Dying Slowly

Chapter Seven

                I slowly slid out of bed, feet skimming over the icy floor, and made my way to the bathroom, knowing that there would be a dress ready for me. The room was much colder than usual, meaning the winter air was seeping in to the house; it was not an uncomfortable feeling, just a strange one.  I opened the bathroom door and the heat hit me in the face, which is when I realized that there was the sound of rushing water and the bathroom was steamed up. I stood, unknowing what I was supposed to do because I was sure that Gabriel had his own shower, so then who was in the one that I used and how had I not noticed before that someone was showering? The shower shut off, and out stepped Gabriel in all his glory. I quickly averted my eyes and looked anywhere but at the naked man to my left and the mirror to my right.

                “You may look now.” Gabriel said, running a hand through his dripping wet hair. I towel was wrapped perfectly around his waist, revealing a very beautifully toned chest that at the moment was dripping with water, and steaming from the heat. “Do you have virgin eyes also?” He asked, raising a towel to his hair and dealing with the soaked locks.

                I ignored his comment and looked for my clothes. When I stepped in front of the mirror, I realized that I was also lacking in clothing. I had forgotten that I simply took my dress off last night, without bothering with any pajamas, now I was standing in front of a naked man with only a bra and underwear covering my body, and they did not cover much. I knew I should have felt ashamed, should have covered my body the moment that I realized I was practically naked, it would have been the proper thing to do, but in all honestly I did not care. I saw a red dress, folded neatly with another set of under clothes but unlike usual there was a necklace placed on top of the clothing. I lifted it up to find that the chain was made from leather and words or symbols were engraved on stone but I had never seen the symbols before. “αδελφή ψυχή”.

                “What do they mean?” I asked him, somehow knowing that he had the answer.

                “That is for a different time. Just get dressed and try to look presentable, I am having my workers come over and dress you up.”

                “Why?” I asked, reaching for a towel on the top shelf, but unable too because it was meant for someone much taller than I was.

                “Because,” he started, reaching for the towel and handing it to me. “You're meeting my father today and I need you to look at least partially decent.”

                “Is there a reason that I am meeting your father?” I asked.

                “Just shower and be dressed in half-an-hour and if you are not ready by then, then I don't care they will be in here and trying to fix you.” He turned to leave the room. “For a virgin you don't seem very modest.” He said, looking back and at my barely clad form.

                “I am very modest, but what is the point of covering my body when you are practically naked? I am sure that I am covering more than you are, besides I am revealing as much as a bikini would so there is no point in hiding my body. Also, I simply do not care.” Gabriel shrugged and I could not help but to admire the muscles of his back, which tightened deliciously when he shrugged. He must not have felt the need to respond because he simply left the room at that.

                Gabriel must have preferred extremely hot showers because the room was so hot and humid that my hair was beginning to drip, even though I had not even stepped into the shower yet. I stripped whatever clothing I had left on and slipped into the shower, after I had let it warm up. I let the water run over me for a moment before I did anything. The goose bumps that rose over my body were due to the fact that even though the bathroom air was hot, it was no match for the scolding water hitting my chest. Maybe the water could burn away my misery, burn away the pain that continued to rise up in me without a warning, but I knew that was a false sense of hope and there was no point in wallowing in my misery, I mean who wants to spend the last day of their life in a shower? No I, for some reason my body wanted to be out in the cold, it waited to be out with something, no someone cold, I wanted to be with him before I died because I knew without a doubt that I would be with him when I died. When I dressed, the necklace felt heavy on my neck, not simply because the stone was heavy, but also for some unknown reason, as if when I tied the leather, I was tying away my fate, my life.