(chapter twelve)         
"Ouch," I flinched when Seth pressed ice to my eye that was swollen shut.
"Haden," his voice was serious, almost angry. "Who did this."
 "I...fell," I winced at my lame excuse. To look like this, I'd had to of fallen out of a window.
He shook his head, sighing, and pressed the ice to my ice a little more. 
"You don't trust me?" he said with a crooked smile.
"I don't trust anyone," I muttered under my breath. He heard. His jaw tightened but his eyes were soft.
"You can trust me," he said.
I didn't believe him. I still smiled back when he smiled at me, all dimples.
 * * *
We were sitting on the couch in his living room when he brought it up again.
"Does he..." his voice was gentle, hesitant, "Does he hurt you?"
I was sleepy just moments ago, but now I was wide awake. My senses were all alert, and I could feel my blood pumping and my heart racing. My chest heaved up and down once. Twice.
"What?" I could only ask.
"Your boyfriend. It was him, wasn't it?"
"That's...crazy! Of course not," I breathed. "It wasn't—I told you, I fell," I finished lamely.
 I could feel his eyes on me. I was tense all over.
His hand was touching my cheek, his fingertips trailing along my jaw. "You don't have to stay with him," he said in a low voice. "I know you think you can't get out, but you can."
"Stop," I said.
"It's okay to leave him. You don't need him."
"Stop that," I half shouted. I wrapped my arms around myself, standing up. Seth had a dark look to him, his eyes cast downwards, his jaw clenched tight. I could see the muscle in his jaw ticking.
"Haden, why are you doing this to yourself?"
"I'm not doing anything," I said in a low voice. "You don't know sh­it."
His hands cupped my face, tilted it upwards as he stared down at me with a troubled expression on his face. "Why would you want this for yourself?" he asked me. "Why would you stay if you could get out?"
And then it hit me. 
He'd been hurt before. He'd been abused before. That's why he was getting so emotional. That's why he caught on so quickly.
"Did someone hit you before?" I breathed.
His face tightened. 
"No," he lied through his teeth.
"Don't lie."
"You're lying to me," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Why can't I?"
"Who?" I demanded.
"My step dad," he finally admitted. "When I was a kid."
"I'm sorry," I whispered. He shook his head. 
"Can I—" he took a deep breath, leaning down so our faces were eye level. "Haden, I'm going to kiss you."
My eyes were wide.
"I'm..." he trailed off. His eyes were solely focused on my lips. You have a boyfriend, a voice in my head said. 
I didn't care.
Nothing mattered. I couldn't think of anything but how his skin felt on my skin, how gentle he was, how he had been abused too.
So when he whispered, "I'm going to kiss you," again, I didn't protest.
I only felt my eyes closing.

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