Chapter 30 Miracles Do Happen
754words
"You brought me movies?" Both my brows shot up. "Did the nurse drug you? Or did you nick some from her before we left the hospital?"
He pinned me with an exasperated expression, plugging the player in by the TV. "I'm a lot of things, but it doesn't sit well with me that you're alone on your birthday while recovering."
"So now you have a conscience?"
He muttered something unintelligible.
"You don't have to do this. Really, you don't. I'm used to being my own most of the time, including my birthdays. I'll survive."
Kayn placed the stack of DVDs next to me onto the coffee table. "Pick one you like."
"Wow, I get babysat, lunch, and I get to pick a movie. That's one heck of a hefty deal," I reputed. "Seriously, what's with you? What happened to the guy who wants nothing but to get me off this island?"
Kayn crossed his arms to his chest. "Which one?"
I placed my Kindle down beside the stack of DVDs and sat upright. "No. I'm done with your crap. It's not because it's my birthday, is it? I know it isn't. What aren't you telling me?"
"Last night…" Kayn sighed, reaching for the DVDs. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired. Sore. Annoyed," I stated. "Confused." I didn't tell him sad and resentful, too.
"Besides that?"
"Nothing, why?"
A dark brow arched. "Nothing?"
"Well, if you want me to go into greater detail, for starters, I don't get why you told the cops I got injected with something. I would have remembered it. I know I would have." I crossed my arms. "Something is off here. I have a feeling you know what it is."
"Not this again, Carly," Kayn looked depleted. "They're pro—"
"Professionals, yeah yeah, I got it the first time. That's not the point," I stated. "You know something you're not telling," I revealed. I lifted my arms, exposing them. "This is what I don't even want to think about."
He stared at the haphazard cuts across both my arms. I had a few on my neck and one leg as well.
"How did I get these?" I asked.
"You put up a fight against your attacker."
"That's what you told the cops."
"Because you were too out of it to give the right statement," he said. "You should've…" He looked away, rubbing his face. "You should've heard yourself. You were talking about things that don't exist."
He stared into the hallway, avoiding my gaze.
"If that's what drugs are capable of. But it felt so real," I exclaimed. "I can still feel the texture of the tentacles across my skin. It was gross and smelled like moss and seawater. The seashells, they did this. They cut into my skin."
Kayn dropped his hand from his face and sighed, still not looking at me. "Carly, drugs do nasty things to you."
"I wasn't injected with anything," I gritted. "I could have gotten drugged by the woman who served my slushie. Or, maybe, the popcorn guy mixed in something with the salt. Not sure how because I watched them as they prepared my snack and drink. It's…" I released a heavy breath. "It feels like I'm losing my mind."
"It's better if you don't remember what happened," Kayn responded. "Anyone would feel traumatised after getting attacked, and that's excluding the drugs messing with your mind."
I stared at the pile of DVDs. "I still don't get why you're here."
"You want to know?" Kayn sunk to his knees beside me next to the coffee table. "Because I know you've had a tough week and that right now, being alone is the last thing you need. You're only going to overthink and stress yourself out more."
I blinked. "Is that a stubborn-headed oaf's version of apologising?"
"Who knows" he peered up at me. When he was this close, I could see light flecks of seafoam-green and gold inside the aquamarine of his eyes.
They engulfed me, holding me there, and worked up a gentle flutter within me. They held something else that I couldn't quite place, but I knew I could stare into them for hours at a time.
And then he opened his mouth. "You should still leave this island."
"Move over," I snorted, grabbing the DVDs from the coffee table. I turned away from him, annoyed at myself for slipping up like that.
Again.
