Status Quo | ✓

-12-

Forcing my eyelids open, I groaned while pushing myself up into a sitting position despite all the heaviness in my head and limbs. My eyes scanned the dimmed surroundings and my attention quickly snapped towards my own self. I stared down at those deep bruises on my arms, triggering an overwhelming sense of panic within me.

When my hand curled on the part of my neck which had been brutally bitten on, I winced at the rawness of the pain which reminded me so clearly that everything that had happened was real and not a simple nightmare. All of a sudden, I felt a rush of hot, stupid tears but I didn't dare to cry.

My hands travelled down the length of my body and I realised that I wasn't wearing my clothes at all. The frantic I felt grew, my heart sped, and I quickly twisted around my waist. Other than those visible bruises, I didn't feel anything off about myself but, at the same time, I had no idea what I should be feeling.

Fear gnawed deep into me as I bunched onto the soft material of the sweater which I was clad in. I looked around the room, only to notice that the place looked all too familiar. Then, the sound of a knob turning caused me to flinch and I stared fearfully at the door that was slowly pushed ajar. Eyeballing the door, I felt a cold shiver down my spine and my back curled reflexively.

It was only when I saw Leon appearing from behind the door that my demeanour relaxed instantly. Seeing that I was awake, he hurried forward and sat on the edge of his bed. His eyes scanned me from the top of my head to the tip of my toes before he asked in a careful tone, "Rae, how are you feeling?"

His voice echoed in my ears and a complicated mix of emotions surged within me. Most of all, I felt so relieved that he was right in front of me right now. Choking on a sob, I wasn't able to finish all that was confusing me. "Was I—"

"No, God. Sweetheart, no," Leon quickly responded, his voice fell softer when he said, "It didn't happen, but that doesn't mean it wasn't scary."

An expression of pain was etched into his striking face when I met his gaze and that was when I broke into tears from all the pent-up fear that I was gripping onto since I woke up. Leon leaned forward and I crashed into his hold unhesitatingly, desperately needing to feel some comfort. Holding me close, his hand landed on the small of my back while he whispered softly to soothe my crying.

Unsure how long had passed since I tipped the bottle of overwhelming emotions within me, but weariness took over and I fell asleep in Leon's arms eventually.

-

When I woke up again, Leon had left the room and I was alone in his bedroom, on his bed.

Pulling the blankets aside and climbing off the bed, I left the bedroom and stepped out into the living area. I looked towards Leon, seeing that he was working on his model at the coffee table. The usual mess of cardboards, woodblocks and paper splayed across the entire table. I assumed that he heard me pulling on the door because he turned around and looked at me.