist.

“Don’t!” he breathed into my hair, and I squeezed his hand tighter.

“You promised,” I whispered without looking at him, and he didn’t budge.

After a few seconds, he loosened his fist, and I subtly pulled the glove down on his right hand.

I felt the same way I had felt when I had taken out his contact lenses, but instead of discovering paradise, I discovered an inferno.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy to look at him, that he was hiding something, and that the explanation earlier about his fingerprints wasn’t true. I had prepared myself to show no reaction, but that proved difficult and a shocked whimper escaped me.

The back of his hand was ruined, each knuckle covered in bleeding gashes far worse than Jay’s. They looked like he’d punched a hard surface.

“I didn’t just get them because I punched someone in the face. I lost control yesterday after I brought you home and hit awall. Pain calms me, it helps release the anger that drives me to kill everything around me.”

I looked at him, noticed the sincerity in his eyes, and then looked again at his destroyed hand. I was sure he was in pain even now, it was impossible not to, especially as he had not cleaned his wounds. I couldn’t help myself and examined his other hand, which was less bloody but still very injured.

After I had removed his gloves completely, I wiped the blood away with a tissue.

“Say something,” Harris whispered, resting his chin on my shoulder.

There was sorrow in his tone, and I knew it wasn’t because of the injuries.

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what. I didn’t want to think about what else he had hit besides that wall. I wiped away the clotted blood as best I could and let him believe whatever he wanted.

***

We had no further classes together, and it became quite difficult for us to see each other and have a serious discussion. He would wait for me after each lesson and lead me to the next, but our conversations ranged from inconsequential to non-existent.

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