𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲

Holly awoke that morning to Toby's arms around her waist as he slept peacefully beside her. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was and who was with her, and when it did, the flashbacks from last night hit her almost instantly. Almost every part of her body she touched engendered its own memory. She remembered his touch. She remembered the way he admired her body as she stood before him, helplessly devoted to him in that moment, sort of at his disposal. She rubbed away the sleep from the corner of her eyes as she turned to face him. This particular action woke him up. 

"Morning." Toby groaned with a smile before yawning. Toby's deep, husky morning voice set her heart aflame. Holly smiled. "Morning. I see you let me sleep in your bed last night!" She observed as she sat up, covering her currently exposed body with the silk, obsidian coloured duvet she slept in. The recently awoken Toby flashed her a weak smile. "Well I wasn't gonna just leave you on your own after what happened last night, was I?" He questioned rhetorically as he reached his hand over to her and moved a strand of hair away from her face's delicate frame. 

Holly leaned over, positioning herself so she was looking down on him. He analysed her, his eyes stopping when he saw her wrists. He gestured to a set of bruises she had on her arm. "What are those?" Toby questioned, worry evident in his voice. Holly looked confused as she lifted up her wrists, inspecting them for herself. "Oh these? They're nothing!" She lied, covering them up in an attempt to block them from Toby's inspective gaze. Toby felt like he'd been stabbed in the gut with a knife. His stomach dropped as soon as he laid eyes on them. "Did.. did I do that to you?" He stuttered, his voice cracking as he spoke. Holly noticed his sudden guilt and attempted to reassure him. "Look, you didn't do it on purpose! Besides, they're just bruises. They aren't even that bad!" 

Toby's eyes glistened slightly as his eyes swelled with tears. "I'm sorry. I know I was being rough, but I didn't mean to hurt you like that." Holly reached out to grab his hand. "Toby-" Before she could finish, Toby had rejected her advances and spoke sullenly. "No. If I don't touch you then I can't hurt you."

"Toby, you didn't hurt me. If you went too far, I would've told you." She comforted. She grabbed Toby's arm, taking her hand in his and lifted it to her face, caressing her own cheek with his hand.  "See?" She questioned, still holding his hand there, nuzzling into it slightly. "You're not hurting me!" Holly's efforts were not in vain, as this actually soothed Toby. He examined her. He looked at the way she willingly held his hand to her face. It was obvious to him that she wasn't scared. Toby's distressed expression faded, and it transformed into a more safe, more reassured one. His tensed up arm relaxed itself, allowing him to relax. Holly flashed him a smile. "How about I make us some breakfast?" She questioned happily as she pulled herself up from his king sized bed. He nodded slowly as he closed her eyes, allowing her some privacy so she could get dressed without feeling objectified or gross. 

She walked back over to him, removing his hands from his face. "You don't have to cover your eyes like a little kid in a lingerie store. It's not like there's anything you haven't seen before." Toby nodded, appreciating her logic. "I know, but still, I want to do it." He insisted, retracting his hands to the previous position they occupied on his face. Holly smiled at his sentiment as she chucked on the shirt Toby was wearing the night before, as all of her clothes were sprawled on the living room floor. She didn't exactly love the idea of running around the house naked.

She hurried into the kitchen as she started gathering a few things from the pantry and freezer. Around 20 minutes later, Toby groggily walked out into the living room, sitting himself down on the couch. It didn't take Holly long to plate breakfast. She walked over to Toby, placing his serving down in front of him. "Bacon and egg  muffins for breakfast!" Holly enthused. Toby thanked her profusely. "Thank you so much, but you didn't have to do this for me." He said. Holly looked at him, letting out a slight giggle. "Anything for my little whore!" She teased, taking a bite of her muffin. He looked at her with a censorial expression. "Oh shut up, I am not your whore!" He insisted "I am my own woman, and I don't need no sex obsessed bitch telling me who I am! #fuckthepatriarchy #independentwoman."

The both of them exchanged a look that would be considered indecipherable to any onlookers. The duo shared a laugh before going back to their respective meals. After they finished, Holly excused herself to the bathroom, as she wanted to have a shower so that she felt nice and refreshed for the rodeo. Toby scoffed at her 'girly' routine, to which Holly retorted. "Alright, mock me all you want, but you talk a big game for someone who still uses 3 in 1 products." Toby stared at her. "Oh my gosh, Holly! You're still on that? I use 3 in 1 products for efficiency!"