A Suitable Companion

Chapter 15: Aftermath

I do not sleep well this night. I toss and turn, feeling trapped by the sheets, again and again reliving Smurf's hard grip and the living nightmare that he for real tried to rape me. My boyfriend. I used to trust him - my judgement of character must be very poor indeed. When daylight finally comes I'm as exhausted as when I went to bed.

As I feared, my face looks even worse in the morning. The bruises have turned into a deep purple shade and I'm more swollen. I put on a polo jumper to conceal my neck and do what I can with thick makeup, but I would have needed a magic wand to make it go away completely. I practice the lie of Nan clumsily opening a door right in my face a few times in front of the mirror, but I'm not sure I will be able to tell it with Charles penetrating gaze on me. Anyway, here we go. I leave the house without showing myself to my family, postponing it for as long as I can because I do not know how I shall be able to face them. Explain to them.

When I arrive to Royal Crescent, Charles is waiting for me in the entrance prepared to go, as I knew he would.

"There you are" he cheerfully shouts when he sees me by the gate. "Did you take a sleep-in, you slacker?"

Then he sees my face and his expression changes, like a dark cloud passing over it. I do not want to meet his eyes.

"Molly? Molly, what the fuck happened?"

"Nan opened a door on me."

I hear how lame it sounds.

"Don't give me that crap!" he snaps. "No door did this to you. Look at me."

I just cannot. I cannot stand to look in his eyes if he is angry with me. But I feel him raise his hand and softly place it under my chin and turn me up towards him. There is no anger to be seen, only concern.

"God Molly, did Smurf do this to you?"

"Yes" I whisper.

"Why?"

"He was jealous of you, of us, after seeing you yesterday. He thought..."

"What?"

"That something was going on between us. And he didn't believe me when I said there is nothing."

Now his expression turns into one which is difficult to interpret, his face hard as stone and through gritted teeth he lowly says;

"I could kill that coward, dysfunctional little schmuck for doing this to you."

It is kind of terrifying to think that unlike most people just saying such a thing in frustration, Charles actually could. Probably with his bare hands. Smurf would not stand a chance even if Charles has his crutches. Maybe he could even use them to crush his skull. Of course, I would not want that mainly because it would put Charles in jail, but it somehow gives a little comfort just picturing it for a second.

"What happened?"

I take a step back from him. It is so difficult to talk about this when both my body and my insides hurt, and I do not want to start crying.

"Can we just get into the car? You will be late for your appointment."

He looks disappointed that I do not want to tell him, his concerned eyes not leaving my face.

"Molly..." he says softly, and I know that any anger in his face was directed only to Smurf, not me.

"Charles, I can't. Not now, please just let's go."

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"It's just bruises Charles, I'm able to drive."

He capitulates, realising he will not get anything out of me here and accepts going into the car. We drive off, but here he is not willing to drop the subject and after a few minutes demands again;