Floating at Night

20. Home

The loud slamming of a door has me lurching awake. The spot in the bed next to me is empty, no sign of the boy who'd made a mess of me a few hours ago.
Then I heard the water running in the bathroom.
"Baker?" I called out, pushing the door open softly. His eyes landed on me in the mirror, his gaze traveling up and down my body as he poured some bubbly soap into the bath tub.
"I thought you'd left," I mumbled. My voice was a tad more pitiful than I meant for it to be but fear can cripple.
"I'm sorry."
I could tell he meant more than just "sorry I got out of bed to bathe."
"Join me," he offered me his hand, pulling me to his chest. I let my fingers trace the ink there.

"You want me to take a bath with you?"

"Of course I do."
He pressed his lips to my forehead and let them linger for a moment before he pulled away to step into the bath.
The water was steaming, which only cured the ache of every muscle in my body. Maybe part of it was the relief of finally letting Baker back into my life after all the fighting it.
"What're you thinking about?"
His fingers traced circles along my thigh, making it hard to think about anything else. His body was morphed into mine as I leaned back against him. It's the most relaxed I've been in a long time.
Yet there were still goosebumps forming in my arm under his touch as he let his hands glide up them, then down my back. It wasn't long before his hands were on the inside of my thigh, massaging my leg slowly.
"Baker, stop. You're making me hot," I whined, feeling the heat spread across both of my thighs and inching upward with ever motion he made.
His fingers were dangerously close to my slit, pausing any movement from me.
"Is that really a problem?" His breath was fanning over my back as he rested his forehead on the back of my neck.
"I don't wanna be in bed with you all day, Baker."

Who am I kidding.

"I mean I do, fuck you know I do. But we can't be like this. We aren't even together," I mumbled.

"Yes we are," he said matter of factly.

"Since when?" I asked.

He thought for a second, the cogs of his brain on overdrive.
"Since now."

Well with that kind of logic, how can I argue with him?

Ali and David came back around dinner time to find Baker laid across the living room floor while I walked on his back. His back was hurting after all the... fun we had today.
"You really wore him out huh?" David joked, winking at Baker.
I stepped off of his back as he started chuckling.
"Baby doll, go kick David in the ass for me. I'm too worn out," Baker joked, rolling over onto his back.
"Noelle, can I talk to you a minute?" Ali peeked around the corner of the living room.
"Yeah, hold on," I answered, grabbing my phone from the couch and following her to her bedroom.
"What's up?" I asked.
She pulled a newspaper out and showed me the front page. In big bold letters read a headline I'd waited, and dreaded reading for the past few years.
'Mo Borden, local thug, beat to death in gang affiliated crime."
The article was about Mo and his gang at a rally. They were all drinking and doing god knows what else when another gang drove by and opened fire on them. After his gang was gunned down, the rival gang beat him so badly that he died of internal bleeding.
The words should break the chains of fear that have been dragging my down for years but instead I'm hit with a different kind of fear. Did Baker kill him?

Baker laid beside me silently, no indication that he knows something is up. I can't get the image of Baker beating Mo to death out of my head.
"I need to ask you something," I mumbled.
He rolled over, letting his arm snake around my waist as he buried his face in my neck.

"Anything, baby doll. Ask me anything."

I shut my eyes as I spoke the words. Squeezed them so tight, like it would change the situation.

He sat straight up, his face pale as his eyes met mine.
"Noelle... listen to me, okay?"

"Oh my god, you actually did it?"
I sprung out of bed so fast I'm surprised I actually landed on my feet.
"You're going to go to jail, Baker! What the fuck did you do? Oh my god," I was practically hyperventilating when he placed his hands on either side of my face and made me look at him.
"I made you a promise, didn't I?" His voice was loud, but not quite at a yell. It was just stern enough for me to shut my mouth.
"You did," I mumbled, closing my eyes and letting my forehead rest against his.
"Don't think about it, okay? Nobody knows it was us, nobody ever will. And if they did find out it was us, prison is a consequence I'd gladly take to make sure you're safe. I'll take death to make sure you're safe. Without you, I am nothing. Got it?"
Maybe it's the psycho in me, but the only thing I can be bothered to feel is incredibly warm. The warmth spread over my chest and down into my stomach as I pressed my lips to his and tangled my hands into his hair.
"Thank you. Thank you for keeping me safe," I whispered, only to return my lips to his.

I really fell in love with a badass biker who quite literally would kill for me.
Again.