Obsession's Embrace

Until Now

It took me a few minutes to convince Damian that it was okay for him to leave. That I would be fine. He made me promise to call him if that changed and I said I would, knowing nothing would make me leave right now.

I find my way upstairs and walk into Electra's childhood bedroom. It's nothing like I imagined. Posters of motorcycles line one of her walls. Her bed is in the middle of the far wall, covered in black and grey bedding that looks so fucking comfortable right now.

I glance to the left of her bed and find Electra standing facing the doorway, with her head turned towards the mirror. Her eyes stare at every slashed hole in her shirt, every break in her skin, every drop of dried blood.

As I stand there, rubbing my arm and debating whether or not to say anything, her eyes find mine in the mirror.

"I thought you went home," she says quietly.

"I wouldn't leave you like this," I reply as I step into the room and shut her door behind me.

Electra sighs and turns her head in my direction. Shaking it and staring at me with intense curiosity.

"Why are you here?" She asks.

I frown.

"What? You think I only love you when you're fucking me or something?" I counter.

Electra cringes.

"That's not...what I meant," she replies and rubs her neck, "I...I mean...why are you sticking around knowing all the shit I get into?"

She watches me walk to her with hesitance. I reach up and run my fingers through her hair, staring into her eyes. Watching the way they react to my touch.

"Have you ever been loved before, Electra?" I whisper.

Electra opens then closes her mouth, then opens it again and I shake my head.

"Not your parents. Real love," I clarify.

"I guess not," she says.

I sigh and take Electra's hand, leading her into the bathroom.

"Take off your clothes," I tell her as I start the shower and pull my own off.

Electra smirks at me.

"If you want my clothes off you should ask nicely, babygirl," she says.

Normally, I would challenge her. But when I look into her eyes, I can see the lingering fear. The sadness she's trying to hide. She's tired. In pain. But she's masking it. For me. So I won't run.

"Electra," I speak softly to get mu point across.

Her smile falters and she slowly peels her clothes off. When I take in her body, I realize it's worse than I thought. There's bruises, welts, and...are those teeth marks?

Electra steps into the shower and I follow her in. She tries to face me, to hide the marks on her back, but I turn her back around and grab the wash cloth I found.

"This is going to hurt," I whisper.

"It won't be the worst I've felt," she replies over her shoulder.

My heart sinks as I wet the wash cloth and gently squeeze it over the cuts on her back, letting the water run down them and rinse some of the dried blood off her. She stares down, her fists balled as she tries to stay strong with the pain, and watches the blood swirl around and down the drain.

I ease the washcloth over her cuts, wiping at the stubborn parts of scabbing blood caked on her back. She cries out then stifles it immediately and bites her lip, throwing her hands against the shower wall for support.

"I know baby. I'm sorry," I whisper as I continue to wash the blood away.

Electra groans through it through her gritted teeth. She squeezes her eyes shut and allows me to finish by rinsing the soap I added off while she drops her forehead against the wall.

When I'm done, she's so tense I can see every muscle in her back and arms. I drop the wash cloth and rub my hands up her arms, turning her to face me.

Her face is exhausted and pained. I stare into her eyes and watch as she avoids mine. Trying so bloody hard to not seem weak. But she's not weak. Not to me.

"Look at me," I whisper.

When her eyes finally find mine, I speak up again.

"You've had to survive your whole life without being taken care of. You've had your parents teaching you to fight. To survive. You had your uncle do horrible things to you. You never once had anyone to just take care of you," I say as she looks away, staring at the shower wall in silence.

I reach out and cup her cheek, turning her head back towards me.

"Until now."

It's then that I see her unravel before my eyes. Her walls crumbling and slipping away. The tears she's been fighting finally rolling down her cheeks. She's letting herself be vulnerable. Letting herself finally feel the trauma of what she went through.

I pull her to me by her arms and wrap mine around her, careful to not cause pain where the cuts are. She drops her head on my shoulder and silently cries. Her sniffles and the running water the only sounds in the room.

Without shushing her, or rushing her, or forcing her to calm down, I just hold her. I hold her and let her cry. Like she would do for me. Because this is what love is. And she deserves to know what that feels like.

When she calms back down, she sighs on my shoulder and kisses my skin softly. I slide my hands up, running them through her hair.

"You're safe with me. No matter what you're feeling you can show me," I assure her.

She pulls back enough to look into my eyes.

"How did I get lucky enough to have you?" She asks.

I hum like I'm thinking and she raises an eyebrow at me.

"I think it had a lot to do with you stalking me," I reply.

Electra laughs. And it's beautiful. I smile, loving hearing her laugh again. The laugh I was worried I might never hear again just hours ago.