I open my eyes painfully because of the pain. My ribs hurt like hell, and the wounds on my face don't help. It's still dark in the room, but a thin ray of sunlight sneaks through the curtains to make copper reflections appear in William's hair. He has his face turned toward me, his eyes closed and his face peaceful. His breathing is quiet, and his arm is draped over the blanket. I take a quick glance at my watch, sitting on the bedside table between us. It's five in the morning.
No matter how hard I try to fall back asleep, I can't. So, trying to be as quiet as possible, I sit up in bed. A low moan of pain escapes my lips as I sit on the edge of the bed. I glance directly at William, still asleep. I don't want to wake him up. I get up quietly, and feel my head spin. I close my eyes for a few seconds and catch myself on the edge of the bed when I feel myself losing my balance. I decide to walk a bit to the small bathroom adjoining the room.
Once in the bathroom, I open the tap a little and put my hands under the fresh water. The feeling of the water makes me feel good. I water my face a little and groan when the water gets into the wounds. It hurts. When I straighten my face, I take a step back. A mirror is positioned above the sink. When my eyes meet those of my reflection, I take a few steps back. I feel like I'm seeing someone else. I have huge dark circles under my eyes, wounds on my forehead, dull cheeks, lips split and swollen by the blows. I pull up the shirt William gave me and turn around a little. I have some blues in my ribs, and with every breath I take, it's like a knife is going into my skin. I've never seen myself in such a state. Well, I have. Once. But I don't want to remember it. Not now anyway. Maybe one day, when I'm ready to open my heart to someone, I'll think about it. But not today.
The same question keeps running through my head. Why is William helping me? Why is he doing this? Why is he the only person to do so? I've always been lonely, friendless, and today I don't recognize myself. My silence may have frightened some people, I always said that I didn't need anyone, that I didn't need help. That I was fine. But today, after all the events that have happened lately and especially yesterday, I realize that, deep down inside, if I said all that, it was surely so that someone could prove me wrong. And today, I realized it thanks to William. But it's probably stupid, because I've only known him for three weeks, and I don't see why he helps me so much. Why does he care about me when no one else does?
With all these questions in mind, I let myself fall against the floor, my back against the cool bathroom wall. I fill my legs against my chest and grit my teeth, letting the pain take over. I cross my arms as I grab my legs before dropping my forehead to my knees, desperately. I sigh and let the tears flow.
I stay in this position for a while, until I feel a hand on my shoulder. William is there, standing next to me, probably with a look of incomprehension on his perfect face. But I don't look at him. I just can't do it. So without saying a word, he drops to the ground beside me, his knee touching mine. But when I raise my head, I can see that he is in the same position as me, his head leaning against the wall, looking at the ceiling. He sighs.
-Hi... I say in a barely audible whisper.
William barely turns his face towards me, his eyes half closed. He smiles at me.
-Oops. He murmurs.
He looks away, but I can see his cheeks turning a little red. These words are the first words we said to each other, only three weeks ago. And I'm surprised he remembered them.
-You...
-Did you sleep well? He cuts me off.
I raise my eyebrows, surprised.
-Not really, no...
-I'm sorry. He whispers. I looked after you a little bit at the beginning of the night, but I fell asleep quickly so...
