A Love Lost

Ana

I don't know how long we stood there. I kissed him with all of the need and pleas I had. It wasn't a need for his touch. It was a need for his presence in my life. It was a need for him to protect me. It was a plea for him to never leave me. I trusted him with my life.

"It's two in the morning. I think we should get you a shower." He noted the imminent return to our family.

I nodded.

"Do you want to be left alone?" He asked me.

"No!" I exclaimed. "I'm sorry. Just don't leave." Ever my mind added.

"Never." He vowed before carrying me to the bathroom.

He sat me down in front of the largest walk-in shower I had ever seen. He slowly removed his shirt from over my head. As soon as I was completely bare in front of him, a bone-chilling fear set in and I ran behind the wall that divided the bathroom from the walk-in closet. I was afraid that once he saw all of the bruises and marks from the past twenty-eight hours it would scare him. It scared me. I was afraid that after just two days, I would lose him.

I heard his footsteps approach.

"Ana," he said, softly, on the other side of the door. "Ana, please come out. I don't want you to be scared of me." He thought I was scared of him.

I walked out of the closet and stood in front of him.

"I'm not scared of you. I'm scared that after seeing me like this, you won't want me anymore. After seeing me earlier with that guy, I...I thought....I thought that you wouldn't want anything to do with me. I'm not the innocent girl you think I am. I am broken. Beyond repair. I am scared of what would happen if you leave." I poured out all the fears running through my head right then and there.

He didn't move. He didn't say anything for minutes.

"Please say something. Anything. Yell at me. Call me every bad name in the book. Don't just stand there." I cried, dropping to my knees.

I curled up into a ball against the wall. Then, he was there. His hands on my face, wiping away the tears cascading like waterfalls down my cheeks. He held my face in his hands, forcing me to look into his beautiful eyes.

"Ana. What happened today wasn't your fault. In no way whatsoever. Whatsoever. I want you still. I want you more than ever. I want to always be there to protect you and hold your hand. I want to be the one you wake up to every morning. I want to be the one you fall asleep next to every evening. I want to be the one to comfort you when you have bad dreams. I want to be the one you let take care of you. Forever. ."

He wanted to give me all of the things I wanted from him. He wanted me like I wanted him. Forever.

"First. I want you to take a shower." It made me smile.

"With you." It wasn't a question. It was an addendum to his instruction.

"With me." He lifted me from the ground and we walked into the shower.

I turned the shower on while he undressed. The warm water felt heavenly against my body. I winced when it burned on my bruises down the side of my body. I jumped out of the water. His arms found me and I wrapped them around me.

"It burns." I whimpered.

"Let me turn the water down," he said. "How's this?" I walked back into the water. It felt better.

"Thank you."

He wrapped his arms around me. I looked up. The way the water flowed down his body made me wonder how I was so lucky. This Spanish-Greek god incarnate wanted me. I would do everything not to screw it up.

Then, I felt a soft material on my back. He was washing me. "Do you mind?" he asked, his voice soft and smooth like honey and caramel.

I had to work to keep my mind focused.

"It feels good." It was an understatement. The knowledge of him washing me was heavenly.

He worked the cloth in circles across my upper back. When he reached my side I pushed my arms against my side. "Ana. Please," he begged. I returned my arms to their position around his torso.

Though there were stings of pain form the contact of the cloth, I focused on the feel of my face against his bare chest. He turned me around and reached for the shampoo, pouring the liquid on my hair. He massaged it through my hair gently. I couldn't stop the moans that escaped my lips. The whole experience was sensually overpowering.

"Stop making those noises." As he said the words, I felt a hardness against my back. I cooperated. I wasn't ready to dive back into that part of our relationship.

He spun me around and I tilted my head back so the shampoo was rinsed out. He bent down to place a kiss on my forehead. Then the water turned off.

"Come on. We need to find you something to wear and then we have to get home. I don't want your mom calling to see where you are." He pulled me from the shower gently, wrapped me in a towel, scooped me up, and carried me to the bedroom.

We would have to deal with this at some point. Either we pretend to date other people or we come out to my parents. I didn't like either option. We could keep it a secret.

"I'll just wear those basketball shorts and one of your large T-shirts." He smiled, letting me down in front of the bed.

"Lucky for you, I got you your own supply." I knew he wasn't joking.

"Thank you."

Then, the doorbell rang. Who could it be? Who knew about this house?

"I should get that. Get dressed and I will be right back." He said, heading out of the room.

"Be careful Gabriel."

"I always am, love." With that, he turned the corner and left me with my thoughts to get changed.