Bruises

As I step out of the shower, I slowly reach out for the fluffy towel hanging in front of me. I wince as a shooting pain slides from shoulder blade to my fingertips. I draw the soft material to my damp chest and stand still for a few moments as my body restore itself from the shock of the pain. I gently dab myself 
dry - the towel softly grazing over my skin. Over my bruises.

I stand in front of the mirror after slipping into a striped, blue and black, skater dress. I smile inwardly at the thought of how my mother would've reacted to the ensemble that sat snugly, quite far above my knees. My eyes scrutinize the girl that I stare at in the mirror. My gaze eventually rest on the purple-blue mark resting just beneath my collarbone. I'm horrified for a moment but reassure myself that it's nothing a little base or concealer can't fix. I arrange my hair into a loosely tousled up-do while letting a few soft curls fall to frame my face. I turn around to inspect my work... A scowl leaps across my face as I see another bruise rudely placed slightly to the left of my right shoulder blade - where my dress annoyingly doesn't hide it. I stand for a while thinking of how I'm going to successfully cover it with my concealer. My thoughts are interrupted by the twinkling beeping of my cell phone - it's him.

I look down nervously and reach down to open the message. The hair at the base of my neck stands on end as my fingers slide over the screen. I swallow slowly and breather deeply as I read:

Hey :)

Just checking to see where you'd like to meet 

tonight... I was thinking of the balcony over 

the food court - to the left of the bridge? 

Let me know.

I smile and bite my lip as the butterflies rage around in my stomach. I haven't seen him in ages. I hurriedly type a message back so that I can finish getting ready and to remove any opportunity of making myself late:

That sounds just fine :) 

I'll see you then... I'll let you know when

I'm on my way. See you soon!

:) xx

I hold the phone nervously and re-read my message, hoping that he doesn't take it as too eager. I extend my hand to return my cell phone to its original position on my desk but before I do, it beeps again- vibrating excitedly against the palm of my hand. The message reads:

Can't wait ;)

x

I stand in a daze and mentally hush my subconscious giggles. I snap back into reality and go about lightly applying some concealer to my face before moving on to the pesky, visible bruises. I can't quite be certain if they're adequately covered but I can't focus on that so much now as I have to get on the road soon. I hurriedly apply some eye make-up to liven my boring, brown eyes and dash to put on my brand new sky-high heels- perhaps a bit too formal for this evening but any excuse would have done if it meant I would finally get to wear them. The fact that he would be the first in them was a mere bonus - and it made me giddy to think about what his reaction might be. He hasn't seen me in ages. I hope he notices a change.

I slide into the front seat of my car and mutter disapprovingly at myself for not having thought about driving in heels. I sulkily chuck my newly-donned heels onto the passenger seat beside me and quickly send him a message to tell him that I'm on my way. I glance at myself in the rear-view mirror and place both of my hands on the steering wheel and take a deep breath. I pull out of the driveway of the cute little B & B I'm staying in. My phone beeps and I know it's another message from him so I wait until I've stopped at the next red light before taking a look at it:

Slow poke :P

Drive safely... And message me when you get

here? I'm wearing a grey blazer, just in case 

you don't recognise me. :D

xx

I smile and hurriedly type a reply as I wait for the traffic light to turn green:

I would drive safely if you would stop 

distracting me! ;) :P

You honestly think I won't recognise 

you? Hahaha, thanks for the thought 

though :) 

I put my phone on silent in order to stop myself from being launched into a full conversation with him which we weren't too far away from. Thankfully, I was able to do so just in time for the green light to give its go ahead for my journey to continue. Every passing kilometre instils further excitement in me- I realise just how much I actually miss this guy... This really good friend of mine.

I pull into a parking bay that is relatively close to the entrance - my gratification becomes known to me as I slip into my heels once more. I walk briskly through the revolving doors and toward the mall food court. Upstairs, he had said... That's where the more upper class restaurants were and I sigh in relief as I move further away from all the fast food establishments like McDonalds and KFC and perhaps also as my feet catch a slight break as I step onto the escalator. I walk slowly across the bridge looking down over the brimming food court hoping to see him there waiting. Dismayed, I lean against the balcony... Awkwardly waiting for him to arrive. Now who's the slow poke?

I remember that I forgot my phone on silent and I hurriedly unlock it to find a message from him:

It's been a while that's all...

