Chapter 10: Injured
1312 Words
Astria peeked over Bryce's shoulder to see a cart fallen behind him and lot's of glass shards surrounding it.
The cart full of drinking glasses had crashed into Bryce's back. It would have been her if Bryce had not moved fast enough to shield her.
"Oh goodness! Are you alright?!" Astria pulled out of his arms and touched his shoulders. She turned him around to check the damage but couldn't see anything through the wet jacket he was wearing.
She moved to touch his back and felt him flinch ever so slightly. Her light green eyes grew grim.
"We should get you checked."
"I am extremely sorry for the trouble!" A middle aged man rushed towards them and hurriedly apologized.
Astria's anger exploded upon seeing the badge that read manager.
"Is this how you welcome guests? The management is not responsible at all?! He was hurt!" Astria spat fire without thinking.
Astria was an easy-going person on a daily basis. She was the one person you would see smiling from time to time and even strangers would feel comfortable around her as soon as they shared a few words. But there were rotten times like these when even the most reasonable person had the devil possess their body and do unreasonable things.
Astria was going through that time. All of the negative emotions were slowly filling up like an oversized balloon inside her. The accident with Bryce and the cart was a needle that burst it and sent the negative emotions spiraling down on the first person who came to serve themself on a silver platter.
As Astria was educating the manager about the proper management of the hotel, Bryce stood behind her and let her go off.
Bryce smiled and let her vent a little. When he saw the manager was getting embarrassed, he took a step forward, hooked his forearm around her neck, and pulled her back.
"That's enough, let's go to our rooms now." He led her away into the nearest elevator.
The manager let out an inaudible sigh once Astria was out of sight. Inside the elevator, the two of them grabbed two different corners. Astria was still frowning as if she did not have enough of scolding the manager.
"I am fine."
Astria looked up, her narrowed eyes judging the authenticity in his tone.
"It's true." Bryce left his little corner and stood next to her, whispering secretly to her, "I train with more than a hundred kg weights almost every day. A little cart can't do anything to this body that's almost as hard as steel at this point."
Astria subconsciously gave him a once over. She remembered seeing his body covered in muscles from the neck down all the way to his toes. It was not an exaggeration on his part.
When her light green eyes looked up again, she met his light grey eyes and a raised eyebrow full of teasing.
Astria felt her face burn upon being caught staring again.
"O-Okay. Pay attention next time."
Bryce leaned against the elevator walls with his arms crossed. The move put heavy emphasis on the bulging biceps which had Astria daydreaming with eyes open. She remembered being held in those arms. They had a strong sense of security.
"It was you who didn't pay attention which ended up in me being hurt. If only you were walking with eyes and ears wide open to your surroundings, I wouldn't have to take the hit for you."
"Don't talk as if I did it on purpose!' Astria flushed again and looked away with guilt creeping up in her heart.
It still couldn't be denied that she was distracted. At some point between having a one night stand to let him see her wrecked life, Astria had come to trust Bryce. Enough to let him watch her when she couldn't do it herself.
Throwing away the pretense of being cool and unfeeling, she consciously moved to his side and touched his arm, asking with concern, "Tell me honestly. Does it hurt?"
She meant it to be a simple act of concern. Bryce took the hit and protected her so the least she could do was ask about his condition. The cart looked heavy and the glasses on the ground...
"I said it's fine. Don't trouble yourself over it."
The elevator made a sound and the door opened without a warning, cutting off their conversation at that point.
Two people stood there waiting for the elevator when they saw Astria and Bryce.
Astria became hyper aware of their position at that moment. Astria and Bryce were squeezed together in one corner with Bryce almost being a breath away from her. Seeing the two people outside, Astria pushed him away without a second thought.
The atmosphere in the elevator was quite awkward for Astria. She wasn't shy about most of the things but when it came to intimacy and other related points, her skin color would permanently change to red and her eyes would roll around but refuse to meet other's gaze.
It was an old habit that only went away when she was too drunk to comprehend what was going on around her. It helped with the one night stand that she had with Bryce and it worked pretty well too.
Astria used the stealthy side eye to peek at Bryce but ended up being caught by him again. He had his eyes on her all this time.
When their floor arrived, Astria whispered an excuse me and practically flew out of the elevator as if it was on fire.
Bryce followed at a relatively slower pace and happened to catch the little rose of his heart entering the door of her room like a mouse and the door being shut loudly.
A few seconds later, the door opened again and Astria's head peeked outside, only to see Bryce standing in the hallway with a knowing smirk on his face.
What was the point of hiding when she was already caught?
Astria straightened up and cleared her throat to appear not as flustered as she felt.
"Um, check if you have any bruises on your back and go to the doctor if it's serious...," she spoke out of genuine concern and added after some consideration, "Thank you for helping me. I am truly grateful to have you by my side!"
Bryce's smirk turned into a small smile. He nodded, "It's alright. Get some rest. I have something to do this afternoon. I'll be back in the evening."
"At this time?" Astria asked, surprise showing on her face like a lit up signboard.
"Yes. Don't think too much and try to get some sleep. You have a long way to go, neglecting your health is the last thing you want to do.
Astria's mood was visibly deflated. Bryce walked over and rubbed her cheek with his fingers, "I'll be back soon. Use this time to think about your future plans as well."
Astria watched as Bryce called the elevator and left. She silently closed the door and slumped on the couch in the corner of the room.
The large window was open and fresh air paraded into the room, filling her lungs to the brim with the good air. But that didn't help with anything. Astria was still as depressed as she felt two hours ago.
The only way to elevate these feelings was to see her enemies drowning in them too.
Bryce was right. She didn't have the time to think about unnecessary things. She had things to do and plans to make. Her goal was clear and the route had to be found. If there wasn't a route, she'd make some.
Crossing one leg over the other, Astria leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes, deep in thought. The calmness around her allowed her to think clearly.
- Writer
