Who's Loving You

Change is on the Horizon

Gabby watched her nude body move in the silver, oval shaped bathroom mirror. With the doors closed and the shower running loud and hot, she could let her thoughts flow freely. She ran a finger across the bruise under her eye. The funny things about bruises was that they faded away fairly quickly, but the memory of their making remained. Her gaze moved to the deep scratches on the long neck of her reflection, to the bite on her skinny arm, and finally to the pink cut on her belly.

There was a time she could stand naked before a mirror and feel confident, like any man would be lucky to behold the sight. With her dark hair and eyes to match, she could stop men in their tracks. She was never radiant like Nikki, but she was once sensual and sexual; Gabby missed that side of herself. This woman in front of her, the one she couldn't bear to look at for more than a few seconds, was not her. This body was a shell, broken, beaten and battered, trapping her true self within it. Who could love her like this? Who would want her this way? Certainly not Jay.

Gabby's eyes filled with water and the mirror became foggy. There was a time Jay would not have been able to lay in a bed with her and not at least touch her body. They hadn't been intimate in three years, but not a day went by that Gabby didn't crave the passion they once had. She longed for the carnal, raw, primitive lust he had for her. She remembered how he would touch her with such urgency and vigor, but he hadn't touched her like that since the day he'd found her on the floor of her foyer.

Gabby grabbed her makeup bag and attempted to cover every single flaw she found on her body. She wanted to be loved and to be wanted. She was tired of being pitied. Gabby was once fearless, she wanted to be that way again.

After all the scars on her body were hidden behind foundation, she slid into a black lace bra and panties. With a deep breath, Gabby launched herself from the bathroom before she could talk herself out of what she was about to do.

Just one look; she only needed Jay to give her one look like the ones he'd given her what seemed like a thousand years ago. The look he would give her to let her know he wanted her. The look he gave her to let her know he needed her. The look he had given Billie three days ago.

Gabby squeezed her eyes shut hoping to stop her tears from falling. He hadn't looked at anyone that way since he'd met Gabby. That awe struck gaze was hers. She had felt Jay's lust slip away from her over the last few years, and she'd accepted that the bruises were too much to look past. But she couldn't feel his love slip away as well; she wouldn't survive it.

Gabby sauntered across the bedroom, her heart racing, and made her way toward the living room where she had left Jay an hour ago. She slowly pulled the door aside with a shaking hand and peeked around the large, wooden structure.

Jay sat, shirtless, legs apart, feet pressed firmly on the ground with a book in his hand. His hair was pulled back in a small bun and a pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his straight nose. Gabby watched as he licked his index finger, and turned a page. The sun was setting and the living room was filled with an orange hue that washed over Jay's bare chest in a seductive way.

He was beautiful. Gabby was never blind to his otherworldly charm. Many girls had wanted him, and many had gotten to experience his lovemaking but only none had felt the power of his love; none expect Gabby. She wanted to keep it that way.

Gabby squared her shoulder and steadied her breathing. He wants you. He wants you. He wants you. She kept chanting to herself as she stepped into the light. He wants you. She made her way slowly toward the couch, her eyes never leaving Jay. He wants you. She was only a few steps away from him. Everything was silent except the pounding of Gabby's heart in her ears.