I braced myself for what was coming next. Desperation fueled my flailing arms, they thrashed around looking for something to hold on to, to gain balance, to save myself from breaking my nose but nothing came in my hand.
My body leans forward and just when I thought that nothing could stop me from hurting myself, I feel two strong arms that wrap around my waist, saving me from falling down.
I know really well to whom those arms belong. He quickly pulled me to his chest.
My heart pounded in my chest, a rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins as my senses reeled from the close call. I could feel his chest rise and fall against my back as if he was also scared.
My foot.
“Are you fine?” I came to my senses when I hear his question.
I nodded.
We were so close that I could hear his heartbeats, which were surprisingly louder than mine.
If he was also afraid of me getting hurt, then why didn’t he stop doing such cruel things to me?
And then suddenly I remembered the thing he said to me: No one or nothing could hurt me except him.
My hand moved m, fingers curling around his arms that were still securely wrapped around my waist. I wanted him to move away but instead, he made his grip tighter.
What the hell.
“Shut up!” He murmured under his breath.
But I haven’t said anything.
Suddenly he whirled me around and before I could even register his intent, he had bent down and lifted me off the ground as if I weighed nothing.
I wanted to protest and I am sure he also sensed it but before I could thrash around or open my mouth to argue m, his eyes sharply snapped at me, which halted my movement altogether.
He threw my body a little high to hold me properly. I got afraid that he was going to throw me and as an instinctive reaction , I wrapped my arms around his neck, my eyes wide with fear.
His eyes, which held warning earlier, were now dancing with amusement.
I hate and humiliation roiled within me. If he thinks that by doing all this I will forget what he has done to me , then it is not going to happen.
No amount of holding or amusement would erase the scars he had inflicted, the memories he had destroyed.
Our gazws remained locked as he walked towards the bathroom. He wasn’t even looking where he was but his every step was steady, as if he had two eyes on his forehead as well.
They were the same pair of green eyes with which m, at one point in time, I fell in love. There was a time when all I wanted was to be near him as soak in the attention he bestowed upon me.
But I was a fool.
A crazy, stupid teenager who judged beauty only by its outer appearance and could never understand his real intention behind all those honey-dipped words and fake care.
As we entered the bathroom, I could feel the warmth and freshness, which I wanted badly. I am sure ia m stinking like a rat and I need to wash my body thoroughly.
Without uttering even a single word, Ansell took me to the bathroom and made me sit in the bathtub’s edge, his eyes never leaving mine.
We shared another moment of silence as our eyes remained locked.
Then, after a few seconds, he turned around, and when I thought that he was going to leave me alone so that I could have a relaxing bath, he turned on the tap and came back with a bubble bath, essence, and candles.
There was no need overdo it. I just needed a simple bath but I didn’t stop him either because I didn’t want to waste my energy on him.
The bath was soon prepared and the subtle fragrance of the essence that he added to the water filled the air and my senses woke up only by smelling it.
As if we’re not enough, he also lit up candle lights, which added a soft glow to the walls of the bathroom, creating an almost ethereal ambience.
But I was not getting why he was doing all this.
“Strip”
His statement caught my attention immediately, and I found myself locking eyes with him. Since the day I met him as my bidder m, the word has become a nightmare to me.
“Are you planning to have a bath with your clothes on?” He asked.
“No! Neither I am planning to have it in front of you” I said sternly.
“You know what, Teredo? You are among the most expensive possessions that I have, so I cannot risk anything. What if you tried to do something funny in the bathtub?”
I understood exactly what he meant by “something funny ”
“If I had any intention of doing something like that, I would’ve done it already. I am not that weak” I rolled my eyes and looked away.
“And I would have seen every inch of your body if I wanted to. I am not that low life ”
My eyes snapped back at him as my ears heard his words.
What did he just say?
He is not that low-life.
How could he say that after doing so much for me?
He is even lower than that.
“Now don’t give me that look if you don’t want me to take you back into the moon and lock this bathroom” he threatened.
This is what he has learned.
Giving me one last look, he turned around, giving me the least privacy that he could.
Hugging I decided to remove my clothes and dip into the bathtub, covering myself with the bubbles before he turned around. I was badly need this.
I was quick to remove my clothes and shift my position I dipped my feet into the water, letting my body slowly submerge into the bathtub. The warmth of the water soothed my tense muscles the reached my senses, shooting me gently. A soft moan of contentment involuntarily slipped from my lips.
The moan must have caught his attention as he turned around. Thankfully, I was covered from neck to toe with the bubble bath.
He sighed as if he were scared that something had happened to me I moaned. With a gentle movement, I began to clean myself, allowing the water to wash away the grime and stress that had clung to me. It was like heaven.
These basic things like baths and food have now become luxury care for me.
I knew that his eyes were on me but I care less. The bath was too relaxing to think about anything else.
My eyes started searching for a shampoo,, as my hair was thick and needed the same attention as my body.
Suddenly he knelt beside me, his fingers brushing against my temple as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His touch was both gentle and possessive.
I didn’t get what he was doing until he ordered me.
“Lean back” the command came very softly, which took me by surprise because I am not used to such gentleness from him.
His hand reached out for the shampo bottle, which was out of my reach. I know now that when he has it in his hand, he is not going to stop until he does what he wants. If I protested, he would blackmail me by taking way the shampoo.
As my body was almost covered with the bubbles, I decided to let them go. I relaxed in the tub. His eyes never left mine, not even for a second. He adjusted my head to make me sit in a more comfortable position.
The tenderness in his action was unexpected, completely opposite to the cruelty I had experienced in the last few days.
I didn’t want to think about the pain so much so I just relaxed and let him take care of me.
His finger dipped in water as he scooped water to pour on my hair. He did it multiple times and I could feel the grime wash away, the warm water touched my scalp, giving me. Soothing sensation.
I heard him squeezing shampoo on his palm before he rubbed them together, his fingers coming to my scalp and when he started massaging my head slowly and gently, I lost it.
His fingers moved in slow, circular motion, massaging my scalp, and it was like having a spa, my eyes closed, and for those moments I forgot about all the worries that ironically had been given to me by the one who was trying to help me relax.
He then grabbed a hand shower and rinsed off the shampoo from my hair. My hair was almost clean when the thought came to my head and my eyes shot open.
I haven’t brought clothes with me.
What am I supposed to wear now?