(Save Heaven)
•••••
Melanie pov
Vaughn grabs the bathrobe hanging on the wall and covers my body with it. I realize that I was almost naked in front of him. I've never thought before that it would be that hard just to clean myself up. He seems to realize that I can't do it either, so he lifts me in his arms and carries me back into my bedroom.
He lays me down on the bed, and my body tenses at the sudden loss of his warmth. Thankfully, he also lays down beside me before pulling me closer to him.
It's like I need him to forget about what the psycho did to me inside the alley, to replace all the horrible and nasty feelings on my body. I still haven't cleaned myself up, but I'll survive if he keeps holding me close to him.
I put my hands on his back, sighing. "Did you call the cops?"
"I did," Vaughn says. "He deserves to rot in jail. Sick bàstard." His anger is still evident in his voice. "If they don't find him, I'm going to hunt him myself. I'll find the person who fvcking did this to you."
Somehow, I feel something new stirring inside me from hearing his sentence. Good kind of feeling. I'm used to receiving such protectiveness from Jake, but it feels different when Vaughn says it. It feels overwhelming. And I... like it.
I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head, burying my face in his chest. Shit. All these things happening to me make me go crazy. My mind is so messed up.
My thoughts wander to the psycho. Should I tell Vaughn about what I heard earlier? That the guy has been watching me for a long time? But how long? It can't be accurately measured. I just got here in Boston. He could have been watching me for weeks.
"I tried to call Jake too," Vaughn says. "But he didn't pick up."
Jake would be so worried. And things must be hectic over there in his new workplace. I don't want to bother him. I know that this news will make him devastated.
"Just don't tell him," I say, my voice small. "But Mel, he deserves to know—"
"No, please," I beg. "It's horrible enough for me to experience such a thing. It's horrible enough that you saw it too." My voice is shaking, the scenes flashing back in my mind.
Vaughn tightens his hold on me.
Now I know why some women stayed silent while they were being sexually harassed in public. It's because they were embarrassed enough. It's like being stomped. Disrespected. Abused.
Silence falls for a while before Vaughn speaks again. "Why didn't you bring your car?"
"It's broken. It happened this morning," I admit. "I couldn't start the engine. I was going to ask for your help, but —"
"The hell you asked me," he cuts me off. "One call, Melanie. Was it that hard?" he bites out.
I gulp. He's scary when he's angry. When will I get used to this guy? He's got many sides of him that always keep me in surprise.
"I thought you're busy," I say. "You have a football game tomorrow."
He scoffs. "That's a wrong assumption you got — there."
I don't say anything back. I'm tired. Being scolded is the last thing I need right now. I just want to rest in his arms and forget about everything, so I close my eyes to sleep.
A few moments pass in silence, and I start to doze off.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, so softly like he's talking to himself. He might think that I'm already asleep. "I should have come to you sooner." There's a shake in his voice that tells me he regrets it, like he wishes he could turn back the time so that the sick bastard wouldn't have had the chance to molest and try to rape me.
With that, he plants a soft kiss on my hair, making my heart freeze in place and butterflies go crazy inside my stomach.
*****
When I open my eyes, the sun has risen.
It's morning already. It feels surreal how I managed to sleep despite what happened yesterday. My heart rate is steady, and I feel calm. Much calmer than before. I didn't have any bad dream, which is quite a relief.
The bed beside me feels cold, and I sit up. Vaughn is gone. I got up from the bed and totter outside the room. While I'm walking down the hallway, I find Vaughn entering the foyer.
He turns to me. And the scene in front of me seems so familiar, as I've imagined it before in my mind.
Like, it's playing in slow motion. Sweat is all over his body. His thin undershirt clings perfectly onto his body, revealing his six-pack abs, his hands dirtied with oil. His hair is messy, and I'm not complaining. I even want to run my fingers through it.
"I fixed your car," he says, the words echoing slowly in my ears as I still freeze on the spot, drooling over how sexy he looks. "There was something wrong with the battery..."
He should know that I can't understand about the rest of his explanation, because, as I've admitted before, I'm clueless about cars.
I wish I knew those kinds of stuff so that I don't have to trouble him, but hey, it's like trying to teach a guy about how to apply mascara.
"Right," is the only thing I can utter. "Thanks, Vaughn," I genuinely thank him.
"Do you have any classes today?" he asks. "You don't have to go if you feel like you still need some rest." So, he's still concerned about my condition.
Shit,I almost forgot about my classes.
I do have them today, and I don't want to skip.
I glance at the clock, which indicates that I have two hours. "No, I'll go. My first class will start at 10."
He narrows his eyes at me, as if trying to make sure that I'm fine about it. "Let me drive you," he says. "I need to see my coach too."
I nod. "Okay, let me get ready first." With that, I walk back to my room to wash up while he enters Jake's room to clean himself up.
Right now, I can finally take a proper shower. The fear and panic attack is gone. The culprit is gone. And somehow, I'm positive that he will have no goddam chance to hurt me when Vaughn is still around.
*****
I'm thankful that the day goes smoothly and the afternoon comes pretty quickly. The football game will start soon, and here I am, sitting at the bleacher facing the field. Stacey sits beside me, munching hotdogs, waiting in anticipation.
Derek has joined us. Remember that guy who asked me to have lunch together but was dismissed cruelly by Jake?
It turned out that the three of us have many same classes together during our first year even though Derek is majoring in Electrical Engineering while Stacey and I in Chemical Engineering. We girls decided to bring him along to watch the game. The more, the merrier.
When he glances in my direction, I give him a soft smile. He grins, scratching the back of his head and fixing his glasses. The guy seems still a bit awkward around us, but he's not weird like Jake said. He looks nerdy, but hey, I'm a nerd too. That's something the popular heartthrob and football superstar Jake Spencer wouldn't understand.
The crowd roars when the referee and team members enter the field. My heart beats twice as I see Vaughn in his uniform. The quarterback. He looks so gorgeous but also deadly at the same time.
It's been a long time since I watched a football game. Last time was when Jake played with his high school team. I smile, having a feeling that I will definitely enjoy what I'm going to watch.