Stolen Hearts (2012 Wattys Finalist)

Chapter 6 - Small Truths

Somehow Robert knew they hadn't locked the door to the outside. He put his ear up to it and listened. It was so quiet he was certain no one was outside. He tried the doorknob and it opened. His heart was racing as he stepped out of the flat. He carefully closed the door behind him so they wouldn't be tipped off he'd escaped. He walked quietly down a long hallway of closed doors, listening as hard as he could to hear if anyone was about. He turned the corner, and there was another long hallway with closed doors. Soon, it was a maze of long hallways with closed doors and he could never seem to reach the end of them.

He turned a corner and saw Moreau standing with his back to him. He backed up quietly as quickly as he could and doubled back, trying to find another escape route. He turned another corner and Moreau was there again with his back to him. He backed up feeling like he was never going to find a way out. He was so confused about which way he'd gone already, and it seemed no matter which way he went, Moreau was always around the corner. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure it out, and he started running through the endless hallways, trying to find the way to escape.

Robert woke up with a start, sweating and breathing heavily, as if he'd really been running. He looked at the clock. It was nearly five in the morning. The curtains were closed, but he knew the sun hadn't come up yet. He laid there for a while, waiting to fall back asleep but he couldn't, and decided to get up. He wasn't hungry yet, and he didn't feel like reading, since he was going to be reading most of the day anyway. Maybe it would be a good idea to run, in case the girl decided to clean in the ballroom again, he thought. He dressed and when he opened his door, he saw the grey clouds covering the sky were getting lighter.

Before he even got near the ballroom, he could hear the girl running on the treadmill. When he stepped in the doorway and saw her, he was shocked. She was dressed in regular workout clothes, and looked like any girl back home on a run. She had on trainers, running shorts and a sports bra, all in black, with her braid down her back. The shock he experienced wasn't just from seeing her in normal clothing, it was also seeing her body for the first time, and so much of her skin exposed.

His eyes were drawn immediately to her legs. She was a tall for a girl, but now he saw how long, and surprisingly shapely, her legs were. He'd known she was slender, but now he could see she wasn't skinny. She had slight curves that had been hidden by her clothes. He'd seen enough of her breasts already to know they weren't that big, but they seemed to fit her. They were just enough to give her a little shape. Her rib cage was slim yet narrowed to a smaller waist and then flared out slightly to her hips. Her bum was a surprise, round and high. Her whole body was just as pale as her face. Except for her arms, he saw the bruises he'd made on them were nearly gone, fading to a pale purple and yellow.

She ran with an easy measured pace, and the movement of her long legs and arms made her look graceful. He could see the muscles in her legs and back working as she ran. Now he knew why she'd seemed so strong in spite of her size that first night when she helped him walk to the toilet. Her clothing hid how athletic she was.

She was completely lost in her own thoughts, not noticing Robert and he backed up, stepping out of the room before she saw him. He tried to decide what to do, and then thought he might as well eat while he waited for her to finish. While he had his cereal, he couldn't help thinking about her. He knew she must've run on the treadmill, but he'd never really thought about when she did it, or what she wore when she worked out. It was a mystery to him why she would dress like she did most of the time, when it was obvious now she wasn't opposed to wearing normal clothing. She had a nice looking body, he thought, and then immediately felt horrified. He would not think about her that way.

He was soon finished with his cereal and cleaned up. He walked back to the ballroom and she was still running. Might as well start on the weights and run when she's finished, he thought. He was amazed at how long she was able to go without stopping or slowing to a walk. She was more in shape than he was, he thought half grudgingly.