Lost ✔️

Chapter 22

Stephanie sat up on the bed. The tears of pain had dried a long time back but the pain was still intact. It was torture to even sit still. 

"You can come out now", she said to no one in particular. 

Her voice simply bounced off the walls and dissolved in the particles. But no one came out. 

Guess he went.

She was sure that he was the same person who soiled the silent atmosphere with his presence. The months passed. The abuses stopped but he didn't. Somehow he would crawl back into her room, twice or thrice a week. He never said or did anything. But she could feel his eyes on every movement of hers. 

Had her life not been a mess, she would've tried to find out more about him. Strangely, she felt comfortable with him even if he could be a pervert or an unknown being. As if she already knew him without knowing him. 

Stephanie had always been a keen observer but she had a powerful sixth sense. Who was hiding, who was watching or what was happening. That had always been her skill to find out if she put her mind to it. Since day 1 she immediately knew whether the presence was within her or not. 

The scent of moonflowers filled the space wherever the stranger lurked. A pleasant, intoxicating and sweet odor. Her nose could still smell a bit of the scent. It was comforting and faintly familiar. 

Stephanie however was immensely confused to why he did what he did that day. He practically saved her life.

Why? Why? Why? Why did you do it?

It's not like she never tried to search and look for him. She never found him. Not even a glimpse. 

Under the bed. Under the table. In the corners of the balcony. In the closet of the bathroom. Behind the closets. Behind the....

Curtains!

Why didn't she think of it before?

Her head turned towards the curtains covering the entire section of the wall behind her bed. It wouldn't be easy to hide there but not impossible either. Before she could analyze properly, there was a grunt and a thud of something in the balcony.

Or someone....

A person was kneeling just at the entrance, his head hung down and panting heavily. If she could just reach out and throw the steel bottle at his head, he would definitely faint. The unknown human looked up and grinned.

"Hey there!"

"Chris!", Stephanie exclaimed in relief. 

As he got up, his eyes scanned the entire room for a sign of the existence of the stranger he saw. Then his eyes fell on Stephanie and all of his worries of the unknown being flew out through the window.

He rushed towards her. It was exactly like he had witnessed about 8 months ago. Only she could looked weaker than before.

"Wha- What happened to you? She hurt you again didn't she? Maybe if I had come faster I could've-"

"Chris! You came. That's all. It's not your fault at all."

Stephanie put a hand on his shoulders in a way to comfort him. Chris could see it in her eyes that she was in pain. A lot of pain. 

"Where are you hurt?", he asked.

"Nowhere. Just my leg ain't fine. ", she said, her voice trembling.

Now that he saw, he felt terrible for not noticing it right away. Her ankle was swollen up alright but there was a dirty dark-bluish spot covering a particular area. The instant he took a proper glance at it, he knew she needed a hospital. But first, he had other things to take care of. 

"Let's get you all cleaned up after I wrap your ankle."

He rushed in the bathroom to look for the medical kit. It had been a long time since he visited her room but he also had a good memory.

Bingo!

The white medical box sat in a corner hidden by all sorts of shampoo, face wash and conditioners. He opened the box to find a crepe' bandage. Just what he wanted. After he wrapped her leg tightly, he picked her up and carefully placed her on the seat of the toilet. 

Then he closed the door shut. If the stranger was there, there was no way he would allow him to look in here. 

"Okay. Take off your clothes", he said without any hint of mockery.

"What?", Stephanie said. Her eyes were literally bulging out of its sockets.

Chris tutted in frustration.

"You're wearing a bra right?", he asked her in a completely bored out tone.

Stephanie just glared at him.

"Oi! I've already seen you naked. Not once but twice. You've seen me too. Now take your clothes off!", he demanded. His demeanor said that he was clearly not joking.

There was a power in his voice that made Stephanie obey. Soon a couple of minutes later, she was sitting in just her undergarments. She was not shy but just awed at the boy's guts.

Chris washed her wounds, bruises and even dressed them with bandages. Stephanie protested but a few angry glances from Chris shut her up. He sure was attractive at these times. His eyes never left the work in hand. He was focused. Not looking at her even once in a way that she felt insecure or unsafe.

After they were done, he brought her a pair of clean and comfortable clothes and helped her into them. Stephanie could feel herself liking him more and more as time passed. 

I think........ I'm falling in love with you.

Finally they completed their tasks after Chris sat her on the bed. 

He stood up straight and flexed his muscles, stretching out his entire body of rigidity.

Stephanie only drooled at the glamorous sight that God gifted to her eyes. She was grateful she was alive to have seen the sight presented before her. 

Then Chris' eyes darkened and Stephanie quickly wiped the drool off her face before he noticed.

He turned towards the curtains and stared at it for a while.

"Why don't we have a chat now, huh?", he said.

The stranger. He knows?

*****

I'm liking this more and more now.