Page 67 of It Destroys Me

That was a short walk on the surface, but down here, with the smell and the rats, it felt like a marathon.

Axel checked his map before he walked to the ladder that was mounted on the wall and led to the surface. “This is it.”

“Thank fucking god.” I’d seen a couple rats on the way and felt squeamish ever since.

“Wait here.” He climbed up first and reached the panel at the top. It had a wheel in the center that he had to turn, taking his hands off the rungs to twist it. It took several attempts before he got the wheel to turn and the door to unlock. It sprung open and revealed the night air above.

I couldn’t wait to get out of here.

He poked his head out and talked to someone. “Yeah, I’ve got her. Hold on.” He climbed back down and landed on the concrete beside me. “Octavio and the guys are up there. They’ll take you to Theo.”

Once I climbed up that ladder, it would be over. “Thank you for everything. I really appreciate it.”

A boyish smile came on to his lips. “It’s no big deal.”

“Well, it’s a big deal to me.”

He clapped me on the shoulder before he stepped away. “Go home. I’ve got to scrub the smell of shit off my arms so my wife will open for business tonight.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to do the same.”

“Knowing Theo, he won’t care.”

I climbed up the ladder, and the smell of the night hit me. Clean and cool, a welcome breeze hit my face. When I reached the top, one of the guys grabbed me and helped me to my feet. Then he made a face, like he could smell what I’d been smelling for the last hour. “I’ve got her.” He spoke into a comms unit in his ear. “We’re headed back now.”

We pulled behind the gates, and I walked inside the place I considered home.

Theo was waiting for me.

He stood there in his black sweatpants and nothing else, a bandage wrapped around his right shoulder. He looked the same except for the bruising down his right arm and torso. It was noticeable, even against the dark ink. His eyes ate me up like I was his favorite dinner.

I wanted to run into his arms and kiss him hard on the mouth, but I refrained.

When I didn’t come to him, he came to me, his eyes still steady.

“I—I smell.” It was such an awkward thing to say, but I didn’t want him to step into the cloud and recoil. “Let me take a shower first.”

“I don’t care.” His hand slid into my hair, and he kissed me, kissed me like I hadn’t just climbed out of a sewer. His arm circled my waist, and he pulled me closer, kissing me like we’d been apart for weeks rather than days. When he ended the kiss, he rested his forehead against mine. “I’ll shower with you.”

We stood under the water together. My clothes had been thrown away and my skin scrubbed with an entire bar of soap. I washed my hair twice, just to be sure.

Theo found the situation amusing.

“There were so many rats down there.”

“I’m glad that’s all you saw.”

“You don’t understand. These were big, fat rats.”

When he smirked, his eyes lit up too. “You’re braver than most people.”

“Well, Axel was with me.”

“Even so. Most women wouldn’t have done what you did.”

“Well, I wanted to come home. Really wanted to come home. I missed you.”

Affection shone bright in the darkness of his eyes. “I missed you too.”