Less than Perfect, S. J. Evans [classic literature books txt] 📗

simple gesture of assurance. She knew Joe very well; she knew he’d never be hurting her, unless he was helping her in the process. But even though she knew he was only trying to be a friend, she pushed herself away from him a little, fearing just about anything that could go wrong.
She thought she was stronger than she’d been before, but something had brought her back down to Johnny’s level, and she wasn’t as strong as she wanted to be—by far. “My mom’s pregnant,” was her only response as she curled herself back into a protective ball and looked straight ahead. “She’s pregnant with that man’s baby. And it’s hard being happy for them when I can’t even get over the fact that there is a ‘them’. I never wanted her to marry him.”
“Neither did I,” Joe agreed, to her surprise. “I know how hard it must be to watch someone you love, love someone you don’t think is right for them. But I also know you’re strong enough to get through it, Skye. And you deserve to be happy. So can you remember that for me? Remember to be happy, even when all you see in that baby is him. Though it’s never wrong to be sad, it only means your human, you deserve to smile sometimes too. And when you smile, you look just like her. So what do you say? Will you give me a smile?”
Skye didn’t know what to think about what he was saying. She knew he was right, but how right was he? Did he know more than he led on or was he just talking figuratively because she was crying? If she knew one thing for sure, it was that Leah made the wrong choice when she chose Johnny. And Skye’s been living with that mistake for much too long.
Right when she was about to tell him everything, to save herself from all the pain Johnny could cause her in the future, she stopped herself. Instead of admitting to the abuse, which she wasn’t sure Joe knew about, she took a long deep breath and smiled. For him. After all, in her mind, the only way to relieve the pain was to fake a smile, move on, and wait for whatever came next.
She was too weary to spill anything else for the night; her body was shutting down and everything went cold and dark. Shuddering, she sucked in a breath, wobbled to her feet and faked a winning smile for Joe again. He doesn’t need to know everything about me

.
“Thank you, Joe. If you’ll excuse me though, I should get going.”
He regarded her with a sympathetic smile, rubbing her arm gently. “Are you sure you can handle driving? You look pretty exhausted.”
She nodded, the simple movement causing splinters of pain to slice throughout her head. “Uh, yeah. I’ve got a ride.” She lied. She didn’t have a ride at three in the morning, she knew that, but what could she do? Joe couldn’t drive her home, he was working. Stepping a few steps away from him, she turned and waved goodbye, the last words he spoke ringing in her ears: “Goodbye, Skye. Don’t forget.”
Pulling her phone out, eyes stinging, head throbbing, body going cold and numb, she dialed the first number that came to her mind. She needed to get out of the hospital and far away from Johnny and the unborn baby before she lost it and broke down again. She needed proper rest. Her body probably couldn’t take any more of the stress.
After three rings, someone picked up, surprising her. She hadn’t expected him to pick up the phone at such an early hour. Though, all the same, she was incredibly grateful.
“Skye?” Jules’ voice echoed through the phone, the sound thumping beautifully in Skye’s head. His voice was scratchy, obviously drained from sleep.
“I’m sorry I woke you,” she whispered. “I just didn’t know who else to call.”
The breathing on the other line became louder. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”
She frowned, holding back a sigh. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just wondering if I could get a ride home?”
“You’re not home? Why aren’t you home? Where are you?” he asked hastily, his voice clearer than before. Despite the clearness in his voice though, he sounded incredibly confused.
Quickly, she headed towards an exit. She could see the dark outdoors as large glass doors came into view, and she let out a long sigh of relief. She was that much closer to leaving the hospital and getting far away from Johnny, Joe, and everything that seemed to cloud her mind. She needed an escape. She needed rest.
“I’m at the hospital,” she said simply, rubbing her temples. There was a quick shuffle on the other end of the phone.
“You’re where?” he gasped.
“Hospital,” she repeated. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything on the way to my house. But could you please pick me up? Sooner is better.”
In the background, she could hear creaking and lots of thumping. He must have just gotten out of bed. For a moment, she thought of the morning she woke up to him beside her in bed, and smiled. It was times like those when everything seemed as it should be.
“As long as you tell me what’s going on when I get there…” he trailed off. There was a thud and a chain of muttered curses from Jules on the other line.
“Are you okay?” She asked hastily.
He chuckled. “Never been better,” he whispered playfully. “I’m on my way.”
Skye let out a long breath, a sigh. Relief washed over her in a wave. “Thanks,” she whispered. “See you soon.”
“You bet,” was all he said before hanging up.
Snapping her phone shut, she stepped out into the warm, heavy air of the outdoors. She needed the fresh air, whether it was clean or not. The humidity enveloped her as she stepped away from the entrance a little, away from the bright lights and sounds of the hospital. Her head still ached as her need for sleep got more and more oppressing.
Drifting farther and farther away from the hospital’s entrance, she bit her nails in anticipation of Jules. Her legs grew weaker with each step and finally, reaching a curb where there was grass to lie on, she collapsed, gulping air.
Closing her eyes, she willed Jules to come quicker. “Please, Jules

