Whispers to Screams (Lesbian) (GirlxGirl)

Chapter 24

The bathroom door remained locked well into the night. Toni's sleeping form stayed submerged in the cold water until her body held a semi normal temperature. Being brought back to her old self certainly felt good, remembering everything and everyone was a luxury she didn't know she needed back. Her dreams surrounded her with replayed memories of mostly better times and smiling faces. It was as if her brain began to put everything on repeat in order to make sure she wouldn't forget again. The actual process of 'forgetting' was a little more technical than that, having been brain washed and supressed for many months. It almost hurt to switch herself back into her original mindset, but in her heart she knew that's the Toni she was meant to be. Not this anger filled, and overly violent version that she had become used to lately.

The greens of her eyes met the cool white walls that surrounded her in the bathroom, looking around and taking it all in. There was a window high above where the bathtub sat, a dark velvet sky hanging overhead just outside of it. She took in a deep breath, trying to gather enough energy to lift her out of the tub. It took quite a lot of effort, every bone in her body stiff. The feeling was as if it shut down in total defense mode, as if remembering should have completely broken her, but it didn't, and here she stood ready to reclaim what was hers. If only her legs would cooperate with that wish.

It felt like an hour later that she was finally out of that damn bathtub and draining the water. Her body had mostly dried, giving her the availability to grab her clothes from the floor and slip them back on, that too becoming a long process. It felt good to be covered again, but working all of the cemented heaviness out of her bones would take a moment. That moment turned into several as she dragged her feet around the room, twisting, stretching, and pulling herself until she felt loose.

"God..." She groaned, rubbing her palms against her face until she felt the heat return to her cheeks. A deep breath entered past her lips and disappeared down her throat as her mind formed the current date. It all got somewhat jumbled as her memories came back to her in a flood.

Toni looked around the room once more before walking towards the door and slowly pulling it open. It took her no less than a minute to register where she was and what events had taken place here the last few weeks. Her eyes blew open wide at the realization, not wanting to believe how terrible she had been lately, especially to Valeriya.

Wait.

That's when it hit her the hardest.

"Valeriya..." The name slipped past her lips, her feet subconsciously moving her through the house until she was standing at the end of the hallway, watching from her spot there. Valeriya sat on the couch watching a movie, swaddled in a large, thick blanket, and clutching a small bowl of ice cream. Even in the low light of the room, she looked breathtaking. Toni stared in quietly for a long time, just observing. It was hard to believe for Toni that someone this smart, beautiful, and dedicated was hers. A year had passed between them and Valeriya still waited and hoped. The flutter that lingered in the assassin's chest felt like it would spill out onto the floor and cover the entire room. For once in so long she felt nervous, and loved.

The young Russian woman was clearly into her movie, as she didn't notice Toni standing there. She didn't notice her until she walked into the room and veered around the back of the couch and stopped at the vacant end.

"Is it okay if I sit here?" Toni asked, bringing her hands together in front of her stomach.

"Yes, of course." Her attention completely switched gears and set itself on Toni, setting her bowl down in the dip between her legs.

Toni's eyes snapped down for a brief second, and then back up to Valeriya's face as she sat down next to her. The woman's eyes captured her, just like they used to every day. The bright blue hues were illuminated by the low light in the room, making a silent shudder crawl up Toni's spine.