Shadows

Meetings

 I stayed in bed for the following days, being fluttered about with and told off by Anna who said I needed to keep my strength up as she saw I wasted more of the food she brought up, which I have to admit made me smile a little… this was all too surreal… too friendly… too homey. Deciding that enough was enough I got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom, its cold floors making me shiver, cursing them all for not having central heating installed. As the water filled up the tub I ran back into my room and picked out a bunch of random clothes: Black vest top, grey hoodie, skinny jeans and a pair of mismatched socks, before darting back to check on the tub which was more than halfway filled.

  Turning the water off I stripped myself of my dirtied and over worn clothes, threw them in the washing basket, grabbed a razor and stepped into the hot yet very much welcomed water. I sighed with contentment as my body was engulfed by the hot and steamy aqua that cleaned and purified my aching bones and body. After shaving the more intimate parts of myself I allowed myself to sink down into the water, playing my usual game of holding my breath til I was on the verge of drowning… it was a good way of calming myself, or at least I thought anyway… it made me think on things more clearly. As I thought I could not help but think about Serena… the conversation with Dante had brought up painful and unwanted memories that until now I had chosen to bury and hide in the furthest corner of my mind, it delved into a time when all I had done was say that I was not going to let her copy my work in maths… she waited until the teacher had left the class before she got Gemma to cover my mouth and stabbed a compass into my arm a few times… whispering that she needed the answers and if I squealed, the compass was going to hit somewhere where it would really hurt.

  Feeling hands jerk me from my thoughts and out of the water I screamed,  not sure what the hell had just happened, but as I looked around I saw none other than Dante panting and panicking in the corner of the room. Quickly my hands reached around my more intimate parts

“Get out!” I screamed, he didn’t need telling twice… he was gone. Feeling a little more than flushed and intruded on I pulled the plug , jumped out, pulled my underwear on and grabbed one of the many bath robes that hung on the back of the door before darting on out after him, he stood in the centre of my room, hands over his face as embarrassment washed over him “What the hell did you think you’re doing!”

“I thought you were drowning ok!?” he didn’t look at me but began swearing into his hands

“Look I am not one of the many whores you shag, I prefer privacy… if I don’t answer the door that means I’m either busy or asleep” he spun around

“After what you told me the other day I think I have a right to seem a little concerned” his chest was rising and falling in an uneven manner, why the hell was he mad for this time?

“No you don’t actually, you have no claim over me whatsoever, you don’t get the right to worry about me” in the blink of an eye he was right in front of me, forehead pressed to mine, sending a wave of fresh bumps along my soaked skin. His eyes wandered all over my face, searching, wondering, wanting… and much more. My heart began to leap and I prayed it to stop, I didn’t want him to hear, evidently he must have because of the smile that was now spreading along his lips.

“I do have claim over you though… don’t I?” I started to frown but it soon disappeared as I stared in those Jade like eyes that caught me… overpowered… dominated even. I pushed away from him, not wanting him to have that power, that control and feeling a little more than embarrassed I ran straight back into the bathroom where I slammed the door and sunk against it. Closing my eyes I slammed the back of my head against the door out of pure frustration, I would not let him get to me… to pity me like that… but was it pity? Or just pure concern? Shaking my head I wandered over to my clothes, dropped the robe and began to get changed.