Page 76 of Stitches

He was quick to come to me and place his leather jacket on my shivering body.

“It’s OK, baby,” he murmured, wiping my tears before he turned to Church. “Tell me, Dante.”

“Just fucking listen to me, Asher. Fuck.” Church tugged at his hair, the frustration he was feeling evident behind his wild, green eyes. “Let her go for the night. I need her to go. Trust me.Fucking trust me.”

“OK,” Ashes said without pressing the matter. “OK. I’ll take her to Cady’s. Then we talk.”

Church gave me a pained look before he nodded.

“Go. I’ll make sure she gets there,” Ashes continued.

Church hesitated for a moment before he walked away without another word or look in my direction.

He was mad at me. Angry that I wouldn’t tell him what happened. I knew he was upset because Stitches wasn’t talking about it. What could I possibly say? I wanted to forget about it and put it behind me and move forward. Talking about it would just make it hurt. It made it all the more real. It made me remember that monsters were real, and this was what a nightmare was like.

Besides, I hated talking. I liked the silence. I felt safe in it.

“Here,” Ashes said, handing me a pair of leggings from my bag and some shoes. “Put them on, heaven. I’ll make sure no one sees.”

I took the pants from him and quickly tugged them on before he wound his arm around my waist and walked with me down the trail.

“It’ll be OK,” he murmured as we walked. “He gets like this when he’s upset about something. We’ll get it worked out. He’s in love with you just like I am. We’ll get him sorted.”

I wanted to believe him because everything seemed so abrupt and completely out of Church’s character. Something big had to be bothering him, and if Ashes was promising he’d fix it, I believed him.

When we reached Cady’s, which was my old dorm room, Ashes knocked on her door, his hand wrapped around mine. Her door cracked open a moment later and she peered out at us.

“Hey.” She opened the door wider. “What’s wrong?”

“Can Sirena stay with you tonight?” Ashes asked.

Cady’s gaze swept over me. “Yeah, of course she can. What’s going on?”

“Dante is having a bad day. A bad week, actually. He asked if Sirena could leave the house for a night.”

“That prick,” Cady muttered, opening her door and gesturing us inside.

We stepped in, and I looked around. It didn’t look anything like how it had been when I’d been living there. Cady had it decorated to the teeth with colors, twinkle lights, and pictures of her favorite bands and movies. I wasn’t even sure where she got the big squishy purple velvet chairs from, she had two of them facing the large window that overlooked the courtyard from a distance. I used to paint there, but I liked how cozy it felt.

Overall, it didn’t look like a dorm room in an asylum at all. I liked it.

“So it’ll just be for a night,” Ashes said. “I’ll go see what’s up with him and then I’ll let you know. I’ll come back and get her. Just, uh, watch her. Don’t let her be alone, OK?”

“Well, I’m hanging out with Adam tonight. She should be fine, right, Rina?”

I blinked at her and gave a slight incline of my head. Being alone felt like a great thing because I really wanted to cry again and was holding it back.

Ashes gave me a doubtful look.

“I can come hang out with her while you’re gone—”

Immediately, I squeezed his hand before I quickly traced the wordnoonto his palm.

He sighed but nodded. “OK, baby. If that’s what you want. But if you need anything, just call me. You don’t have to talk. I’ll see your name and come here, OK?”

I squeezed his hand again, noting the tension released from his body a little.

“Have fun. I’m going to go see what’s wrong with Dante. Please, be safe, OK? Don’t leave this room. Promise me?” Ashes turned to face me, worry clouding his features.

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