Chapter 27

Chapter 27
The morning light spilled through thecurtains, making the room too bright, and too real. Alexandria woke with a heavy body, but her mind was even heavier. The emerald silk robe clung to her skin as she lay curled ined the soft sheets. Her thighs ached, reminding her of last night.

Her ribs throbbed faintly where the bruise still lingered, but the ointment had helped a lot and it didn't feel as sore as it had before. Between her legs, she felt tender and used, it was the unmistakable evidence of how deeply Jonathan had been inside her.

She lay still for a long moment, staring at the ceiling, letting the memories flood in relentlessly; the way she had sobbed beneath him, the way she had broken down on the floor afterward. The bath, his fingers in her hair. The terrifying safety she had felt in his arms.

Shame rose quickly, twisting in her stomach like nausea. She sat up slowly, clutching the robe tightly around her chest like it would save her from what she'd become. She slipped out of bed as quietly as possible. Her clothes from last night were folded neatly on the armchair.

The small act of care only made her feel worse. Or perhaps it wasn't even care, perhaps he just didn't want his room look unkempt. She didn't want to overthink, it was way too early for that, all she wanted was to be out of here as soon as possible.

She dressed in silence, her fingers trembled as she buttoned her blouse and pulled on her skirt. Every movement sent little sparks of soreness through her body, a part of her hated it, yet another was still very much intrigued and drawn to the darkness it of it all.

When she was finally clothed, she felt marginally more like herself, but the illusion was thin. She was almost at the bedroom door when Jonathan’s low voice cut through the quiet.

"Alexandria.”

Her hand froze on the door handle, and she turned to face him slowly. He was awake, sitting up against the headboard, the sheet pooled low around his waist. His emersld eyes watched her every movement with that intensity that made her feel like she was being scrutinized, that made her feel like she had been stripped bare.

“I need to leave,” she said, her vouce sounded broken from all the crying and screaming.

Jonathan watched her for a long beat, then he nodded once.

“Alright.” he said, climbing out of bed. He was still wearing the pants from yesterday. And his muscles looked even more defined in the bright morning light, she forced her gaze down as he walked passed her and held the door open for her.

She stepped out and he followed her, closing the door behind them before walking ahead.

"Come." He said simply.

She followed him because arguing felt too exhausting right now. And he kept walking until she found herself in a sleek kitchen space. Jonathan moved toward the fridge.

"At least eat something,” he said, opening the door. “You didn't have dinner yesterday. You’ll feel better if you have something in your system.”

Alexandria stood awkwardly by the island, her arms were wrapped tightly around herself like she felt safer that way.

“I’m not hungry.” she replied.

But he pulled out eggs anyway, setting them on the counter. “Eat. You had a rough night. Your body needs fuel.”

All this was beginning to feel too real; being in his house, the sex, the bath, sleeping in his arms, him offering her breakfast, it was too scary. She could feel the edge of panic creeping back in, the threat of another spiral was hovering just beneath her skin.

Her breathing turned shallow before she could control it.

“I'm not hungry,” she whispered, voice cracking. “Don’t push this. I can’t… I can’t sit here and eat breakfast like last night was normal, like any of this is normal.”

Jonathan stopped mid-motion. He looked at her, really looked; he took in how her chest was beginning to rise and fall quickly, the sweat gathering on her forehead, the slight tears in her eyes, and something shifted in his expression. The eggs went back into the fridge.

He closed the door.

"Alright then,” he conceded.
Relief washed over her immediately and she let out a shuddering breath. He turned to face her fully, leaning against the counter.

“Patrick will drive you home.”he said.

But she shook her head.

"There's....no need for that. I can drive." She replied, and she hated herself for stuttering. But she needed to drive her, she needed to feel in control of something today.

Jonathan studied her face for a moment, clearly weighing whether to insist. In the end, he exhaled softly and nodded.

"Alright.”

Before she could turn away, he spoke again.

“Are you well enough to go to school today?”

Alexandria hesitated as she thought it through, her body aches all over though the pills had helped, but it didn't mean she was going to skip classes. Being alone in the penthouse would only make her lose her mind.
She gave a small nod. “I have classes.”

He looked like he wanted to object; his jaw tightened, and for a second her breath faltered as she thought he would ask her to stay home and get some rest. He didn’t push though, instead, he simply said,

“I’ll see you later then.”

Alexandria swallowed hard, her throat was so tight.

“Okay." She replied quietly.

She turned and began walking toward the front door. Jonathan followed a few steps behind but kept his distance, respecting the space she clearly needed. She stepped outside into the cool morning air which did nothing to calm her. She felt like she'd sinned against God and humanity, and perhaps she had.

"Drive safely." She heard him say as she got into her car and shut the door, she shut him out. And she could feel the tears stinging the back of her eyes threatening to spill, but she held herself together, at least until she was in her own space.