Given and Denied

Chapter 3.

The shower had been so amazing and so powerful that I felt as if a whole layer of my skin had been removed from off my body, leaving me feeling refreshed and totally cleansed.
I had now begun to dry myself off with one of the large, warm, fluffy towels that had been placed upon a large white washed whicker chair for me. There were several to choose from and I took the largest.
This bathroom was lovely. A real gem of a room with everything you could possibly want and need. It was also quite large as well, but with no windows, although that did not detract at all from the brightness within as little lights were embedded into the ceiling and all along its walls.
It was an extremely modern styled room with a large, oval shaped bath at one end, a separate shower cubicle that I had just exited from, two wash basins, side by side, a toilet and a b-day.

I was now sat down on the whicker chair and began to dry my feet. They still felt extremely tender to the touch and I wondered if they were in fact cut or bruised. I examined them further but could not see any visible damage.
I then got up from the chair and walked towards a very large shelving unit that was packed with body moisturisers, face creams, hair removal creams, tints, toners, balms, waxes and all manner of different lotions and potions. I was at a loss as to what to try first!

At last, I did find a little tub of foot soothing balm and figured that the inclusion of arnica, eucalyptus oil and mint would most likely do the trick.
I sat back down and began to smooth the balm all over my aching feet, in between my toes, on my heels and up over my ankles. There was instant relief and I wondered what else I might be tempted by.

As I scanned my eyes along the shelves to see what other goodies  were on offer, I was suddenly interrupted by a woman's shrill voice calling out from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Gwen...... Gwen..... Are you alright in there?". 

I sighed to myself.
Silva!
I had quite forgotten all about her being here as I had become so immersed in looking at what else this exquisite room had to offer.  I had also almost forgotten that I was supposed to be trying to remember  the events of last night too!

"Gwen...... I'm making some pancakes. Would you like some?".     Came her shrill voice once again.

Pancakes? I suddenly thought to myself.
What was it shrove Tuesday or something?
Could it actually be pancake day?
Or was she trying to be all American, after she had attended that American diner last night!
My stomach twisted suddenly.
Of course!
She went to that place on Canary wharf last night, with all of her friends.
Now what was it called............

"I'll make you some........... shall I?".   She went on, interrupting my thoughts.

It didn't seem to bother her, in the slightest that I was not answering but I wasn't being rude on purpose, it was just that I was still trying to figure things out in my head from the previous night.

"Come down when you're ready then".  She chirped in that rather annoying bubbly way of hers.

This time however, I did decline to answer.  I found her presence here really rather infuriating somehow, for she seemed to know all the answers whilst I was still struggling to only guess at the questions.
I had actually very little knowledge of where I was, for she had declined to explain anything to me. She also seemed to delight in the fact that I was so totally confused about all of this!
Maybe I will go down for pancakes after all and then I could  question her at length.  I felt sure that she wouldn't be able to keep everything such a closely guarded secret.

Exiting the en suite bathroom, wrapped in a cozy, fluffy dressing gown that I'd found hung up on the back of the door, I was now able to take in fully the surroundings of this most lovely of bedrooms.
It was, again like the bathroom quite large with plenty of beautiful tasteful furnishings. The bed must be king sized for it looked huge with plenty of pastel coloured pillows and cushions placed all over it. There was also a massive mirror that was part of the wall. I hadn't really noticed it's positioning before and now that I had, it rather intrigued me.
It was right at the foot of the bed. Not to one side of it, or somewhere that you would easily be able to see your reflection in. No, this mirror seemed to be in such a position that you would be able to see yourself quite clearly if you were actually in the bed!
I frowned. This was most odd. I liked this room, I liked it a lot, but I wasn't overly sure that I personally would have had the mirror right there. It did seem rather strange.
Nevertheless, I went over to it to take a good look at myself and saw before me a very tired looking young woman, who had now somehow managed to look quite refreshed, with skin that glowed and hair that was beginning to dry naturally on its own accord and hung down loosely around the shoulders in soft, gentle ringlets.
I smiled at the reflection. It didn't appear to look too bad, which had surprised me somewhat after waking up in a cold, frantic sweat and believing someone was actually attacking me in that bed.
I had now, thankfully realised it had all been just pure fabrication. A bad dream in fact, an awful image, a memory of something that had happened long before.
I shook my head. I did not need reminding. I didn't want to even think about that incident.......... Or indeed him.
Although for some strange reason, something was continuing to nag at me about him.
Something about last night......