IMAGINE: Ray wanting to be good

      You're sleeping soundly, buried beneath your covers. You don't even flinch at the sound of someone of opening up your bedroom window. The figure slowly slides into your bedroom. The cool spring air blows your curtains back and brings a chill into your bedroom. You shiver slightly, but continue to sleep. The figure takes a step towards you and then trips on a pair of shoes you have by your bedside. He cries out and flails his hands, trying to find something to hold on to to break his fall. His hand hits your vanity and crashes into your bottles of perfume, nail polish, and makeup, sending them clattering loudly. With a grimace, he hits the ground with a thud. You wake up in a flash, turning your bedside table lamp on and jumping up in bed, your heart pounding. You clench your fist and bring them up to your chest, ready to fight off your attacker if you have to. You see a bloody hand clutch the edge of your bed and then Ray Marcus's head appears. “Ray." You gasp, your eyes widening. His face is bloody and bruised. Your boyfriend weakly smiles. "Hey, Y/N."      You quickly get off your bed, your heart still racing. "What happened?" You ask worriedly, rushing to him. “I was in a fight." He replies as you kneel beside him. You wrap an arm around him and gently help him up. "With who?" "Just with some guy, it doesn't matter." He mutters. “Doesn't matter?! Ray, you climbed into my bedroom at..." You glance at the clock to confirm the time and then continue, "‪at 3:15‬ in the morning! Your face is bloody and bruised. Why aren't you asleep? And why didn't you just use the front door?" “I didn't want them to see me coming to your house." He replies, looking away from you. Your eyebrows raise. "Them? Who's them?" He slowly raises his eyes to meet yours. "My gang." He whispers.      "Your what?!" You exclaim. Ray sighs and runs a hand over his face. He winces. "Please, Y/N, it's a long story." He groans. “A long story I intend to hear while I clean you up." You say, gently prodding him into the bathroom. You had no idea Ray was even in a gang. When you met him, he seemed so nice and genuine. You feel like everything you know about him is a lie. You lead him into the bathroom, sit him down at the edge of the bathtub, and go grab your first aid kit. You grab a cloth, wet it, and walk over to Ray. His eyes watch you as you gently cup his face and turn it up towards you. "Talk." You command as you dab at his face. He sighs and grimaces. "It all started a few years ago. I was feeling lost...unsure of myself. I didn't know who I was or who I wanted to be. I ran across some guys in this gang. They made such a convincing act to me that their gang would be the best thing that would ever happen to me. I stupidly joined. For a while, it was wonderful. I had gained brothers. A family." His voice dips down quietly and his eyes saddened. "Then we started committing crimes. At first I was reluctant but then my heart hardened. I got numb to causing people pain. To ripping families apart. I only cared about myself and the gang. And then I met you." Tears fill his eyes. "I fell in love with you and my world changed. I saw how good you are. You love people. You're kind and courageous. You offer love where I offered hate. I wanted to be you. I felt so ashamed being with you. I felt so dirty loving someone who is so pure. But I couldn't pull myself to end the relationship. I couldn't stand being without you. You're everything to me." He whispers. You refuse to be swayed by his words but your heart cracks. You swallow. "I knew if I told the guys I was dating you, a good girl, they wouldn't be happy. So I kept it a secret. I kept you a secret because I didn't want you getting hurt by them." He says. “So that's why you never wanted to go out in public—why you snuck through my window and didn't just knock on the front door tonight." You say softly. He nods. "I can't even bear the thought of what they'd do to you if they knew we are dating." “So how did this..." You gesture to his head, "happen?" “I decided I didn't want to be bad anymore. I had finally found who I wanted to be when I met you. I want to be good. I want to spread love and hope. Not hatred and despair. I want to love you without feeling so guilty about not telling you of my past. So I told the guys that I was quitting the gang. They attacked me and I ran here. To you."      You both stare at each other. "Please forgive me, Y/N. I'm so sorry for keeping the truth from you and not telling you about the gang. I knew you would think differently of me and would probably end what we have. I can't bear the thought of you leaving me. I can't bear the thought of living my life without you." Ray breathes, tears pooling in his eyes. You try to remain emotionless even though your thoughts are exploding inside your mind. You don't even know what to think. He wraps his arms around your hips. "Please say something." He whispers. “I-I-I don't know what to say." You stammer. “Please say you'll forgive me." He pleads. You take a step away from him, breaking his hold on you. You stare at him, disappointment shooting through you. "I-I don't know if I can forgive you." You state slowly. Hurt shows on his face and it stabs you in the heart. "What?" He breathes. "You lied to