You Saw Me

64

Henry took me to his penthouse in Tribeca. As soon as we arrived, he started a warm bath for me, so I could relax for a while. I was exhausted; physically and mentally drained. I went into the bedroom and undressed. Henry came in and as soon as he saw me, he called out: "Ellie, your arm!"

He hurried over and inspected my arm. I had a huge bruise where Adam had held onto me. It went almost all the way around my right forearm. It was black and blue already. Henry was going through a range of emotions, kissing me, hugging me, his eyes tearfilled, but also so much anger towards Adam. "How could he do that to you?" He repeated and held me close. I was still processing what had happened, and how Adam had reacted. It was like I was in a state of shock. 

"It's okay, Henry", I consoled him, wiping a tear from his cheek and kissing him. "It's over now", I said mostly to him, but also to myself. Henry led me to the bathroom and helped me into the bath, he had made me. It was nice and calming, and I leaned back and relaxed for a while. Henry went around the penthouse and got everything running and ordered food. 

I sat in the tub, my knees drawn up to my chest, my arms hugging my knees. I was feeling everything and nothing at once. I rested my chin on my knees and closed my eyes for a bit. For the first time since the plane from England, I felt some sort of calm in me, here in Henry's bathtub, knowing he was close. 

***

"Ellie!" I woke to Henry's desperate cry, water splashing everywhere and Henry in the tub with his clothes on. I had fallen asleep sitting up in the tub and apparently, I had tipped over. Henry was out of breath, as he had run from the other end of the penthouse to check on me. He was holding me, wiping foam from my face, checking if I was okay. 

"Whoops", I said in a small voice. "I must have fallen asleep". Henry's face softened and he kissed me. "You're clothes are wet", I concluded drily. 

Henry burst out laughing. "Yeah. They are. Maybe we should get out of the tub", he suggested and helped me out. He wrapped a towel around me and removed his wet clothes. Then he jumped in the shower, wanting to rinse himself of travelling and spending an entire day in the hospital. 

I stood in front of the mirror. In the reflection I could see Henry in the shower. The glass doors left nothing to the imagination. He washed his hair and as he rinsed it, he caught me looking at him. He slowed down, washing his chest and stomach, maintaining eye contact. I turned around and leaned against the washing cabinet, still looking at him. I let go of my towel, so it fell to the floor, letting him see me, like I saw him. He took a deep breath, looking up and down my body. He let his hand slide down his stomach, down between his legs. I mirrored his movement. He touched himself, never taking his eyes off me. I touched myself, making sure to keep up with him. I let my other hand travel to my breast, touching and caressing myself. His attention was fully on me as he started panting, very turned on and probably on the edge of coming. I stopped and walked over to the glass door. I put my hands on the door, and he mirrored me. 

"Are you coming in?" He said, his voice raspy and thick with desire. I made him laugh by pretending to think about it. I opened the door and he pulled me into the shower. His lips were on mine immediately, passionately and hungrily. "Are you sure you're up to this?" He asked, concerned after the day I had had. 

"Just make me feel good", I whispered. And just like that he lifted me up and entered me up against the wall in the shower. He finished before me, so he dropped to his knees and let his tongue do the rest of the job. 

***

I ended up sleeping for almost 13 hours. Henry's king size bed, was the most comfortable bed, I had ever slept in. It was like sleeping on a cloud. The crisp, white linen felt luxurious, like a hotel bed. 

When I woke, Henry wasn't in bed with me. I heard him talking on the phone out in the hall. 

"I agree. Yes. Gayle, I want it to be... Yeah. But how?", Henry said, obviously talking to Gayle and she was clearly interrupting him all the time. 

"But what if she does? I don't know. What? Now?" He was pacing around in the hall, he seemed nervous again, just like he had after I got the call about Adam. 

"So just, say it?" He said. Apparently he needed to tell me something. My nerves started acting up again and my physical reaction was like clockwork. I jumped out of bed, ran to the toilet and puked. 

Henry softly knocked on the door to the bathroom. "Love, are you alright?" He asked, concern in his voice. "Can I come in?"

I said he could, while I rinsed my mouth and brushed my teeth. I was feeling unwell again, my nerves getting the best of me. Maybe it was time for me to have a couple of sessions of therapy to help me handle my anxiety. 

Henry stood behind me, caressing my back and feeling my neck and forehead. "You're not warmer than usual, I think. Are you feeling okay?"

"It's just my nerves, I need to calm down", I said with a mouth full of toothpaste. I spat and rinsed and turned around to face him. He was in his boxers; I had stolen his t-shirt. I always did, just to have his scent close to me. He held my gaze and took my hands in his. Suddenly he seemed fidgety and nervous. 

"What's wrong?" I said, smiling at him. 

He sighed, taking in a big gulp of air. "Can I ask you something?"