I hope you haven't changed much :)

Sorry for the distraction ;)

I smile at the last line but frown at the second. I'm hoping my change is good. I am thinner than when he last saw me - a lot thinner. An air of great pride rushes through me at the thought as I let my mind scroll back to the last time I saw him and how I appeared then. I feel prettier now... but I want him to, in a way, confirm that for me. I grimace at the possibility that perhaps he always liked the way I looked before and that now I may be less attractive to him. I message him the announcement of my arrival. Almost instantaneously, I receive his reply:

I'm here. Where are you hiding? :)

Bewildered, I check my surroundings through the corners of my eyes to ensure that I came to the correct meeting place. I know I am right. I slowly turn around and there he is. Standing slightly to my left with his back facing me, looking as though he is expecting to meet someone. I grin shyly and slowly make my way over to him - careful not to make to much noise. I stand behind him, slightly to the right and tap his left shoulder. I giggle softly and smile broadly as he jumps slightly and spins around- clearly not have being able to recognise me.

"Wow..." he breathes as he takes in the sight of me. I blush but tilt my head to the side and roll my eyes at him playfully.

"I think I should've been the one to tell you what I was wearing,"I pause, relishing in his stunned silence, "...seeing as you're the one who couldn't recognise me." He snaps out of his trance-like state and is back into his usual, amused self. He laugh and walks forward to hug me- his arms slowly extend towards me to pull me in but I draw back sharply, holding my breath as I do. He looks at me, puzzled. I relax and recover my strange reaction by saying, "Woah, hold up. Are you sure you know who I am?" He gives me a huge smile and hugs me- without resistance from me this time. 

"Don't be ridiculous," he says sweetly and winks at me and then offers his arm to me which I take gladly. He glances down at my feet. "Great shoes... Bet you're regretting them now, huh?"

"I'll manage," I reply as I narrow my eyes at him... but a smile dances brightly on my lips.

"Time for sushi?" he says enthusiastically. I smiled as I remember just how much he loves his sushi.

"That's what I'm here for," I tease and wink at him over-dramatically. "Oh, and for some polite catch-up conversation of course."

"Hurtful," he says in his mock-hurt response. I've missed him.

We walk arm in arm toward a restaurant where he knows the managers who came out to greet him personally and lead us to our reserved table. "Nice choice," I say as I glanced around the beautiful restaurant. A humble smile twitches at the corners of his mouth as he lifts his glass of whiskey to his lips. It reminds me of just how cute I found his humility even though he's generously financially blessed. I mirror his drinking action- except with my glass of rosé. We sit side by side in a comfortable corner booth with leather upholstery, graced with a beautiful view of the outside terrace and the rest of the restaurant. We eat, drink, reminisce, catch up as promised... and never, for a moment, do we take our eyes off of each other. 

"You look beautiful," he says softly after mains. For the first time of the evening, he looks away from me- he glances down at the table and tugs at his place mat before slowly saying, "You were always beautiful but now..." His voiced trails off. I blush and smile empathetically at this exceedingly gorgeous, shy grown man that sits before me... looking almost embarrassed at his confession. My head is reeling and I am strangely lost for words and so I stutter a meagre "Thank you," in reply. He turns so as better to face me and slowly lift his hand to gently play with the few curls that frame my face. His hand slides down my cheek smoothly and as it continues to my shoulder, his other hand meets my waist- a double whammy. I flinch and having no direction to go I just freeze in ever so noticeable fear. He blinks at me- clearly concerned now.

"What's wrong?" he asks sternly.

"N...Nothing," I stutter as I carefully ease his hands from my body but rather holding them in mine.

"You're lying," he chides, matter-of-factly. He looks at me expectantly... firmly, as though he would wait all night for the truth. 

"I can't tell you here," I mutter quickly. I pause, "I can't show you here." He raises his eyebrows at me- no doubt not having expected it to be quite this serious. He looks down at my hands- clasped in his.

"My place then," he says and gently eases his one hand out of my grasp to motion to our waiter for the bill. I reach for my purse before he quickly says, "No, I've got it." It's clear that there is no more amusement or carefree inflection in his voice. I have seen him in just about every mood- goofy, happy, tired, pissed off... But never so serious. 

As we walk out of the restaurant I stop, hoping to make him smile again because the seriousness in the air between us is beginning to make me somewhat uneasy, "What about dessert?" I say and I am relieved to see his mischievous grin creep across his face. 

