Hot Pursuit

Chapter 26

[Georgina's POV]

"Your wrist."

When I heard his voice again, it sounded quite closer now. And when I came back to my senses, I found Kieran sitting on the floor right beside my leg, staring down at my trembling fists I had balled up on my lap. The wrist on my right hand was now starting to show a little bruising that was already turning purple. Though I was not really hurt at all, and I did not think it could be an injury or something worse. I was just really a little anemic so I got bruises easily. But I did not even dare to explain that to Kieran because I still could not find my voice.

My throat had gone too dry, and I was still very distracted by the memory of what just happened a while ago. But when Kieran glanced up to look at my face again, the expression I saw from there was of utter sincerity. He looked so worried, and I just tried to shake my head at him and gave him a reassuring smile instead. He did not seem to feel satisfied with it though, and he just quietly looked down at my hand again to check it. Then suddenly, he moved and gently cradled my right wrist with both of his hands, grazing his fingers over the apparent bruising surrounding it.

"You must have been scared, huh?" I heard him say after a few seconds of just staring at the purplish mark, rubbing it tenderly. "Did he hurt you anywhere else besides this?"

I just kept my silence, but I wanted to tell him it was no big deal. And Kieran only let out a long sigh and softly ran a hand through his hair, messing with his perfectly styled dark locks. I suddenly felt the urge to touch them too, but I stopped myself before I even lose my bearings. This was not the right time to become affectionate with him. I was still in shock and the emotions were still too high inside me. 

Kieran was acting a little strange though, yet he did not seem to bother that I was not trying to answer him back. He looked like he was just really worried and he understood if I was keeping my silence. Then, after a moment, he slowly rested his head against my leg.

"Does it hurt?" when he peered up at me to glance at my face while asking that, I felt my heart skipping a beat. Why did he sound so sweet? Maybe because I just went through something really quite traumatic and he was just showing deep concern that it had me feeling touched. But this somehow just complicates everything.

It changed my impression of him too, but I knew I can't ever really fall for this guy. He was only doing this to me because someone had hurt me... He was every woman's ideal guy, anyway. And after stalking him for quite a few days, I also learned that it was just his personality to be too nice to women and make them swoon all the time. I knew it was just a part of him he had no control over. And this relationship we had may seem to be a little absurd and totally complicated, but I knew that there was still a line between us that both of us will never cross.

But I still needed this—this kind of comfort. I have never been treated so gently like this before because I had always been alone. And seeing that Kieran was staying with me after what just happened brought something incredibly warm inside my chest. I reveled in the feeling of it as I slowly calmed down from the shock.

"Georgina..." when he finally uttered my name, I suddenly became really emotional that my tears flowed down like a stream over my cheeks. He sounded so endearing and comforting that I did not even try to stop my other hand from reaching up to brush my fingers through the hair beside his forehead. I felt scared after realizing that I almost got hurt and brought into danger, and I wanted to tell him all of that, but I could not bring myself to speak it out loud. But then I saw the way Kieran looked at me and I immediately thought that he already knew what I wanted to say.

"I'm really sorry," he said after a long pause, and with those eyes holding mine as he moved his hand towards my face to cup my cheek, rubbing the tears over it at the same time he said, "I'm really sorry that you had to go through that. You didn't deserve to be hurt this way."

He did not really have to say sorry for that. It was not his fault. But when he told me those words, it really comforted me and I moved down and immediately opened my arms towards him. I can't even explain why I was suddenly acting this way, but all I could ever think about at that moment was to seek more comfort in his warmth. I was already hugging Kieran before I even realized it, and he did not even try to pull away. He just embraced me back and pulled me down next to him, giving me what I needed the most.

I'm petrified because of what happened, but I knew I had to overcome that now. And I had to forget it, eventually. As I slowly relaxed under Kieran's arms, I soon discovered that it was really great to have someone around to hug you this tight and make you feel safe. This was something I had never experienced before and for the first time, Kieran made me feel how incredible it was. And I don't think I could even forget this feeling now. It was something I might want to experience again when I can finally fall in love with someone in the future.

And when that happens, I just wish it would be just as warm and calming as it felt with Kieran. Because I no longer think I could even hug him this way again after this night. This was something too raw and personal for the two of us, yet neither of us seemed to mind that we were slowly crossing the line a little here. Maybe this was an exception because of what I had gone through. And I felt grateful for having him here.

I didn't expect I would even need him like this... But Kieran had really become a dependable knight for a drippy princess like me tonight.