On Contract • Lashton AU

Part Twenty Four

"You should go upstairs to clean yourself up a bit," Ashton spoke to Luke after a few minutes of silence.
Luke shook his head as he stared emptily at the glass in his hand.
"I said you should go upstairs and clean up a bit." Ashton repeated, more firmly this time.
Luke knew this was more of an instruction than a suggestion. He didn't have the courage or strength to argue.
Luke stood, very unsteadily, and made it to the staircase without Ashton's help.
He struggled up the stairs a little, but Luke was afraid to admit that he was having trouble. Ashton was likely able to tell anyway.
Eventually, Luke made it into the bathroom and drew in a breath.
He managed to turn on the shower and it didn't take him long to pull off his clothes, although it was quite a strain on his muscles. He'd barely moved in the last few days.
Stepping under the water was a strange sensation for Hemmings and he felt undeniable thanks towards Ashton for letting him out of the compact room.
The water burned his broken skin, both from his fall days earlier and the duct tape. But it was worth it.
When Luke did bring himself to get out of the shower, he noticed clean clothes lying on the toilet seat.
Guessing that Ashton had left the plain shirt and dark jeans for him, he slowly dried himself and put them on. It was just another thing he would now be in debt to Ashton for.
He felt a lot better after showering, but the hunger was still gnawing at him.
After almost half an hour, Luke finally left the bathroom and wandered down the stairs. He was able to keep himself completely upright too, now.
He could be better, but things could have been a lot worse.