"We can run in to a grocery store... Get some frozen yoghurt?" he offers. 

"Sure," I grin, unphased by the dessert choice although happy about it but happier that he doesn't have that deadpan expression on his face any more. We stroll to the nearest store, speaking of other things so as to distract ourselves from the tension that looms above us.

Then, approaching the entrance I first came from, he stop and swings around to face me... the shopping bag catches up with him and gently bumps into his leg. "We can take your car and..." he starts. He thinks to himself for a moment while I watch him curiously. "You could... Uh. Stay the night?" My eyes widen in pleasant surprise. "I have a spare room." He adds quickly. I smile as he visibly becomes more nervous and looks down at the ground. "What about your car?" I ask- a smile now plastered to my face. He looks up and smiles sheepishly, "Driver." I roll my eyes and suddenly receiving a burst of courage, I step forward and kiss him softly on the cheek. 

We enter his apartment, a beautifully modern 2 bedroom suite with an open plan kitchen and entertainment area. He places the frozen yoghurt on the marble counter top and turns around to get dessert bowls and spoons for the two of us. He dishes out two massive bowls of frozen yoghurt and moves one toward me. "Right," he announces, "dessert and explanations!" I smile sadly at him and push myself up onto a barstool in front of the counter, my back facing him. I suddenly feel the heat of his eyes on me- practically melting the sweet dessert that I clutch in my hands. He walks over to me slowly and I don't think to turn around. Suddenly I feel his hand slowly skim over the bruise near my shoulder blade as he hooks his finger into the sleeve of my dress and tugs it down- revealing the bruises I hadn't treated with concealer. My entire body tenses at his touch.

"Who... who did this to you," he breathes in disbelief, mingled with anger. I exhale heavily, my breath is staggered- a lump forming in my throat as tears prick my eyes. "Are there more?" he asks softly. Pained by the question and his intrusive yet welcomed touch, I shut my eyes tightly and nod. "Show me," he whispers mournfully. I turn to look at him and the tears suddenly fly down my face- for a second unbeknown to me until I feel them dripping down from my chin to my hands that are cradling the dessert bowl in my lap. He cups my face in his hands and then gently begins stroking my hair. "No... Shhh angel, don't cry," he consoles. He takes the bowl from me and sets it back down on the counter. He takes my hands in his- I can feel the warmth of his skin so starkly now beneath my frosted fingertips. He weaves his fingers into mine and then leans forward, brushing my cheeks with his lips. I shudder as more tears fall while his touch becomes more real to me. He leads me to the couch, sits down and coaxes me down so that I am half-sitting on lap. He begins to kiss my cheeks- where tears have left there watermarks on my skin- softly and sweetly. I tilt my head up and my lips meet his. A soft, innocent and lingering meeting- our lips remain against each others and I feel so extraordinarily... safe. He pulls away slowly, "Ex-boyfriend?" he suddenly says questioningly. I nod solemnly, staring, in a daze, at my hands. "He was so..." I pause to allow the urge to cry again to pass, "Angry." 

"I wanted to end things and he got angry... I made him angry," I whimper and he shakes his head at me reassuring me that it wasn;t my fault. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to press the image out of my mind but to no prevail. I can hear his raging and drunken voice in my head... as well as my own screams that had, at the time, sounded so unfamiliar and weak to me. I recall how he had pushed me to the floor and then kicked me in my side- at my waist where this wonderful guy had just recently wanted to hold me. He had struck me across chest- at my collarbones and across my back. My body stings in the relevant places as I recall the atrocious memories. I am tired suddenly and slump into the arms of someone safe - far, far away from the monster who hurt me. 

He scoops me up in his arms and carries me to his bedroom- I know its his because its so heavily personalized and strewn with clothes. I sit up slowly on his large bed, practically sinking into the pale grey sheets. I slip out of my shoes and then slowly remove my dress- showing him all of the damage. I peer over my shoulder at him and he gazes at me sadly. He saunters protectively over to me, still locking me in his gaze. 

"Wow..." he says, sounding slightly deflated. He sits behind me on the bed after I gather the duvet at my ankles. He slips his hand into mine and draws me closer to him.

He kisses me gently- passionately as if trying to restore me by sharing himself with me. He lips trail down my neck and down to my back where his kisses softly graze over my skin... Over my bruises.

_________________________________________________________________

--J.