,” she begged with the still air, quiet enough so that it was barely audible. “I need you

.”

Back at the house, after getting in the car with Jules and telling him everything about her long night and early morning, they sat in the parked car, staring through the windshield in silence.
Skye twirled strands of her hair between her fingers, sighing occasionally. “Thanks for the ride home, Jules,” she started, cutting the deafening silence. “I just couldn’t stay in that hospital any longer; no matter how much I wanted to be by my mom’s side. It brought back too many memories, good and bad.”
“Glad I could help,” he said. Turning to look at her, he reached a hand out and grasped a hold of her cold one. “Let me get you inside.”
Glancing at him, she shook her head. “You don’t have to, Jules. I can walk myself inside.”
“I won’t have it,” he added, confident. “Stay there.” He squeezed her hand and used his other to open his door, letting go of hers the moment he stepped outside.
She opened her mouth to object, but he had already closed the door and started towards her side of the car. Despite herself, she smiled. She allowed her gaze to follow him, watching with intent as his too-lively-for-how-early-it-was-self hustled around to get her door. She noticed the smile on his face, so radiant it gave her butterflies. Of all things, she still felt butterflies when she looked at him. He helped her forget about the past and sometimes, the present.
Opening the door, he waved a hand in a downward motion and bowed forward. “Madam,” he said briskly, playing around with her a little more.
She couldn’t help but smile a little bigger. “Mr. Rane,” she addressed him.
He laughed and lifted his head, giving her a strange expression. He held his hand out, stifling laughter. “Will you take my hand?”
“Of course,” she played along, reaching for his hand.
But just as she was about to grab onto it, Jules stood up and shook his head. “Oh forget this nonsense!” he announced. “Who are we kidding?” And with one quick move of his arms, he scooped Skye into them, carrying her bridal style. She squealed a little, surprised. “Inside, shall we?”
Slugging him on the shoulder, though her entire body was growing heavier by the minute with sleep deprivation, she scoffed at him. “I have legs, Jules!”
He looked as though he was thinking about it for a moment before walking up the drive to her house. “I believe you do. But you, my lovely girlfriend (oh, how I love saying that), are very tired and need your Prince Charming to sweep you off your feet—literally.”
“And I suppose you think that you’re him?” she challenged.
“Why yes, I do believe that.”
“Get over yourself,” she teased.
“You know you like it,” he retorted, winking.
They came to the front door and Skye managed to pull the key out of her jeans pocket. “Now’s the time when you let me walk,” she reminded him.
“Sorry, my princess,” he said, chuckling, as he set her down gently, holding the small of her back.
She’d tensed at the sound of the word “princess”, instantly thinking about Johnny. Her heart slammed against her chest and she gasped unintentionally.
Jules notice the change in her mood and gently brought her face towards his. “Hey, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”
She shivered, trying to forget the revolting image of Johnny arched above her that came to mind. She shook her head, looking Jules in the eyes and saying, “I’m just tired, that’s all.” Adding a feeble smile, she took his hand in her free one. It was the perfect way to bend the truth and get away with it. It was foolproof; it all played out genuine.
His face scrunched up for a moment in thought before he put on a smile and squeezed her hand. “Well, let’s get you inside then.”
Without another word, she turned towards the door and unlocked it, dragging Jules in behind her. The air in the house was cool and crisp as a result of a well-working air conditioner. Kicking off her sandals, she tugged Jules forward, leading him over to the couch and pushing him down against it. He fell against the cushions with a thump; he no longer held her hand, and his face was filled with bewilderment as he stared at her, clearly unsure of what to think.
“Kiss me,” she whispered, dropping herself into his lap. She pressed