Dark Signs

13

I walked us through my apartment and up the stairs, Navien never straying more than one step behind me. I opened the door to my bedroom, thankful I had the sense to give my depression-pit a bit of a tidy up before I left for the night. The photos from the night were still strewn across the room, exactly how I left it.

“Gods, the scent of you is everywhere in here, darling.” He paced around. Taking in his surroundings.

I blushed but continued through to the ensuite bathroom, “Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?” I asked over my shoulder.

“Definitely a good thing. Allow me,” Navien said with a smirk as he reached for the shower faucet, fiddling with the temperature until he was satisfied.

“Towels?” He asked.

I pointed him in the right direction, and off he went.

I started to undress, dropping his jacket to the tiles, it fell with a heavy thunk and clang from the chains and spikes that adorned it. I missed its heavy and comforting weight.

I would have to ask him where he got it from, seeing as I am now one leather jacket down.

Being an older building, the hot water took a while to run through the pipes. They rattled and shuttered, but before long the entire bathroom was being filled with deliciously hot steam. I watched as the water fell in fat droplets down into the tub. The terror of the night was finally starting to catch up with me, and I think I was starting to go into shock.

My fists were clenched, my breath erratic, my muscles locked. My entire surroundings started to fade in and out as the panic set in.

Navien walked back into the bedroom then, saying something about how fluffy and good smelling the towels were, when he noticed me.

“Fuck, darling. I shouldn’t have left you. Gods. Fuck.”

He dumped the towels and raced to me. “I’m going to touch you, okay? Come now, darling. That’s it.”

Navien turned me around and wrapped his large arms around me. Shrouding me in his warmth and safety.

“Breathe, darling. Breathe with me, yeah?” He held my head to his chest. His heartbeat was a calming thud-thud beneath my ear.

I tried. Breathing in a too-shallow breath.

“One more.”

I did as he asked and breathed in a little deeper.

“Big breath in. That’s it. Hold.” He was so gentle.

I struggled to breathe in and the breath I took was shaky, but it helped.

“Breathe out. Good girl. And again.”

I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. Holding it each time for a few seconds. Matching my breathing with Navien’s.

“Right, now name me three things you can smell, okay?” His voice was so soft and careful.

“You. I can smell you.” I said shakily. “You smell of vanilla.”

“Keep going.”

“I can smell cigarette smoke on you.” I breathed in a lungful of him, calming my breath slightly.

“That's two, darling. One more.”

Ugh… “I can smell… the scent of the leather of your jacket is still on me.” I sighed on one last breath. My breathing was almost back to normal.

“Perfect. You okay, darling?” Navien pulled me by the shoulders to look at me. His eyes were filled with such worry for me.

I nodded softly.

“I must say, the satisfaction I get from you smelling nothing but me is beyond depraved.” Navien pulled me back in flush against him and whispered in my ear. His strong arms enveloped me tightly in a warm embrace.

I breathed out a half hearted laugh through my nose.

The steam from the shower was now thick in the room and stuck my hair to my face.

“We need to get you in the shower. Can I help you with this?” Navien asked, gesturing to my destroyed dress.

“Yes, please.” I nodded, tears threatening to fall once more. “I liked this dress.” I said defeatedly.

“I did, too.” Navien replied smugly.

Navien then held me by the hips and turned me around, first starting slowly. He carefully undid the zip at the back of my dress, tooth by tooth, until it was entirely undone. He then started on the only strap I had left. Slowly pulling that one down and over my shoulder.

“Is it okay to go further, little one?”

I nodded.

“I'm going to pull this down, yeah?” He motioned to the neckline of my dress.

“Okay,” I whispered.

Navien carefully turned me again, his thumb and index finger gently capturing my chin in a light grip, our eyes meeting.

His eyes never wavered from my own as he took the dress down over my breasts. Down over the curve of my soft stomach and fullness of my hips until it fell in a puddle at my feet.

I then started on my underwear. I hooked my thumbs under the waistband of the black fabric and shimmied out of them. The whole time, never taking my eyes off Navien.

He was quiet while he waited for me to be finished, then held a hand out to me to help me over the lip of the bath and into the shower. I stepped in and let the stinging hot spray wash over me .

I held my face under the water and let it run through my hair. Soaking me and washing away the night.

