They were best friends for years, sharing every secret except one. When Felix finally confesses his feelings, Josephine lets him down with a gentle lie: she's not interested in men. Heartbroken but determined to keep their friendship, Felix tries to...
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The next morning, Josephine lied in the bathtub. With the fresh warm scent of clear water and soap. She'd hope to get any of his touches off of her. She felt dirty.
After about 30 minutes, Josephine takes a deep breath and steps out of the tub. She dries herself off with a towel Felix had left for her. Her reflection in the bathroom mirror is haunting—red marks scattered across her neck and shoulders, her lips swollen, and her wrists raw and bruised. Josephine presses her hands against the edge of the sink, her body trembling as the realization of her situation fully sets in. She feels a sickening mixture of shame and despair, but also a faint flicker of defiance. She couldn't let this be her life. She had to find a way out.
After dressing in the clothes Felix left—a soft, oversized sweater and leggings that felt strangely domestic given the circumstances—she opened the bathroom door. Felix was sitting on the couch, his expression soft and full of warmth. He looked like a man in love, not a kidnapper, not a murderer.
"Feel better?" he asked, his voice cheerful with rope in his hand again to retie Josephine up.
Josephine nodded, forcing a small smile. "Yes, thank you." Josephine was used to the good old tied up routine, so she didn't resist it anymore.
Felix grinned, clearly pleased after he finished tying her hands up, but not her feet this time. "Good. I made breakfast! Sit down, I'll get you a plate."
She hesitated for a moment but complied, sitting down at the table. Her eyes darted around the room as she ate, cataloging every detail. The windows were still boarded up, and the door remained locked with its new fingerprint scanner. She tried to think of anything that could be used to escape—a weapon, a tool—but Felix had been meticulous in removing anything remotely dangerous.
As he ate his own breakfast, Felix kept sneaking glances at her, his face lighting up every time their eyes met.
"You know," he began, his tone light and conversational, "last night was the best night of my life. I've been saving myself for you for all these years. It was the best thing that I could've ever imagined."
Josephine froze, her fork hovering mid-air. She forced herself to respond, keeping her voice steady. "I'm... glad you feel that way."
Felix reached across the table, taking her hand in his. His touch was warm, but it made her skin crawl. "I've been dreaming of this since high school," he said, his eyes gleaming with emotion. "I knew from the moment I saw you that you were the one. That's why I saved myself for you, Josephine. For this."
Josephine swallowed hard, struggling to maintain her composure. Her mind raced as she calculated her next words carefully. "That's... really sweet of you," she managed, her voice trembling slightly.
