Truth and Light

Chapter 3

I woke with a stretch and a yawn and was shocked to find myself in the biggest bed I had ever been in. I still had the blanket that Sue had covered me with last night. I rose slowly, careful of my ribs. My body still hurt everywhere. Someone had undressed me and put me in an oversized men's undershirt and a pair of boxers. I wish they hadn't. I didn't want anyone seeing the bruises that still marred my stomach, rib cage, and upper thighs, or any of the other scars that Duncan had gifted me with over the past three years.

I looked around the room and was intrigued by the décor. Everything was decorated in different shades of blues and greys. The bed in the middle of the room had a headboard made from a light grey wood; the nightstands and dresser matched the headboard. All the furniture had clean lines, and although the room was tidy and well decorated, it still had a masculine aura to it.

There was a patchwork quilt on the bed that was clearly homemade, squares of navy, sky blue, white and periwinkle and been sewn together into a piece that oozed love and affection. I knew from experience that the quilt was warm without being sweltering. The sheets on the bed were pale grey and incredibly soft. They didn't feel like cotton but made from a shiny material that I had never felt before, whatever it was it felt decadent. The room had hardwood floors made from a similar grey wood like furniture. It was one of the most beautiful rooms I'd ever seen.

There was tasteful artwork on the walls, mostly black and white pictures of the ocean. There weren't a lot of portraits, but one picture was of the man from last night with his arm around a beautiful, young woman with chestnut hair and chocolate eyes. The couple looked incredibly happy together and it made my heart ache.

There was another picture of the young man with an older couple, they looked so much like him that I could only assume that they were his parents. The woman's hair was starting to grey at the temples, and she had deep laugh lines around her eyes. There was an inner light inside her that was so bright it was spilling into the two men with their arms around her. While the younger man and his mother were looking at the camera, the older man was looking at the woman. His eyes shone with love, it was so deep that even looking at a black and white picture of the three of them you could feel it emanating from the portrait.

Even though I couldn't stay, this man fascinated me. He made me feel things just by looking at his face that I had never felt for another person. Those feelings ran so deep, it was almost terrifying with its intensity. It also made my stomach hurt knowing I couldn't stay here with these people who loved so deeply. I yearned to just be in this man's presence, that's how strong the pull was. Even if it meant just watching him from afar, because he clearly had a girlfriend or wife.

I on the other hand, needed to put more distance between myself and Duncan. I couldn't bring my problems to their doorstep.

I continued to explore the room, counting three doors, two of which were open. I didn't know what to do or where to go, so I decided if someone had put me in here, I might as well look around. Also, I really needed to use the bathroom. My bladder was already making itself known in a way I wouldn't be able to ignore for long.

Thankfully, the first door was a massive bathroom and I do mean massive. My whole apartment back in Vegas would have fit into this one room. Yes, it was a small apartment, but jeez this was huge! There were matching his and her sink basins which were big grey stone bowls with shiny spouts that sparkled. The walls were natural stone and it almost looked like the bathroom had been carved from inside a cave.

This was the kind of bathroom I could spend hours in. The sunken tub had little holes in the side that made it look like jacuzzi nozzles. The whole tub could have easily fit ten people. The shower stall wasn't much smaller, in sat in the corner and had an opaque glass wall that separated it from the rest of the room. When I peeked behind the glass wall, I saw that the shower had multiple showerheads. They were at different heights and spaced out on the two stone walls. The toilet, which now seemed boring in comparison, was in the other corner facing the shower.