Pia.
I pushed the bathroom door open. I locked it behind me and checked the stalls for anyone else. I was alone. I stepped in front of the mirror. I wasn't sure who this was. The girl looked back at me. She was tattered, broken and barely keeping it together. Pull one thread and I knew I would fall apart at the seams.
I began to unravel. I gripped the sink as the pain sunk in. My chest ached, my body was still sore. I had been so preoccupied with everything going on here in the office that I had forgotten about the pain I was feeling this entire time. And that's one of the things I loved about work. It would numb you from 9 to 5. You wouldn't be able to come up for air and feel reality until you surfaced at the doors downstairs, until you returned home.
I was crying hard, my entire body was shaking. I dropped to my knees and tried to stop crying but I couldn't. I wiped my eyes and realize I was crying my makeup off and with that I stopped instantly. The physical pain was worse but having him be able to see what he did, what he left me with, the bruises hurt the worst. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
I grabbed some paper towels and moistened them. I dabbed my eyes and tried to fix it. I did my best but knew I had to find Veronica. I made sure I was presentable before leaving the bathroom. I unlocked the door and opened it. My body locked. There he was standing there. He must've seen me come in here.
"Pia" he spoke
My name slipped out of his mouth and slithered into my ear. I bit my lip. He went to touch my face. I stepped backwards and back into the bathroom.
"Stop" I whispered nearly audible but it's not like if he heard me he would.
The next thing I knew we were in the women's bathroom and he locked the door behind me.
"What do you want?" I mustered up the courage to speak
"You know what I want. We weren't finished" he laughed
His hand reached for mine. My skin crawled and ached at the idea of his touch. His malicious chuckle echoed through the empty bathroom.
"What the fuck are you doing in here?" I wanted to scream but shouted
"Keep your fucking voice down" he spoke so quickly and moved even faster because he was now holding my chin with one hand and the other pressing my hips into the outside wall of the first stall.
I felt myself starting to crumble.
"Aw...you fear me, baby why? I gave you what you wanted that night"
"You were in my house" my lip quivered
"Of course I was. I have you ID and license and house keys and car keys. You see drunk slags...excuse me...that's British terminology...Americans call them sluts. Drunk sluts can't think straight. They leave everything behind. So yes I have been in your apartment, I've touched everything on you and everything in your home. I got a little upset I'm sorry for the mess I left behind. But seeing how Harry defended you, you were at his house. You were hiding there"
I didn't know what to say. He had the upper hand. There was a knock on the door. He looked over this shoulder and then back at me.
"Pia!"
It was Veronica.
"Pia! Are you ok? Why is the door locked? Pia!" she began to knock harder
But the urgency didn't effect him. He touched my skin and I tried to closed my eyes.
"Open your eyes" he shook my chin.
I opened my eyes out of fear. He leaned forward and kissed me. I tried to squirm away but it did nothing. He was stronger than me. He pulled away and smeared my lipstick across my face.
"We aren't finished, remember that" he released me.
I slid with my back against the stall to the floor. He heard him walk to the door and the lock click. He walked out of the bathroom and Veronica pushed past him ran over to me.
"Did he hurt you? Are you okay?"
I didn't say anything.
"Your lipstick"
She got some paper towels and tried to fix my makeup. But I just started to cry again. She held me in her arms and maybe the fact that she showed me such kindness without even knowing me made me cry even harder, thankful for her being there.
"Come on, let's go back to the office" she rubbed my back
I nodded and she helped me up. She gave me Kleenex to wipe my nose. We walked out of the bathroom to a somewhat empty office.
"Everyone is at lunch" she read my mind
I wondered if that was a cool trick both her and Harry were able to do. We walked back to the office. The office was empty. No Harry.
"Harry must still be in his meeting" she mumbled looking around
I sat down at her desk and she rummaged through her bag. She pulled out her makeup and started damage control. We heard laughing and then footsteps. I glanced out of the side of my eyes, trying not to remove as she reapplied lipstick and foundation.
It was Harry.
