The Dance

Wraith and Knight

I had started living in their living room that night since I had told the land lord I was moving out when I had panicked. I kept my stuff neatly tucked into the corner of the room and would fold up my pillows and blanket during the day. I was able to get my job back at the strip club, cause I needed to help out in someway. Chris had protested the idea of me going back, I understood his reasoning. Richard was still out there but after telling them my past it gave me a bit of courage.
Sebastian was all for me going back, he liked that independent part me. He had his own plans on keep me safe, I didn't realize it till over half way through my shift when I saw him a cross the crowded bar. He was sitting alone at a table ignoring everyone, his eyes focused on me.
His ball cap was pulled low on his forehead, the collar on his brown leather bomber jacket flipped up. Sebastian's arm were crossed in front of his chest as he leaned back in his chair. My breath caught in my throat as our eyes connected, he didn't even pretend not to notice, in fact a slow smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. My pulse raced, and I could feel the heat race up to face. His stare was more predatory then that of concern, which is what I had thought brought him out.
I smiled and shook my head as I continued to help other customers, feeling a bit safer knowing that he was here.
"Hey Jennica." My spine went ridged as I had turned to grab a bottle from the shelf behind me. Haunting memories flood back to the center of my mind, him coming to the basement, the belt wrapped around his fist. My body shook uncontrollably, the bottle slipping from my fingers.
Glass shattered around my feet, dousing them in the amber liquid that it had once held. The steady pounding of the bass overwhelmed me, the lights from the strobe intensified, the steady beating in my chest went into overdrive. Richard.
I pinched my eyes closed trying to push the tears threatening to spill back to where they had come from. Slowly I turned, he was gone. Like a wraith, he had casted a dark shadow on the night leaving the feeling of terror and pain in his wake. I looked around wildly in a panic, my breathing became heavy and labored as I tried to reel in the oncoming panic attack.
I sprinted out from behind the bar, my flight instinct kicking in. I dashed down the hall to the back exit, slamming open the back door. My feet hit the cement of the back alley, the cold crisp air wrapping around my body shocking me. Rain bit at my exposed arms as I rushed to the nearest wall, leaning against it. I tried to get myself back together.
Jennica, you know there is no place on this earth you can ever hide from me. You are mine! The words he had hissed at me the first time I had tried to escape echoed back up into my head, I bit down on my lip trying to focus on the pain. Anything to keep the flood gate closed.
A warm hand on my shoulder startled me back to the present. I willed around, ready to fight. Sebastian pulled me in, wrapping his large arms around me. He stroked my damping hair, kissing my temple.
"Rooftop, what happened?" He asked, not letting me go. I melted into him, tears that I had held back spilled forth, mingling into the night rain.
"He was there." I cried out, holding on to the man for dear life.
"You saw him?" He asked, placing another kiss on my head.
"No but I heard him." My body continued to tremble as we stood in the night. Sebastian held onto me tightly, shushing me, stroking my back trying to calm me back down.
Lord knows how long we were out there, by the time my body had stopped quaking and breathing had returned to normal the both of us were soaked to the bone. He grasped my hand, and led me out of the alleyway to the street. He unlocked his car, neither of us spoke as we got in. He turned the heater on full blast as we drove home.
I tried not think, thinking would bring back unwelcomed thoughts, thoughts from along time ago. Thoughts of him on me, his body pressing down on me, the grunts he made. I shook my head, trying to banish it back to the hell it sprang from. All I wanted to do was go take a hot shower, and sleep for a hundred years.
Once back inside the apartment we all shared, Chris was out filming and wouldn't be home till late. I looked around the apartment lost at the moment. Slowly I looked at Sebastian, a shiver tore its way through my body.
"Jay, what would you like me to do?" He asked softly, his gaze on my eyes.
"I need a hot shower." I stated absentmindedly, he led me to the bathroom. My mind and body operating differently, one focused on the present, the other on the past. I watched as he turned the shower on, testing the water before he turned to me. A sad look on his face, he squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek before he went to leave.
"Stay." I said softly, refusing to let go. Sebastian looked down at my hand before his eyes raised to meet mine. "Hold me?"
He stepped to me, grabbing the bottom of my shirt pulling it from my body as I couldn't focus on the task. There was nothing sexual about his movements as he disrobed me from wet clothes. He helped me under the hot spray of the shower, I heard the sound of metal as he unbuckled his belt. I jolted at the sound as another memory raced through me like a runaway train.
He stepped in behind me, wrapping his arms around me once more. I could feel the taught muscles in his chest pressed firmly against my back. His lips against my shoulder as the water washed over us. I closed my eyes allowing myself to live in the moment. Grounding myself. The hot spray of the water against my body, how it pooled at my feet, the gentle rising of Sebastian's chest as he breathed, his fingers interlocked holding me against him. I could hear the sound of the water hitting the floor, his breath against my ear, the sound of the water flowing through the pipes.
My world may have tried to collapse on it's self like dying star but in this moment it had come back to me. I was here, with Sebastian, not locked in some basement. I was in the now, where two people actually cared about me. Slowly I opened my eyes, turning my head just a bit to look over my shoulder at him.
His eyes popped opened and met mine. He kissed the back of my shoulder blade.
"Thank you." I whispered.