“That fucking asshole.” Navien growled.

I wiped the water from my eyes to see what he was talking about.

Navien was staring at me. His eyes raked up the expanse of exposed flesh. I looked down to see what he was seeing.

My skin was peppered with bruises. Some small, the size of fingerprints. Others were large, my entire thigh was one big mess of blues and purples from where I went down. My knees and shins were cut up, and so were my elbows. Scratches and cuts laced my flesh.

“Will you be okay in here alone if I make a quick phone call, darling?” Navien asked gently.

I nodded, the heat from the shower felt like fire against my skin, but it was calming and cleansing.

“I’ll stay where you can see me, okay?”

“Okay.” I said quietly while my face was covered with water.

Navien turned around and stalked out of the bathroom, leaving me to soak. I watched as he pulled his phone from his back pocket, dialled a number and waited. Navien paced around my bedroom, from one end to the other, until finally the person on the other end answered, I could only just hear through the patter of the water.

Navien growled softly down the phone. “Tell me you’ve got him.”

I don't think Nav thought I could hear.

“Good.” He turned back to me, his eyes softening. “We’re home, she’s safe and currently showering. Kill, she’s fucking covered.” He seethed.

I swallowed through a lump in my throat.

“Darling,” Navien held the phone down and called out to me. “Is it okay if Caz joins us? He wants to make sure you’re okay.”

I nodded.

“Send him over,” Navien said, bringing the phone back to his ear. “We will meet him at the door.” A pause as he listened. “You too, brother,” and he hung up .

“Come darling. Can I help wash you?” Navien asked softly as he reentered the bathroom.

“Yes please.” I responded. Not having the energy to even lift my arms.

Navien stepped into the shower fully clothed. His jeans went limp and soggy as the water drenched him. He grabbed the bar of lavender soap and lathered it between his hands.

He started at my shoulders, gently working over the cuts, grazes and bruises. Working the soap over my skin into a generous lather of suds. He worked down my torso and over my thighs and legs. Lifting my feet to wash them, too.

His hands were gentle and never strayed from their job. His touch was a comfort, one I had craved so strongly for so long.

Once he was done with my body, he reached for the shampoo.

He lathered my tresses with my passion flower scented shampoo.

“Mmm… this smells like you, darling.” Navien commented.

“It was my favourite scent.”

“Was? Well it’s definitely one of my favourites.” Navien said with a smile to his voice.

“It was my favourite smell. But since I met you, I like the smell of you and Caz and Kill better.” I said shyly.

“Fuck, darling. Don’t say that.”

I looked down, thinking I had said something wrong. “Sorry.”

“Oh, no little one. That isn’t what I meant at all!” Navien exclaimed, finished scrubbing my locks and motioning for me to stand under the water spray so he could rinse me off. “Stop with the sorries, remember?”

“Okay.” I said again softly.

“I just like that you like the smell of me, is all. And now isn’t the time for me to be getting hard. That would be very, very inappropriate, darling.”

“Oh,” I huffed a laugh. “I see.”

“Mmm…” Navien growled before getting back to work. “Right, conditioner?”

“Yes, please. ”

Navien continued lathering my hair in conditioner, washing the layers until they were silky smooth and then rinsing me off.

“Caz should be here soon, are you okay to get out now, little one?”

I nodded.

Navien turned the faucet off, the soapy water swirling down the drain. The bathroom was now one big white cloud of passion flower scented steam.

He stepped out and grabbed a towel from where he had dropped them, leaving large wet boot prints and water droplets all over the floor as he walked.

With the towels in one hand, Nav held out the other to help me out of the tub, I took it and climbed out on stiff legs. Once I was standing on two feet, Navien wrapped one fluffy towel around my shoulders and started rubbing me dry. Once he was satisfied I was dry, he wrapped it under my arms and tucked in the ends.

He grabbed the other towel and wrapped my hair up just as the doorbell rang.

“That will be Caz.” Navien said as he started stripping out of his soaked shirt. It thudded to the tiles with a wet flop. He bent to remove his boots, followed by his socks and then jeans, which he shimmied out of less than gracefully.

All that was left was an expanse of tattooed flesh and his undershorts. Navien grabbed another towel and wrapped it around his waist.

After he was ‘decent’ he grabbed my hand and led me back through my house to the front door.