Between Bruises
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Rayver's POV
I immediately went to Andrei to check his condition.
"Are you okay, Andrei?" I asked him while helping him stand up.
"Y-yeah, I-I'm f-fine," he stammered in response.
Just from the sound of his voice, you could already tell he wasn't really okay. I then carried him on my back. I also grabbed his bag.
"Come on, I'll carry you!" I told him.
Andrei didn't even think twice and positioned himself on my back.
We hurried along, worried that those two jerks might regain consciousness.
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Good thing I wasn't hurt too badly and I was still in decent shape. Thankfully, he wasn't that heavy either. We quickly reached the highway, and I decided to head straight to the convenience store near the bus stop to buy ointment, water, and food.
"Stay here, just wait for me outside!" I gently told him while helping him sit down on the bench.
He didn't say anything, just nodded, though he couldn't help but keep holding the spot on his cheek where that jerk had punched him earlier.
I quickly went inside the convenience store to buy the ointment. I also bought water and some food, since I figured he must be hungry—and so was I.
After paying, I rushed outside to find Andrei still sitting there, still holding the bruises on his face.
I quickened my pace toward him.
When I reached him, I asked how he was doing and sat down beside him.
"How are you feeling? Does the bruise on your cheek still sting?" I asked, and without thinking, I reached out and touched his cheek.
He couldn't look me straight in the eyes. It seemed he was uncomfortable whenever I stared at him.
So I held his cheek and directed his gaze toward me. But he kept glancing away, avoiding direct eye contact.
"Why aren't you answering?" I asked again while still holding his cheek and staring at him.
He didn't reply. Instead, he suddenly took my hand off his cheek.
"I'm fine!" he answered curtly, looking away into the distance.
"Come closer so I can put ointment on your cheek wound," I told him, pulling him by the waist so that we were even closer.
He didn't say anything this time and just looked at me.
I quickly took out the ointment I had bought earlier, got some cotton buds, and began applying it gently to the bruise on his cheek.
I could see the pain on his face as I applied the ointment, so I blew on it to ease the sting a little.
I was caught off guard when he suddenly spoke and asked me,
"Do you know me?" he asked in a soft voice.
I froze at his question, even stopping what I was doing. I didn't know how to answer him.
"Of course, I do. Why wouldn't I?" I replied gently.
I continued applying ointment to the bruises on his face until he asked another question.
"If that's the case, then why did you ignore me before?" he asked again, looking straight into my eyes.
I found myself staring back at him, my mind going completely blank. I didn't know what to say.
Then he spoke again while still looking at me.
"Probably because of your girlfriend," he said before turning his head away to avoid my gaze.
I was so startled by what he said that I accidentally pressed the cotton bud harder on the bruise on his forehead.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed from the sudden pressure.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to," I quickly apologized.
Then, Andrei's stomach growled loudly. He was clearly hungry. Luckily, I had bought food and water earlier.
I immediately took them out of the paper bag and offered them to him.
"Here, eat first. You must be starving by now!" I told him, handing over the water and food.
But he refused to take them and just looked at me.
"Thanks, but I'm not hungry," he stubbornly replied.
Then, right on cue, his stomach growled again, and he instinctively placed a hand on it.
"Come on, take it," I urged him again.
After a moment, he finally took it and eventually started eating.
While he ate, I busied myself treating the bruises on my own face and arm. Then, my stomach growled loudly as well—I hadn't eaten since our practice earlier.
Without warning, he fed me a bite.
"Here, it's obvious you're hungry too," he said. I didn't think twice and just ate what he gave me.
After we both finished eating, he suddenly grabbed the ointment and cotton buds I was holding.
"Give it here, I'll help you. I'll do it," he said.
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.
.
.
"Some wounds are easier to heal than the reasons behind them."
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