Keep Me Warm
Chapter 1
My legs, barely holding up my weight, stumbled up the front steps to my flat. I couldn't get my body to stop quivering, and the sobs along with my inablitliy to stop my body from its uncontrollable jerking made it impossible to escape from the nightmare I had just undergone. I fumbled for my my keys, searching desperatley through my purse. I jerked my head around as I searched, scared that I had been followed. Panic shot through me as I struggled to chain the door. I still couldn't see his face. I could only remember how helpless I had felt when his hot breath coated my neck as my body trembling under his.
My entire body felt drained of energy, and my knees succame to the weakness I felt. I slid down the door and again began weeping uncontrollaby.Thought poured into my mind. How could this have happened? This can't be real. It had to be a dream, a horrible nightmare by which my mind had conceived from my greatest fear. I slowly made my way down the hall, my knees shaking, feeling weaker with every step. By the time I reached the bathroom door, I felt as though I was going to collapse. In my last moments of strength I had managed to walk shakily to the shower and turn on the water.
I sat there, motionless in the shower as the cold water fell upon my exposed skin and soaked the torn dress that now scarcely covered my. The water that mad contact with my skin was tainted with dirt and blood. I was slightly surprised to see the filthy red water that continued to the drain, for I had yet to observe my physical injuries. There was torn skin all over my body. My knees were heavily scraped and my feet were bleeding from running on sharp rocks and sticks. French tipped nails of an intense white had now been massacered with dirt, flesh and blood. I couldnt feel anything anymore. No more tears were escaping me. I was numb.
I jumped and my body became tense as a hand make contact with the bathroom door. It was a gentle tap followed by a voice.
"Sophie?"
My body relaxed slightly as I instantly recognized it to be that of my best friend and room mate. His low, raspy voice was comforting to me
"Harry," I tried but voice had betrayed me, just like it had when I had tried to scream. "Harry," I attempted again, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the words to escape my sore, scratchy throat.
"Sophie?" He called my name sweetly again from behind the door.
Suddenly, I couldn't hold it in anymore and broke out into a deep and sorrowful cry. I quickly covered my mouth as I prayed that he hadn't hear the sound that had escaped me. I begged that the shower cover up my wails, but it was too late. He had heard me.
"Sophie!?"
He rushed through the door and I tried to hide, though the clear glass exposed my state. Words cannot describe the expression that came upon his face as he comprehended the scence. Worry. Shock. Guilt. All of these showed on his face as he quickly scanned my curled body along with its wounds and my puffy, red eyes. Within seconds of him bursting in the door he had climbed in the shower, not bothering to remove anything from himself. There he was -clothes, shoes, phone, and all- picking me up carefully and setting me on his lap as he sat down.
I found myself burrowing closer into him, burrying myself into his warm, muscular body. We sat there for a long time as he sang to me softly, something he often did to comfort me. I listened quietly, focusing on the rising and falling of his chest and the beautiful sound that gently left his lips. The cold water still fell on us.
His arms were wrapped around me as my mangled body laid upon him. I soon noticed slight, gentle jults in his chest, and I tried to find the courage to make eye contact. I looked up to find sad, dim, green eyes looking ahead as he struggled to keep the tears that had formed in his eyes from falling.
He continued to sing as the current song he was invested in was coming to its end, but he never got to finish. The tears he had been trying so desperately to fight back finally began to fall. He had stopped singing to keep me from noticing, but it was too late, and I already had.
"Don't cry, Beautiful." It hurt as I said this, and my voice came out very faint, weak and raspy.
He looked down a me with soft, pained eyes as he recoginzed the term he'd said to me many times and gently kissed my forehead.
My entire body felt drained of energy, and my knees succame to the weakness I felt. I slid down the door and again began weeping uncontrollaby.Thought poured into my mind. How could this have happened? This can't be real. It had to be a dream, a horrible nightmare by which my mind had conceived from my greatest fear. I slowly made my way down the hall, my knees shaking, feeling weaker with every step. By the time I reached the bathroom door, I felt as though I was going to collapse. In my last moments of strength I had managed to walk shakily to the shower and turn on the water.
I sat there, motionless in the shower as the cold water fell upon my exposed skin and soaked the torn dress that now scarcely covered my. The water that mad contact with my skin was tainted with dirt and blood. I was slightly surprised to see the filthy red water that continued to the drain, for I had yet to observe my physical injuries. There was torn skin all over my body. My knees were heavily scraped and my feet were bleeding from running on sharp rocks and sticks. French tipped nails of an intense white had now been massacered with dirt, flesh and blood. I couldnt feel anything anymore. No more tears were escaping me. I was numb.
I jumped and my body became tense as a hand make contact with the bathroom door. It was a gentle tap followed by a voice.
"Sophie?"
My body relaxed slightly as I instantly recognized it to be that of my best friend and room mate. His low, raspy voice was comforting to me
"Harry," I tried but voice had betrayed me, just like it had when I had tried to scream. "Harry," I attempted again, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the words to escape my sore, scratchy throat.
"Sophie?" He called my name sweetly again from behind the door.
Suddenly, I couldn't hold it in anymore and broke out into a deep and sorrowful cry. I quickly covered my mouth as I prayed that he hadn't hear the sound that had escaped me. I begged that the shower cover up my wails, but it was too late. He had heard me.
"Sophie!?"
He rushed through the door and I tried to hide, though the clear glass exposed my state. Words cannot describe the expression that came upon his face as he comprehended the scence. Worry. Shock. Guilt. All of these showed on his face as he quickly scanned my curled body along with its wounds and my puffy, red eyes. Within seconds of him bursting in the door he had climbed in the shower, not bothering to remove anything from himself. There he was -clothes, shoes, phone, and all- picking me up carefully and setting me on his lap as he sat down.
I found myself burrowing closer into him, burrying myself into his warm, muscular body. We sat there for a long time as he sang to me softly, something he often did to comfort me. I listened quietly, focusing on the rising and falling of his chest and the beautiful sound that gently left his lips. The cold water still fell on us.
His arms were wrapped around me as my mangled body laid upon him. I soon noticed slight, gentle jults in his chest, and I tried to find the courage to make eye contact. I looked up to find sad, dim, green eyes looking ahead as he struggled to keep the tears that had formed in his eyes from falling.
He continued to sing as the current song he was invested in was coming to its end, but he never got to finish. The tears he had been trying so desperately to fight back finally began to fall. He had stopped singing to keep me from noticing, but it was too late, and I already had.
"Don't cry, Beautiful." It hurt as I said this, and my voice came out very faint, weak and raspy.
He looked down a me with soft, pained eyes as he recoginzed the term he'd said to me many times and gently kissed my forehead.
7/3/13