The Hurt Game

❧ twelve

The apartment was dimmed when I walked in. Only light from outside shone in the room. Royden walked ahead of me, flipped some lights on to brighten the place and tossed his keys on the coffee table.

My eyes wandered around his apartment. A large, grey couch faced the wall where we passed through the door. A, what looked like, even bigger TV-screen hung on the wall, underneath a dresser with several video games gathered. A glass table sat between the two large objects and a remote, a couple of filters and a half full ashtray was on top of it.

Ahead of me was a hallway, probably led towards his bedroom and the bathroom―if a bathroom didn't connect to his bedroom. On my left side was the kitchen. A low wall separated it with the living room, so there was a bit of privacy.

Behind the couch was a large, wooden dining table with eight chairs placed at it. The walls were a light grey while the stones on the floor were almost black. The only bright thing in the room were the lamps and the light that would come through the large windows at the kitchen's side.

The apartment was large, larger than I had expected it to be. Yet a certain coldness spread through the large room. It was colourless. It didn't feel like a home.

I glanced back at Royden. He was walking towards the hallway and then disappearing into one of the rooms. I stayed where I was, only shifted from side to side as I didn't know where to go. I wrapped my arms around my stomach.

Royden came back with a shirt and sweatpants in his hands. No expression was displayed on his face, but I showed him a small smile nonetheless.

"I... Do you want to get changed?" he asked me quietly.

"I, eh... Yeah, sure. Can I maybe take a shower, too?" I responded. "I mean... if that's okay."

Royden showed me a small smile and nodded his head. He extended his hand and slowly I took it, sliding my smaller palm into his. He folded his hand around mine and tugged me towards a bathroom.

He flicked the light on and placed the clothes on the closed toilet. Everything was white and bright, a huge contrast to his living room. It was also incredibly clean, which made me wonder how many times this was used.

"There's some soap left. You can use that. It is... men soap though," Royden explained.

"That's alright."

"Okay." He nodded his head and opened one of the cabinets. "Here you can find a towel. Take how much you need. The washing machines will do their work and... is there anything else you need?"

He turned towards me and took a deep breath. He raised his eyebrows a little. He looked innocent, like he had never done this before, but I could hardly believe that. A man that handsome must have brought girls home.

Shoot... he doesn't have a girlfriend, does he?

"It is perfect. Thanks, Roy," I smiled at him.

He released a breath and walked towards me. "Call me if you need anything."

"Sure."

Then he left the bathroom. I closed the door, locked it and turned the shower on. I undressed myself and took a quick shower. The warmth relaxed me, soothed my muscles and coached them to let the tension go. My eyes closed.

"You're a prized possession, baby."

My eyes snapped open. My heartbeat quickened in my chest as my breathing picked up.

I am at Royden's. I am safe. He wouldn't hurt me. He said I was safe. I am okay. I'm at Roy's.

Slowly my heartbeat slowed down and when I washed myself, scrubbed myself clean from the touch and memory, I closed the faucet off and wrapped myself up in a towel. It was soft.