Wren

It doesn't take long for his breathing to even out, his body going lax as sleep overtakes him. I sigh and look up at him, he's somehow even more beautiful in sleep. The thought pisses me off. Jerks shouldn't be so sexy.

I watch the gentle rise and fall of his chest, soak in the feel of his strong arms wrapped around me. I breathe in deeply, letting his scent coat my lungs. I'm going to need these memories to last me a liftetime. I'm never going to be held like this by him again.

I sigh before I slip carefully from his arms, stilling as he shifts. He rolls a little before he grabs the pillow I had been laying on and folds it into his arms. I smile a little at the picture before grabbing my clothes, slipping my underwear into my purse. Once I'm dressed, I take one last long look at Huxley before walking through the door, closing it quietly behind me. He was always a heavy sleeper, but I don't want to risk waking him.

I take off my shoes and tiptoe down the stairs until I make it to the bar, now dark and quiet. I grimace when I look at the time, pulling out my phone to call the only person other than me who's still awake in this town.

"Hey, doll." Russ answers. He's the only overnight police officer we have.

"Hey, Russ. Would you be able to give me a ride home?" I ask.

"Sure thing. Where you at?" He asks, but his tone makes me think he already knows.

"The bar." I say with an edge to my voice.

"Didn't they close a few hours ago?" He asks teasingly and I huff at him.

"Can you just come pick me up please?" I ask and he chuckles at me.

"Be there in two minutes." He says and I hang up, steeling myself for an annoying conversation as I watch for him.

A few minutes later the cruiser pulls up to the curb and I walk out to it. Russ gets out and opens the door for me, a wide grin on his face.

"You look like you had a good night." He says and I roll my eyes, slipping into the back.

"I don't need your opinions on my life choices. I just need to go home." I say and he nods while smiling.

"How's Huxley?" He asks and I growl at him a little. Russ is the same age as Hux and I. We all grew up together. Russ and Huxley were pretty good friends. He felt it when Huxley left too.

"Not sure what you mean." I say flippantly and he barrels out a laugh.

"A few people saw you disappear together. You know you can't keep secrets in a place like this." He says and I groan in annoyance.

"He's fine." I say curtly and Russ snorts.

"Only fine? That's not a very good review. Maybe he's lost his touch." He says laughing and I narrow my eyes at him.

"What, you want me to give him a star rating? Five out of five? It doesn't matter how it was, I didn't do it because I wanted to." I say firmly and Russ' eyes shoot to me in the rear view mirror. He looks murderous as he slams on the brakes and goes to turn the car around.

"That mother fucker! I'm gonna kill him!" He says and I gasp in shock, waving my arms to get his attention.

"No! No, Russ that's not what I meant! I'm sorry. The sex was very much consensual." I say and he eyes me for a moment before taking a deep breath and driving towards my house again.

"Hell, Wren. You scared me." He says and I give him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. I just meant it was more like payback." I say and his eyes go wide in surprise before he barks out a laugh.

"Wish a girl would use me for payback." He says with a charming smile that has me chuckling. My smile fades and I look out the window thoughtfully before looking back at Russ.

"Well, if history holds true he'll disappear for four years tomorrow." I say sadly and Russ snorts.

"I highly doubt that." He says and I look at him curiously.

"Why?" I ask.

"Didn't you hear? He bought part of the bar." He says and my mouth drops in shock, my heart pounding as I digest this new information.

"What? When? How?" I ask and Russ chuckles.

"A few days ago he came in and made old man Jesse an offer. He's getting older you know." He says.

"He's always been old." I interject and Russ shrugs.

"Yeah well, that shit doesn't stop till you die." He says. "Anyway, the old man was thrilled to let him be part owner. A guy he's known forever, who grew up here, knows the people." He says and I scoff.

"A guy who abandoned us." I say bitterly and Russ gives me a sad look.

"Did he tell you where he's been all these years?" He asks gently and I shake my head.

"No. He offered but it doesn't matter. He vanished. There's no coming back from that, Russ." I say quietly and Russ sighs heavily. He pulls up in front of my house and shuts off the car before twisting his body to look back at me.

"Maybe you should let him explain. People do things for all kinds of reasons. You never know, doll. He might have had a good one." He says and I shrug.

"I'll think about." I say to placate him. He nods and gets out, opening my door for me.

He follows me up to my house and I let him in. He does a search like he always does when he drops a woman off at home alone. He checks every room before making sure the windows and back door is locked. I stand and wait by the front door and when he's done he comes to wrap me in a hug.

"Let me know if you need something." He says giving me a firm look. I smile and nod, pecking a kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks Russ." I say and he nods.

"Night, doll."

With that he's gone. I shut the door behind him and lock it, taking a deep breath before walking back to my room. I strip down and take a shower, wanting to get the smell of Huxley off of me. It makes me miss him while making me angry at the same time.

My emotions are all kinds of fucked up.

I take in my appearance in the mirror, dark purple splotches grace both sides of my neck where Huxley marked me like an animal. I sigh, grateful I don't need to go to the diner tomorrow. I don't need those kinds of questions.

I grab some pajamas, slipping them on as my eyes wander over to my bookshelf. I grab my copy of Wuthering Heights, my favorite book, letting it fall open to the center where a scrap of paper has laid for the last four years.

I had to leave. I love you my little bird -Hux

I sigh, twirling the note through my fingers. I wanted to throw it away so many times, but it was the only time Huxley ever told me he loved me and part of me needed to hold onto it. To remember it was real.

I close the book with a snap of finality, replacing it on the shelf before I snuggle into my bed. My body is sore, tired and yet completely satisfied as I relax under the warm blanket. It doesn't take long for me to slip into sleep.

After being asleep for what feels like only a few minutes, I'm woken by a pounding sound. My eyes flit open as I stretch, my body protesting the movement.

The pounding gets louder so I stand out of bed, yawning as I wander through the living room. I scoff a I watch my door rattle on the hinges from the assault on the other side. I already know who I'm going to find when I look through the peephole, but I still roll my eyes at the sight.

It's too early for this shit.

I swing the door open and come face to face with a very pissed off Huxley.

"What the fuck, Wren?!"