His Willow

Chapter 4

"Okay baby, lets run you a bath." Alaric chirped.

Alaric was carrying me up the stairs and I was looking round in wonder, still wanting to explore his home and see how nice it all was! He wanted to "run" me a bath which has been confusing me to no end; we were going to go running? Towards a bath? I am definitely not in the right state to run right now, and he knew that, so the whole time, I have been stressing what he is going to make me do.

We entered what looks to be the bathroom, and my mouth opened in shock, it was massive! The walls were so shiny that I could see my reflection in the tiles, the floor had a creamy carpet, and the whole room looked beautiful, making me even more excited to explore the entire house.

I look up from Alaric's shoulder to see him already staring down at me, his bright smile was blinding, and you could see it in his eyes that he was happy, making me shyly smile back at him, getting very timid from the stares.

"Adorable," Alaric mumbled, placing me on the side of the bathtub.

He reached over me and turned a leaver of some sort, making water gush out this pipe and filling up the tub at a rapid pace, making me stare down at it in fascination. It looked like a huge sink, and he was wasting all this water, I kept looking at the pipe and back up to Alaric, waiting for him to explain what was going on.

Sensing my shift in mood, Alaric looked down at me in question. "Angel, what's the matter?" Alaric asked, rubbing my shoulder.

Gaining every once of concentration and confidence, I attempt to respond.

"Why?" I said, mentally cheering myself for finally getting a word out entirely without stuttering, even though I couldn't say anymore, I was pretty proud of myself for the attempt.

Alaric laughed a little and seemed to be looking at me without saying anything, making me turn my head slightly at his lack of response. when Alaric seemed to realise I was serious, his laughter stopped, and he went all quiet and looking sad once again.

He crouched down on the ground with my two hands firmly grasped in his, looking up at me with full attention.

"I'm gonna ask this as nicely as I can, have you had a bath before love?' Alaric said hesitantly, looking at me rather uncomfortably. I closed my eyes and looked down at him ashamed, ashamed of my parents that never taught me how to wash nor even letting me enter the bathroom without their permission.

They didn't let me wash; they didn't want to waste the water on me, I had to go without being clean for so long that I'm now used to it, sitting in my own filth.

I wanted to cry right then and there again, being so embarrassed and ashamed of something I couldn't control, yet I felt it was all my fault, they always said it was my fault.

Without a word, Alaric traded my hands for a tight hug, rubbing my back up and down and resting his head on my shoulder, making me want to cry even more.

"Don't worry angel; I can help you." He said, looking into my eyes and showing that he meant it. I nodded up at him, and he took that as a cue to go back to the gushing water, dipping his hand in and adding this funny liquid, making the water turn a pinky colour.

Alaric turned the lever, and the water stopped, revealing the massive tub of pinky water with steam rising off it. As I stared into the bathtub, haunting memories surfaced my mind and clouded everything around me.

"Come on you dirty bi*ch" My father spat down at me withering on the floor, having a full-blown anxiety attack from the shouting. With my breathing ragged and the air leaving my body rapidly, I turned from the floor and looked up at my monster, seeing the angry and spiteful look that was permanently scarred on his face, hovering over me and looking down as if I was a piece of dirt or as if I murdered our entire family.