"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Gabby?"
I turned to Rob as he ushered me through my front door, "I'm fine Rob, I promise."
Andrea looked toward me, "Are you sure? You got all pale at the park, and you still don't look so good."
I nodded again, I felt awful for having to lie to them, but I knew I needed to get them out of there. The clenching feeling in my gut was enough to know that we weren't safe there.
I knew from the instant I saw them that they were different, I couldn't put my finger on it at first but after a while it smacked me in the face like a brick.
"I'm okay now, guys don't worry." I said, sitting down onto my bed with my back pressed against the wall. "I'm sorry I made you guys cut it so short, I just didn't feel so good all of a sudden." I paused watching Rob's lips press together, worried lines spread across his forehead.
"You guys should go, I don't want you all to catch what I have." I lied again, grinding my teeth together.
Andrea pulled herself away from the wall and stood to leave, but Rob didn't move a muscle.
I peeked through my eyelashes at him and faked a cough, he sighed and got took the clue to leave. "Have fun though, guys." I said.
Rob didn't look pleased but left anyway, they both murmured a goodbye, and called out wishes for me to get better.
But that made me feel all the more worse.
I followed them to the door, looking outside at the darkness. It had surprised me how quickly the day flew away, but the sun was setting; the hunger gnawing at my stomach only making me realise how much time had passed.
I waved them goodbye, and watched as they left, not waiting a second more before shutting the front door. I thought back to the men, and as soon as I did, a horrible feeling bubbled in my stomach.
I shook my head and began making my way to my favourite room in the house. The kitchen.
Only to be stopped dead in my tracks.
A thunderous clamour from the front door had the hairs on the back of my neck raising, and I slowly turned back around.
What was it with this house.
I sighed, knowing that Rob had probably forgotten something, and shook off any and all other contaminating thoughts that plagued my mind.
Opening the front of the house, I wasn't prepared to see him again.
And definitely not in the state he was in.
"Are you just gonna stand there, Sunshine, or are you going to let me in?"
I gaped at him, staring in shock at his bloodied face, bruised and battered, and watched in somewhat disgust as it dripped onto the welcome mat.
Great.
"Well, are you just gonna let me make the front of your house look like a fucking crime-scene or what?" He didn't wait for me to answer, instead barging through the door and stopping in the hallway.
"Adam, what are you doing here?" I asked, after getting over my shock. "And why are you bleeding?"
He pinched the bridge of his bloodied nose and glared at me irritated, "Oh, this?" He motioned to his face, sarcastically.
"Yes that. What else?"
"Well, I just thought I might as well punch myself in the face, maybe try to break my nose while I'm at it. You know me, always searching for a new look."
I blanked him, brining my tongue.
He let go of his nose and threw his hands into the air. "Can you fix me up or what?" He shouted, irate.
"Do I look like a nurse, Adam!" I shouted back, feeling my own sense of irritation towards him, he couldn't just get to decide when to leave someone's life and when he can just pop back into it. That wasn't fair. "The best I can do is throw some holy water on you. Maybe cleanse you of some of those sins. But I don't know first-aid."
"Well, you can always try your best."
I scoffed at him, "My best doesn't promise no scars. You need stitches."
"Scars are sexy."
"Not when they've mutilated your face, Adam, go to the hospital and get a professional to do it." I said, crossing my arms over my chest and hoping that the blood on our wooden floor wouldn't stain.
"I'm not stupid, Sunshine, why do you think I haven't gone to the hospital." He went back to pinching his nose, "Do you want me to bleed all over you floors too? This isn't up for discussion anymore, just do it."
I glared at him, pushing past him and stomping upstairs towards the bathroom. He followed me, shockingly quiet as he walked.
"I don't even know if we keep a first-aid kit in the house." I admitted, stepping into the small bathroom.
"Your father's the priest, I would be surprised if you didn't."
I sighed, reaching into the medicine cabinet and shuffling through all the bits and bobs. "We don't have one."
"Naughty, naughty Priest." Adam tutted, mockingly.
I stifled a laugh and covered it with a cough, turning to him. Surprised at how close we were stood in the small bathroom. "What do we do now?"
He pondered for a moment, "You get the thread and needle, I'll find the booze."
I looked at him, in his injured state and his nose still dripping and shook my head, "Uh, no. You stay here," I grabbed some tissues, and threw them at him, "and I'll get it all."
I went to leave but paused, "Try not to get blood anywhere else."
"I'll try."
I sighed and went to fetch the ingredients for this disaster soup.
I went into my dad's old room, the one he used to share with my mother, knowing that there was a sewing-box-kit-thing underneath the bed that would definitely have at least some thread and a needle. I scrambled to reach it, and soon enough scooped it out, blowing off the dust and getting a needle and thread.
I just hope that it was his colour.
I giggled, mischievously and held the needle tight in my hands, putting the sewing-box-kit-thing, back under the bed, before taking one last glimpse at the vacant room and began my search for alcohol.
Which was surprisingly easy seeing as he kept all the spare holy wine for the church in a glass cabinet on the top shelf in the kitchen.
I was sure that wine would do the trick, knowing that we didn't have a single drop of anything stronger in the entire household it would have to do either way, I grabbed a bottle and trekked back upstairs into the bathroom.
Adam's face was a little bit less bloody when I looked at him again, he was now sat in the empty bathtub, staring into space whilst holding a blood soaked tissue to his face, some blood around his mouth had dried and turned a dark red colour.
He noticed my arrival, and sat up a bit, "You told me not to get any blood anywhere," he justified, motioning to the bathtub.
I grinned at him, "Thank you." I murmured, sliding down next to the bathtub.
I leaned over and placed the wine bottle down, he eyed it suspiciously. "You're not trying to seduce me, Gabrielle? Because, although it has a ring to it, I'm not really into getting bloody in the bathtub. If you know what I mean."
I shivered in disgust at his vulgar comments, "We didn't have anything stronger so make do."
His hands shot up in mock surrender. "Okay."
I got more tissues and wiped his face, getting rid of all the excess blood, all the while constantly aware of his eyes watching my every move.
I grabbed the wine and opened it carefully, making sure it didn't slip and spill into the white rug in the middle of the floor.
Adam watched me, "Ooh, red wine, classy." He snickered.
I shot him a glare, which earned a smirk from him.
Without a second lost.
I poured the red wine straight over his head.