me. You're not the person I thought you were. You are not the man I fell so madly in love with." He stands up. "No! No! I am! Everything I told you about me was completely true! I just didn't tell you everything." He exclaims desperately. "How can I even trust anything you say?" You demand. He walks towards you and you keep backing up until you hit the sink. He grabs your upper arms. "Please, please, you have to believe me." He insists miserably. “Do I?" You whisper, trying to remain calm even though he's hovering so close to you. His grip tightens on your arms. “I'm still the same man you fell in love with. I'm still the same man you love." He whispers lowly. You glare up at him. "Then prove it." You hiss. Ray roughly kisses you, holding you tightly. You remain still, every single emotion you've ever known bursting to life. He wraps his arms around you and pushes you up against the sink. You try to resist kissing him back, but you feel your resistance slipping. His hands roam your back and his kiss turns passionate. You sigh, your heart melting, and wrap your arms around him, kissing him back. After a long minute you pull your head back and look down at him, both of you breathing hard. "That wasn't fair." You whisper. He smiles. "It wasn't?" He asks innocently. You shake your head, trying to catch your breath. You smooth out his shirt. No matter how amazing kissing him is, it isn't going to solve anything. You take a deep breath and release it. “Get out." You whisper. “What?" Ray asks, hurt, his eyebrows drawing. “Get. Out." He sighs and walks out of the bathroom. You rest against the wall and close your eyes. ———      The next morning you're driving to work. You didn't get much sleep after Ray left. You tossed and turned, having nightmares of the crimes Ray committed. It haunts you. You wonder what he did. Did he kill someone? Multiple people? You swallow and fight back tears. You take a deep breath and let it out. You glance in the rear view mirror and your eyebrows draw. You notice that that black car has been following you since you left your house. You clutch the steering wheel and step on the gas slightly. The black car behind you exelerates as well. It's so close to you that you could see the face of the person driving if not for the creepy skeleton mask they're wearing. You swallow past the lump in your throat, your heart starting to pound nervously. The car looks like it's about to pass you, but instead of passing you, it stays next to you. It swerves into your car. You wrench the wheel, your car barely missing getting hit. You honk your horn angrily. The car stays next to you, even as you press the pedal down. The car tries to run you off the road. You spot another car coming up ahead. The oncoming car swerves into your lane to miss hitting the black car next to you. You scream and veer off the road to miss getting hit by either cars. Your car crashes into a tree and your head slams against the steering wheel. The airbags release just as you fade into unconsciousness. ———      You wake up to a heart monitoring beeping. Your eyes slowly open. "Where am I?" You whisper even though no one is in the room. It takes you a minute and then all of the memories come flooding back. You sit up with a gasp and then clutch your head. It's painfully pounding. You look down at your hands. There are scratches and bruises. You lightly touch your face and wince. You feel thin, bumpy stitches running from just beneath your right eye down to your jaw bone. “Oh man." You whisper. You don't even want to know what you look like. The hospital door bursts open and Ray runs in. He pulls up straight at the sight of you, his face pale. "Y/N." He breathes. You swallow. "Hey." “What happened?" He asks, slowly walking towards you. “I was run off the road by a black car. I hit a tree." “Did you see who it was?" You lightly shake your head, your neck aching. "No, the driver was wearing a skeleton mask." You grimace. He sits down in a chair next to your bed. "It was the gang. They must have followed me to your house. They wanted to kill you." He whispers. “They almost did." You laugh humorlessly. “I'm so sorry, Y/N. I am so, so sorry." He cries, his eyes filled with tears. He sits on the edge of your bed and clasps your hand. You turn the right side of your face away from him so he won't see the stitches. He lightly cups your face. "You're still beautiful." He murmurs. You look at him. "What am I to do now? Live in fear?" You choke out. “We could call the cops and rat the gang out. Then they'd never hurt you again." Ray suggests. You nod. "Okay." You whisper. You shudder. "I'm just scared." You admit, tears sliding down your cheeks. “I know, I know." Ray whispers, drawing you into his arms. You let out a sob and cry against him. "I was so scared. I thought I was going to die." He strokes your hair and gently rocks you. "Shh, shh, it's okay. I've got you now. I've got you. No one is ever going to hurt you again. I will protect you with my life." He whispers. You pull your head back and look at him. He cups your face. "I forgive you." You tell him. He smiles at you. "And I love you." “I love you too." You return, resting your head on his shoulder. “I love you too." You repeat in a whisper, squeezing your eyes shut.  [THE END] I hope you liked it!