Chapter 1
"So… this would be my place…" remarked David a bit puzzled as he opened the door to let Julia in, but she didn't move… she was just standing there, instinctively holding the big rough plaid around her, what she got from the rescue squad… her hair was messy and dirty… dirty from blood, while her gaze was glassy and lifeless, her hands shaking, "Just… just feel free to go inside," he tried softly, touching her back to give her a little impulse and she finally moved… but actually she didn't get too far, because now she was waiting at the other side of the door, pulling a bit tighter the thick material on her, what was her little safe zone, a warm protection shield from the outside world… "So this is the living room… and actually the kitchen also," he explained kindly, but she was just staring in front of her with a vacant look on her face.
"…"
"Uhm, there's the bedroom on the left and that's the bathroom next to it… I know it's not too big and fancy, but at least we won't get lost inside." he tried to lighten the mood with not much success.
"…"
"You should… then maybe you should sit down on the sofa." he suggested, and seeing his gestures she made her way through the living room, because she didn't really hear what he was saying, a humming silence surrounded her.
"…"
"Oh, I think I have a bottle of Scotch somewhere…" he remarked hopefully, and quickly opened the cupboard, "Ah, here it is… I'm sure it'll help you a bit," he smiled and handed her a double dose.
"…" normally, she would have said something like that it's too much or she prefers wine, but it was exactly what she needed at the moment.
"Come on, drink this. You will feel better, I promise…" he added softly and she drank it down, then started coughing…
"Gosh… what the fuck was that?!" she finally came to her senses, feeling as life moved back into her.
"Just a special whisky from home… maybe a bit stronger than usual, but it's pure medicine." he smiled and felt an indescribable relief that she finally was not like a zombie anymore.
"A bit?!"
"Well, actually the alcohol content is 63,5%, but…" she looked at him with disbelief, "Do you want another one?"
"No way! I still don't know if I can stand up or not after a drink like this… I'm already feeling it in my legs."
"Believe it or not, but that's a good sign." he nodded happily, "I'll also make you some tea later, but first, I'll prepare the bedroom for you."
"No… I won't kick you out of your room," she shook her head in a daze, as the strong liquid slowly took its effect on her. "I'll be fine here on the sofa."
"There's no way I'll let you sleep there, so do not even try to protest against it…" he remarked kindly, "And I have a new pack of bedding somewhere, I'll put it on in no time, okay?"
"Yes, thank you. But until that I… I would go to the bathroom…" she nodded towards the door on the right.
"Yeah sure, sorry." he felt a bit bad that he didn't offer it sooner. "You will find clean towels… I mean a clean towel on the shelf," he corrected himself with a smile. "And… here's a T-shirt to sleep in…" he quickly took out a black one and gave it to her, which she accepted with a weak, but grateful smile…
OOOOOOOOOO
In the bathroom she just simply let the plaid fall down to the floor, which quickly followed by all of her clothes… she wanted to get rid of the marks this horrible day left on her as fast as she could, so she opened the shower immediately and waited only a few seconds to reach an acceptable temperature before she stepped in and started washing down not only the dirt, but all the bad memories of the day… this shower was different and much longer than usual… now it was a ritual cleaning, cleaning not just her body, but her soul as she tried to wipe off what was impossible… when she finished, she wrapped a big dark colored towel around her, what she didn't know it was from the shelf or not, but she didn't care… as she cleaned the mirror from the damp with her palm, she just stared into her reflection with disbelief… this was another woman who was looking back at her… a wretched, exhausted and tormented woman… a woman she never seen before… her hair was clean, actually cleaner than ever, but her soul was filled up with harsh noises and terrifying pictures which were hunting her… she didn't know how long she was staring into the mirror, but when she regained her senses, she just automatically pulled on her knickers, then put on his T-shirt… the T-shirt, what was oversized and soft, and despite it was fresh and clean, it somehow smelled from him… but his smell had a calming effect on her as always… so as she stepped out of the bathroom, she was much calmer than before, and seeing the kettle on the stove, she suddenly realized how grateful she was that she didn't have to be alone…
"Are you feeling any better now?" he asked softly, couldn't help but noticed her in this unusual wear, which would have been awfully sexy in other circumstances… but now, there wasn't appropriate to think on anything like this…
"Yes, as a matter of fact the shower was quite helpful."
