Broken ✔

Chapter Eighteen

Song: Kwesi Arthur - Anthem

I couldn't stop shivering.

The man had put the air conditioner on fifteen degrees Celsius and I wasn't used to artificial temperature. Or maybe the shock hadn't worn off. A few hours ago, I was on a date with Justus. My only problem was trying to keep my heart in one place. Something that seemed so inconsequential now.

The man with the curly hair threw all the blankets on the ground. It was a shame; they were so white that they were glowing.

"Wrap them around yourself. It'll help trap heat," he said. He must've noticed my shivering and that was the nicest he could do.

Bastard. He should've turned off the air conditioning.

"I'm sleeping on the floor, aren't I?"

I didn't really mind. I'd been sleeping on the floor most of my life and a few days of luxury at Michael's palace hadn't changed me.

"No, of course not. You'll sleep on the rug."

"The rug? It's on the floor isn't it?"

"Yes, but it's much more comfortable than the floor. More comfortable than the bed, if you know the finer things in life. You get to gaze at the stars from that angle," he said.

He was rolling his sleeves up and unbuttoning his shirt even further. I averted my eyes, feeling my cheeks heat up. The only other person I had seen shirtless was Michael.

"Do you want to take a shower?"

"N-no." I didn't fancy the getting naked with a stranger next door.

"Good. I guess you can go to bed then," he said.

I dared glance at him and he had a towel round his waist. I stared at his muscled back as he disappeared behind the door and closed it.

I let out a sigh and lay down. I had failed to notice the rug earlier, but it turned out that I was standing on it. I'd been barefoot when kidnapped so I didn't have any footwear on me.

The rug was unbelievably soft and comfortable. The hair-like substances tickled my face in a pleasant way. I could see the stars from that angle like he had predicted. The floor-to-ceiling windows weren't good for ventilation, but they provided a clear view.

I heard the sound the shower made when turned on and I decided to take a look at our surroundings. When I looked out, nature greeted me. It was beautiful. The most beautiful piece of scenery I had ever seen. I wished I could take a picture, but I didn't have a camera with me.

We were in the forest then, because everywhere I looked, there was a canopy of trees and a starry sky. This place wasn't polluted by light like other places so the stars in the sky were numerous.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head. I clutched at it, alarmed. It was gone as soon as it came.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I jumped away from the window, startled. I could only spare him a glance, because he was half-naked with only a towel to preserve some sort of modesty.

"Yes, it is," I replied.

There was a lull in conversation as he got dressed. I stared at him for a while though, wondering how he could've showered for five minutes flat. It seemed like all he had gone to do was cover his body with water.

I turned away before he unwrapped the towel around his waist. When I looked back at him, he was wearing pyjamas and on it were the words, 'I love to sleep'. I couldn't help giggling.