smeared a trail of blood down his temple. Crack. Another hit sprayed blood across the top of the dryer.
My screams and pleas didn’t faze him as my best friend kept hitting Lex until I was convinced the man who’d finally declared his love was going to pass out from blood loss.
Finally, my dad came charging in and pulled Ian free from a battered Lex.
I ran to Lex’s side, tears blurring my vision. “Are you okay?”
“Can’t feel my face,” Lex muttered through a swollen bottom lip. “Isn’t that a song?”
“We’re done!” Ian screamed. “You hear me? We. Are. Done!”
He stalked out of the room.
The front door slammed.
And Lex Luthor, super villain, my hero, boyfriend, and the strongest guy I’d ever known, crumpled into my arms and didn’t let go.
Since Ian had driven us, my mom had to drop us back off at the house. We could only hope Ian hadn’t burned it down by then.
Lex couldn’t see out of one eye, and his face was turning more purple by the minute. One cheek was so swollen I worried it was broken. Surely some of those cracks had been bones shattering. He hadn’t said a word to me since the fight.
It was my fault.
I was the one who had pressured him to wait.
And now his face was broken. And quite possibly his heart.
I kept the tears in—a huge effort on my part, since it felt like someone had just died in my family and I hadn’t been given enough time to grieve.
“Mija,” my mom said from the front seat. “Just give Ian some time.”
“Yeah,” I croaked. “I will.”
“And Lex.” She reached back one of her hands. He squeezed it. “Take care of my girl.”
“Always.” He answered quickly, though his words were thick and a little slurred.
Once she drove off, we both stared at the house.
Unsure of what would greet us once we made it inside.
Lex reached for my hand just as I reached for his.
“He’s not going to get over this.” Tears clouded my vision as I looked up at Lex. “Is he?”
Lex’s eyes were sad as he glanced down at me, not answering but choosing to kiss the top of my head instead.
We walked hand in hand into the house.
From the deathly silence inside, it was clear no one was home. The house was completely empty, but Ian’s car was there.
A note sat on the counter beneath the walnut knife block. At least all the knives rested in their slots.
“Went to Yakima. Airport taxi picked me up. Don’t call,” I read, each word sounding like an explosion in the hushed kitchen.
“Shit.” Lex wiped his face. “Isn’t his sister in Yakima?”
I nodded dumbly. “They don’t really get along anymore. The last time he was there was—”
“After Ian got injured,” Lex finished.
I stared at the counter, at the note. “What do we do?”
“Well . . .” Lex wrapped an arm around me. “I think the only option we have is to give him space and, of course, take a lot of ibuprofen. Be honest, has the swelling gone down?”
I winced and then scrunched up my nose.
“Good thing I wasn’t wearing my glasses.”
“Yeah.” I wrapped my arms around Lex’s neck. “I’m sad, Lex.”
He sighed, his forehead touching mine. “Me too.”
“It’s my fault,” we said in unison.
“No way!” I smacked his chest. “I’m the one who wanted to wait.”
“Right, but I’m the one who, in a moment of pure insanity, decided I was going to go after the girl that got away . . . even though I knew I could lose my best friend in the process.”
“I’m not worth this,” I admitted, shaking my head. “I’m not worth your friendship.”
“And you think I’m worth you losing a family member?” Lex fired back. “Ian’s a hothead. You know how he gets. Let’s just wait it out.”
“I think it would help if he knew . . .”
“Knew?”
“That I love you.” I shrugged.
Lex’s face fell as he pulled me into his arms. His mouth caressed mine with a soft kiss. “And the damsel fell for the villain. Write that, Disney.”
I rolled my eyes, then finished it off with a yawn.
“Bed.” Lex smacked me on the butt and stepped back. “Let’s go.”
Was he serious? He couldn’t be serious. “Lex, as much as I love you, I can’t have sex with you right now. I don’t think I have the focus to pay attention to the manual.”
“Manual,” Lex said gruffly. “When have I ever made you use the manual?”
“True.” What I needed was our banter,