"I'm glad to hear that… did you find everything you needed?"
"Yes, I did. And I tried not to leave a mess inside, but…"
"Never mind, my bathroom has seen a lot over the years…"
"…"
"So bedroom is ready…" he added quickly and showed her the finished room, "The bedding is brand new and seems pretty warm, but I left an extra blanket for you, if you would feel cold…"
"Thank you."
"And I put a cup of tea on the nightstand with some biscuits, but I'll make you some dinner as well if you…"
"No need, thanks." she remarked a bit too quickly, then she added softly, "I mean the biscuits will be just fine."
"Right…" he took a deep breath and looked around, "Oh, and I turned on the little night lamp in the corner. You're in a new place so it will be useful if you would get up in the middle of the night."
"That's very thoughtful…" she nodded, trying to smile and show how grateful she was, but it was not an easy thing at all, because she felt an overwhelming tiredness and wanted nothing more than just sink into the blankets and fall asleep quickly, forgetting everything she saw, heard and felt during that day…
"Then I'll be outside if you would need anything, okay?"
"Yes… thank you," she answered, what was barely a whisper and she slowly climbed into bed as she remained alone… the bed was huge and comfortable, the blankets were soft and warm, but the long awaited redeemer sleep just didn't come… she was laying there with opened eyes and she was just staring at the wall in front of her… she wanted to run away from her thoughts and mostly from the pictures in her head as she closed her eyes, but it was impossible… so she rather stayed awake, trying to find peace and calmness in the cozy dim lights of his bedroom…
It was already midnight when he noticed that a soft crying was filtering out of her room… first, he wanted to leave her in peace, to give her some privacy in these hard times, when you don't want anything else just a place where you can be alone and hide, but then he just couldn't stop himself from checking on her…
"Is everything okay?…" he asked softly, but as she didn't answer, he suddenly realized what a stupid question was that… how would anything be okay when she had just survived an attack on her life?
"…"
"Don't you need something?… I can bring you anything you need."
"…"
"Here's some tissues…" he walked around the bed and gave it to her.
"…" she accepted it gratefully, but her answer was only a nod, because her voice was not strong enough for speaking.
"You know… it will be better with time," he said softly, trying to ease her somehow, however he knew it's not quite true, at least not in his case. "You just have to be patient and survive somehow, day by day… that's the hardest part, but I truly believe in you…" he smiled softly, wanted to stroke her arm to comfort her, but he didn't know if it would be a good idea or not, so rather he didn't move. "Well, I… I think you better try to get some sleep, but you can also come out if you need some company. You know, I usually don't sleep too much…" he added kindly and wanted to go, but as he reached the door, she called after him,
"David…"
"…" he stopped and turned back to her.
"Could you… could you stay for a while?"
"Yeah, sure..." he answered happily, because it was a progress that she didn't want to be alone. "Then I'm just sitting down here, okay?" he added, and gently occupied the other side of the bed, where she was curled up, showing her back to him… "What do you think… is there anything I can help you with?" he tried and her answer was only a whisper,
"Just tell me something until I fall asleep…"
"Well, right…" he nodded and started speaking about random things what came to his mind, but all of them was neutral, nice things, to make her feel that everything will getting back to normal soon, when he realized the blanket was slid down off of her, so he put it back gently, while he accidentally touched her arm and suddenly felt how cold she was, "Gosh, you're freezing… why didn't you say anything?"
"I think I just didn't realize it…"
"You have to stay in warm, it helps a lot on anxiety." he remarked softly and left his hand on her a bit longer than was appropriate, but it felt so good, she couldn't even tell how much…
"Could you…" she started, but she quickly changed her mind.
