Naked

Andrew

“Your hot water is ready,” she said awkwardly, moving away from me.

I blinked my eyes severally to conceal the actual effect of that hug and peck on the cheek. That was undoubtedly what I needed. Asides from the care my mum showed me this period, no one else had bothered to make me feel the way Pam made me feel now. Loved.

Silly me wanted to grab her and kiss the hell out of her but I refrained from such, because one, I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression, then secondly, I didn’t want her hurting my arm or any part of my body a second time.

I’d carried my battered body into the bathroom and poured the soothing hot water down it. It was heavenly! All my body ached, but the water dampened the pain.

Of course, there in the bathroom, alone with my thoughts, Anne’s face resurfaced in my mind’s eye and taunted me brutally. If not for those disturbing thoughts, I would have stayed longer, and enjoyed the hot water, instead, I poured the remaining water I had in the bucket