Rehab

Chapter Eight: Rubba Dub Dub

     Taehyung smiles at me and makes intense eye contact that I do my best to avoid. “You’re here to get better, to heal… with our help and guidance.” He spins around and gestures towards the spa-looking bathroom.

     The bathroom itself is huge! It’s almost as big as my whole apartment, but then again- so are most things. In this glorious bathroom are things that I would never have gotten the luxury to use in my regular life. For example: a sauna room, extra large jacuzzi tub, a huge glass enclosed waterfall shower, and a grand mirror with luminous lights surrounding the perimeter of it. I’ve never been more ready to take a shower in my whole life. Days of not showering and being unconscious for so long has driven me to cry at the sight of the wonderful bathroom.

     Taehyung clears his throat awkwardly, “So… Do you like it?” His hand goes to the back of his neck and rubs the skin to ease his tension.

     Still avoiding eye contact, I look at the ground and nod. “Yes..” A simple answer should do. I still can’t fully trust him yet. He did kidnap me, but… he also seems like he genuinely just wants to help me. I don’t know which side of my thoughts to lean more towards. I do know one thing for sure, though. I will not do anything that could possibly set anyone off. For now, the best strategy is to act neutral until I can get a good feel for this place.

     I hear shuffling across the room and my eyes dart towards the sound. Taehyung stands across the room next to the open shower door and looks expectantly at me. I tilt my head and try to decipher what he wants from me at this moment.

     “I’m really sorry, but for now… You can’t be left alone unless you’re sleeping. It’s just a safety measure that we all have agreed to stick to. I figured since you know me, you’d feel the most comfortable if I was the one keeping watch over you here.” He speaks with a soft and calming voice, no doubt trying to keep me from freaking out.

     I think he could sense the fear and uncomfort seeping out of my pores because he straightens his back and puts his hands out in a defensive manner. “I-I Won’t be watching you while you shower, but I do have to be in the room. I promise I won’t look unless I have to for some sort of emergency.” His left hand goes back to his side, while his right hand resumes its task of rubbing the nape of his neck. “I-I’m sorry I wasn’t quite clear with that right off the bat.” The tall man chuckles nervously.

     I nod and take a deep breath. “Well…” I look around in search of towels and a washcloth or loofah to use. “I don’t know where anything is.” I say with a small voice. I figure it best to act unphased by most things until I can get used to the people here. Strategy is everything when it comes to survival.

     Taehyung jumps into action and leads me over to a cabinet door and opens in for me. “In here, you will find body towels, washcloths, hand towels, and face towelettes.” He then opens the cabinet to the right of the first one. “..And in the cabinet you’ll find shampoos, conditioners, body wash, face wash, and bar soap. You can take your pick of what you’d like to use.” He smiles brightly at me.

     A warm sensation flows through my body from that one smile and the fresh smell of the bathroom. His smile is so nice… too nice for someone whos can be so dangerous.

     “Thank you, Oppa. I’ll choose what I want to use and I’ll get a shower now.” I step up to the cabinets and grab matching yellow bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.

     ‘Everlasting Sunshine’, the bottles read. I popped open a cap on one of the bottles and took a sniff of it. It smells so unbelievably good that my smile hurts my face. After I’m done smiling, I grab my towels and washcloth.

     Just as I’m about to get undressed, I turn around to Taehyung and raise my eyebrows a little bit as he was staring off into space in my direction. “Uh.. I’m getting undressed now…” I speak slowly. His body jerks in shock and surprise and he turns around quickly.

     Once my shower is done and my body feels cleaner than it’s ever been, I wrap my body and hair in separate towels. Stepping out of the glass enclosure causes the steam to fill the rest of the bathroom. Taehyung turns around when he hears the door open and smiles at me. “Are you ready to go to your room?” He asks happily.

     “My room?” My head tilts to the side. I had been put in rooms that were already taken both times that I was sedated, I didn’t think I had my own room here.

     “Yup! Your room! I just got word earlier that its ready. I wanted to have it ready before you got here, but the process was rushed when you tried to jump…” His voice gets lower and lower with every word out of his mouth.

     After he shakes his head, seemingly to remove those thoughts, he takes my hand and leads me out of the bathroom and down the hall. We take several turns and go down several pathways before we get to a door that I haven’t seen before. It has my name on it..

     “Here we are! Your very own bedroom. I chose all the decorations and the color scheme. I hope you like it!” He looks at me with sparkling eyes before he opens the door.

     “Oh my mother Mary…”