"Could I what?" he asked softly.
"No, it's nothing, sorry."
"Just tell me… anything you need." he stroked her arm gently to encourage her.
"I know it might sound strange, but…" she was so embarrassed, but she also felt so miserable, that she moved on quickly, "Could you… could you hold me?"
"…" he couldn't decide he heard it right or just his fantasy took over his mind.
"Sorry, I just…"
"Of course I can hold you." he cut her off quickly as he got back his senses, because he was afraid she will change her mind.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, no problem." he smiled and slowly laid down behind her, then reaching her waist he gently pulled her closer, pulled her fully into his arms, which was an indescribable feeling for both of them. "Is it comfortable enough?"
"Uh-huh…" she murmured with eyes closed, finally feeling completely safe for the first time that day.
"Everything will gonna be alright from now on…" he remarked softly and letting himself to enjoy her closeness for a few moments.
"You think?"
"… what?" he asked absentmindedly,
"Do you think I'm not in danger anymore?"
"Yeah, I'm sure of it." he smiled as he pulled himself together. "And do you know why?"
"…"
"Because I'll never let anything bad happen to you…" he answered fondly and soon - she didn't know how - but she was face to face with him… they were just laying there and staring at each other, feeling the other's breathing as their faces were only inches apart… he just couldn't believe he was there with her, his hand was still on her waist, holding her close, while all he could see was her perfect lips, which were like a magnet to him… he knew if he would kiss her - despite he wanted it so badly - it would be taking advantage on her, but fortunately he didn't have to decide between being a gentleman or choosing heaven with her, because she just leant closer and kissed him… her kiss was soft and warm, tasted like the tea he left on her nightstand… a kiss, which blew every rational thought out of his head, so he couldn't think, just feel… feel her sweet lips and her soft body against his, and there was no turning back anymore, they completely lost themselves in each other… his every move was slow and gentle, as he wanted to comfort her… wanted to make her feel safe and warm, and let her feel, he'll protect her not only from the disturbing memories of this day, but from the whole world around her… and she needed his closeness more than anything… his smell, his strong and warm body against hers as he gently showed her a feeling what she never had enough of… their lovemaking was slow and lingering, like a pleasurable stretching on a lazy Sunday morning… the most comforting thing she'd ever experienced… and it lasted much longer as she nestled in his arms and fell asleep on his chest to the rhythm of his breathing, while he just stroked her back instinctively and tried to not miss a second of the feeling of being with her… however, it didn't matter how hard he tried, after a while he fell asleep also… as he woke up the next day, he was alone in his bed, thinking that everything what happened was only a dream, but then he heard noises from the living room…
"Julia…" he was suddenly face to face with her and saw the panic in her eyes, "What are you doing here? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly and first he didn't understand what's going on there.
"Yes, of course. I'm just… just going to be late from work..." she muttered in confusion, seemed like who wants to run away in any second.
"Late from work?" he checked his watch with disbelief, "But it's only five o'clock."
"Yes, I want to start early today..."
"Five o'clock is a bit more than early, and I don't think you should work at all, after…" he didn't know how to say it, "Well, after what happened yesterday."
"Look, I'm perfectly fine, okay? I just need something to divert my thoughts, that's all." she explained nervously and picked up her bra from the floor which she accidentally dropped when she saw him. "You know, it's work therapy."
"Then I'll dress up and take you to work. "
"No need, thanks." she protested as an instant, "Kim could be here in any minute."
"But…"
"You just go back to bed and take the day off. I'll be fine, really." she added quickly.
"I don't think you should…"
"Oh, that must be Kim!" she said in a hurry and grabbed her blazer,
"Hey, I haven't heard anything…" he tried, but she was already outside and shut the door behind her, leaning back against the door frame and just tried to breathe normally, because she was scared to death… but this time not about the attack on her life… but rather because of what happened with David last night…
To be continued…
