The Rose Boys

Chapter Twenty-Two

I coughed and spluttered, trying to sit up but failing. Sharp pains splashed up my arms as I moved them. I groaned and blinked against the light in the room. "Morning Princess." Alan stood beside the bed, silver bucket in his hand and a wicked smile on his lips. "It's time to wake up."

The sky outisde was still dark. I managed to make myself sit upright, feeling the water drip down my hair and onto my face and clothes. Not that it really mattered, I was wet and shivering. "What do you want?" I asked miserably.

"Well, that's no fun." Alan said, dropping the bucket on the ground and walking over to a dresser on the other side of the room. "You're not supposed to be so passive."

I watched him rummage through the clothing tucked away in the dark, wooden drawers. He pulled a few articles of clothing out and held them under his arm. "Get up, let's go."

I awkwardly stood from the bed and exited the room, looking up at Alan as I passed him. He closed the door behind him and urged me forward with a surprisingly gentle hand on my shoulder. I continued to move, we walked through that small kitchen and out the back door.

The crisp, cold of the early morning caught me off guard, the water in my hair and on my clothes cooling instantly. I inhaled a sharp breath but Alan ignored me. We walked to a large building looming over the horizon in the distance. It was hard to make out in the dark but as we got nearer, I realized that it was an old barn.

The old paint was peeling off of the wood and the structure wasn't exactly sound. I saw more and more of the building the nearer we got. Alan stopped at the large double doors. "Wait here." He said gruffly as he walked ahead to pull the doors open.

I thought about running briefly. I may have been wet and cold and my arms may have been tied behind my back but I was sure I could cover decent ground before he even turned around to see if I was still where he left me. I thought about it for a few seconds but by the time I was ready to go, he'd already walked back to me.

His hand clamped down on my shoulder and pushed me forward, not as gentle as he'd been before. I stumbled forward, nearly tripping over my own feet. I turned around, looked back at Alan as he stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"Why are we here?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Alan tossed the clothes at my feet. "These are for you."

"What am I supposed to do with your clothes?" I asked angrily.

"You're going to put them on so you aren't soaking wet." He shrugged. "Because I can see your bra through your shirt."

I felt my face grow hot. "There's nothing I can do about that."

Alan chuckled. "Turn around."

I stared at him like he'd grown a third head.

"Do what I said." He snapped.

I turned to face the endless darkness of the barn and listened to his footsteps on the old wood get closer and closer. He grabbed one of my arms and suddenly I could move them. I heard the rope fall to the ground and my shoulders ached as I moved them. I turned around to face Alan.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Don't thank your captor, January." He shrugged. "Now change into those clothes."

"Here?" I asked meekly. "With you standing right there?"

"Yes, now move it."

I slowly bent to pick up the clothes on the floor. I stared up at Alan the entire time, already feeling the hot heat beneath my cheeks. Alan shook his head and turned to the side. He wasn't looking at me but it still didn't make me feel any better. I changed into his clothes as quickly as I could, trading my wet pants for his large blue jeans and my shirt for his well worn white one.