AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What type of cheesecake is it?” I ask walking over to him to have a look.
“Have no idea, do you think she’ll notice if I take a little?”
“Shewillnotice, she just won't say anything, but I will so put it back. Be right back," I tell him as I grab the small bag that I brought today.
“Where you going?”
"Going to get her to take a warm shower," I shout back at him as I walk up the stairs. Today she's using hot water, and I'm not leaving until she does.
Walking into her room, I knock on the bathroom door and take a step back as she opens it for me. Hope moves to the side as I take a step in. I walk over to the shower, turning it to a warmer setting and I look over at her.
“I’m just going outside. I want you to put this on.” I hand her the bag. “I’ll be back in one minute.” I leave the bathroom and wait for a moment.
I know that she won’t have a warm shower even if I put it on for her. She’ll change it. So, I bought her a bikini so that I can be in the room with her.
I walk back into the bathroom where she's standing with her robe on. "Now you can have a shower, and I'll be right here." I lean on the counter, and she stands there for a moment. I see her hands begin to shake as she goes to take off her robe.
Am I pushing this with her?
As the robe hits the floor, my hands tighten around the counter as I look at the scars, and how all you can see is bones. When she walks to the shower, I see the scars on her back. My blood is boiling to the point that I'll find and kill the person that did this to her.
Hope takes a step into the shower but doesn’t walk under the water. I see her hand moving to and then away from the handle to change the temperature.
Pushing myself off the counter, I take my suit off; she’s not having the same cold fucking shower over and over again, not happening.
Standing behind her, I put my hand on her arm and move her forward so that she’s under the water and she gasps a few times. I keep my hand on her as she tries to move away a few times.
“You need to start taking warmer showers,” I whisper to her, turning her around toward me. Her face is focused on the floor. “I’m not going to ask you to look at me, but just look at my body, I have scars too, I have a history,” I tell her.
I hear her sobbing, and I don't know why, but she slowly lifts her gaze and looks at my chest. Hope's head rests on my chest, and she starts crying. Bringing my arms around her, I give her head a kiss. I choose not to say anything more to her. This is a good day for me; I don't want to ruin it by making her talk.
* * *
I didn't leave Hope in the shower for long. I saw her skin getting red. I think that was because it was the first time in a long time that she had a hot shower and her body couldn't handle it. Once she had got dressed, I told her that from now on she's to take a warm shower. If I find out that she had a cold shower, then I will just have to go in there with her again.
I sit outside in the yard as Hope gets the table ready; my mom wanted to help her, but I stopped her. In the short time I've spent with her, I know that she needs to do things by herself. She hasn't looked at my parents. The moment they walked into my house, she went straight into the kitchen and got them a drink.
I turn around as I hear a tap on the glass door leading to the yard and see Hope standing there in a large sweater so that no one can see her arms or hands.
“Food is ready.”
I look over at Jackson, as he moves quickly, he been waiting long enough, and I have to admit even I’m looking forward to it myself.
“Hope, this looks amazing,” Jackson tells her and sits at the table. I watch Hope moving towards the kitchen and bringing over the plates of food.
I see my mom looking at Hope’s hands as she puts the plates down. She tries to get a closer look, but the sleeves to her sweater are too long.
My dad gives me a smile, as he looks at his food and Jackson. Well, he’s just acting like a kid waiting to take a bite of his Happy Meal.
I slam my cutlery on the table as I see what Hope has on her plate. “Go put some more fucking food on your plate,” I snap at her. I can’t do this anymore. I’ve been patient. I’ve been giving her time to know that I’m not stopping her with anything, but she needs to eat.
Pushing my chair away from the table, I grab her plate and take it to the kitchen. I hear my mom following behind me. "Leo." She rubs my back. "She's broken. She's been taught to be a certain way and by the looks of it, for a very long time too. She needs to break out of whatever brainwashing she's been through."
I put more food on Hope’s plate and head back to the table and place it in front of her.
"More than a forkful," I say as I sit back down. I look over at everyone staring at me. "I'm sorry I snapped." I start eating but glance out of the corner of my left eye to see what Hope's doing.
“Hope, this is so good,” Jackson tells her with a mouthful of food. My dad starts laughing, as I shake my head at him.
