Chapter 13 You Saved Me.
Aria
I opened my eyes, feeling very woozy.
I had definitely passed out. It wasn't so unfortunate since a lot of the events of last night were very destabilizing.
I looked around. The room was foreign to me, but beautiful.
It was warm and cozy, the warm toned walls helping stabilize me. A closet sat at one end of the room, another signifying the bathroom. I looked to my side, finding the nightstand matching the decor. A lamp sat on top, still lit. It worked with the ceiling lights, bathing the room with warm, almost golden light.
Where was I?
The weight of the blanket was finally settling against mine, and I pushed it away, standing up immediately. A dizzy spell hit me right back, and I stumbled, the room spinning. I had gotten up too fast, but it was okay.
I held on to something, regaining my balance and walking towards the window to at least see the outside. I pulled the curtain drapery apart and looked out, realizing that I was a great deal up from the ground.
I looked out at the beautiful view, the sun rising and covering the city in yellow light. I stayed there and continued to breathe.
“So you're awake, then.” A voice filled my ears, an all-too-familiar voice. I turned, looking towards the entrance of the room.
Grayson.
Was he the one who saved me?
It was probable, considering all I remember were those two glowing eyes at me from last night. Everything else was in splotches. I remembered most of it, though.
The kidnapping. The assault. The tears. The transformation. Trying to help an animal when I trespassed packed territory.
I looked at him, my eyes turning into slits. Had he saved me, or had he found me?
“What did you do?” I asked him, unwilling to let my suspicions slide. I didn't think he was going to save me ever again, especially not after the office ordeal.
“I found you in the forest. I saved you, clothed you because you were very naked when you transformed back, and brought you to my house. And that's all you have to say to me?” His frown was obvious. He was insulted.
I felt it. Guilt. I wanted to be defiant, but I just managed to sound ungrateful.
“Oh, I didn't know. I'm very sorry. Thank you for last night.” My voice was small. He could sense it.
“It's okay,” he started, “I understand you here. I know you need to show bravery, so you can be safe. You can be safe around me, though. I promise.” I couldn't believe my ears.
“Come.” I walked towards him, leaving my view from the window. I breathed slowly, as the space between us closed. His features cleared, getting more definition as I neared. He took my hand, putting the other hand in my hair and stroking gently.
“I'm here. Always.” This breath was gentle on my hair. “Please don't put yourself in such trouble again. Those wolves could have killed you, and I would have had nothing else to say about it. Be safe, please.” The fear was palpable in his voice.
He was scared for me.
I breathed, heaving a sigh of relief.
He'd saved me.
It was then that my arms wrapped around him. I was no longer scared, no longer resentful of him. How could I be?
I closed my eyes, finally accepting things for what they were. I squeezed, breathing in his fresh smell. His fresh smell of trees and morning.
“Thank you so much.” My voice was even smaller now, poignance in my every word. It was only when I felt the drops rolling down my cheeks that I found that I was crying. He tipped my face with his finger, raising my face to him.
“Don't cry. You don't have to. You're safe now, with me.” He thumbed my face, wiping the tears clean off them, squeezing my hand with his other hand.
He was breaking down all my defenses, and he was showing up for me again and again.
I didn't know what else to do, so I just continued to cry. I was starting to sob again, remembering the events of last night. How I'd been used and assaulted, and I didn't even know who did it, because the voice was entirely unfamiliar.
“What happened? Talk to me. You know you can.” I couldn't tell what it was, but I trusted him. More than I wanted to.
“I was kidnapped. They assaulted me yesterday, violated me. And I just can't get the pictures out of my mind. It hurts deeply.” His face contorted into a grimace, an angry one at that. He was furious, but briddling it for my sake.
“Sit down. Tell me everything. I mean, don't skip a single detail.” So I told him.
I explained everything to him, from the hurt from our encounter yesterday, to how I went out to get my CV out and see if any jobs were available, and how I kept being rejected, to my stop at the cafe to clear my head, to eventually walking down the hall and being taken from there to the warehouse.
The sound, the echoing, how I was grabbed and tied, and eventually touched indiscriminately.
His frown only deepened more and more as my story progressed, but I continued, anyway. I wanted him to hear the full thing, more for me than for him. I needed to get the story out. I needed somebody to hear my story for what it was.
By the time I was done, he was angry, assuming. He looked menacing, capable of way worse than I'd put him up to in my head.
He looked ready to kill.
His eyes held anger, pain, and frustration, much like mine, except mine were more disappointment and shame than anything else. He looked at me and took a deep breath.
“Whoever did this to you will pay. If that's the only thing I can promise you, then I've done
my bit.”
With that, he stood up and left.