Page 79 of Point Proven
He wasn’t the best at cooking, but it meant everything to me that he’d been so adamant about taking over, even if just for a little while.
It hadn’t taken me long to adjust to my inability to walk, as I’d broken my leg during my time in the ranks, but the circumstances behind it continued to haunt me. Stefan’s touches tormented my mind and visited my nightmares, making it nearly impossible for me to get a full night's rest.
I was exhausted beyond words, emotionally and physically. It had been over two weeks since I woke up in that hospital, and I was afraid that, even as time continued to pass, my trauma would never heal.
Rounding the corner, a soft smile crossed my lips as Simon’s bare back greeted me. Bill facing me in the manner he preferred, his light blue baseball cap combed back his slightly grown hair. He sang softly, and I remained motionless, simply watching himas he navigated the chaos he’d left behind in the midst of his cooking.
Using tongs, he transferred the bacon onto a paper towel, giving the eggs a final stir before lifting the pan. Turning around, he jumped, startled, and the cookware shook in his grip.
Slapping it onto the counter, he immediately placed his hand on his hip. His tattoo jostled with the movement, intricate inked lines spreading down his right arm to form archaic ruins. A clock rested over his right pectoral muscle, and it expanded like tree roots down to his bicep. The pattern mirrored a geometric world, and he’d gotten it after his near-death experience. It was a symbol of how time was always passing, each segment fragmenting from the center, but they all funneled from one singular moment.
Each detail was carved into his skin beautifully as Simon pointed the tongs at me. “What are you doing? Go sit down. I’ll bring it to you.”
“I’m sick of sitting,” I grumbled, my throat still adjusting, the bruising still present. Moving toward him, each click of metal echoed through the space. “My ass hurts, and not in a fun way.”
“Okay, then, stand against the counter. I don’t want you slipping.” Moving through the kitchen to grab dishes, he put the food onto them before sliding a plate to me. “Here. I think I didn’t burn the bacon this time.”
Propped up against the counter as he demanded, I lifted a brow. “You don’t think?”
He shrugged. “Just… don’t look at the underside. It’s kind of black, but not quite. But the eggs I did fine!”
Laughing, I shook my head, taking a bite from the first piece I pulled from my plate. He watched me as I chewed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’ve actually learned. I’m impressed.”
Grinning, he stabbed a piece of egg. “I watched videos, darling. It was actually helpful, because I learned you’re not supposed to turn up the burner all the way.”
“You realize where else you couldlearnthese things?”
Chewing, his brow rose. “Where?”
“Your best friend.”
“Oh… Well, we’re not… We haven’t really talked since arriving back.”
Concern swept through me. “Wait, what?”
“Oren… Oren lied to me, tous, about everything.” Setting his utensil down, he gripped the marble.
The room spun, my palm meeting the frigid countertop beside him as I struggled to keep myself upright. “W-What… What do you mean?”
“Oren… knew Stefan. Apparently?—”
Before he could continue, I quickly pivoted, angling myself over the sink as I heaved. Wretching up the remnants of the minimal food I’d eaten, a shuddering breath followed as a tremor ripped through me. Another roll of my shoulders and bile was the only thing that came up, a rasped sob tumbling from me.
“Hey… Hey, sunshine.” Simon rubbed my back, shifting upward to keep my hair from falling against my face. “I’ve got you.”
“He… knew Stefan…” I whispered, my body instinctively recoiling again, even though nothing came out.
“Yeah. Stefan… Stefan has his sister.”
Sister?
“He has… How?”
“I don’t know all the details, but Stefan blackmailed him to remain quiet and threatened to hurt her if he didn’t. I’m assuming she’s a half-sister, knowing hisrevoltingfather.”
Dropping my head against my arm, I swallowed my next bout of nausea. “Did… Did Thorne…?”
I needed him to say no. I couldn’t stomach the idea of Thorne knowing Oren’s secrecy and not informing us, not informingme,when I’d confided in him. He’d promised he would give me any information he found on Stefan, and if he kept that… If he kept that from me…
