Page 34 of Lilies from Hell

I rub my wrists, seeing that the chains have completely disappeared. When the hell did he take them off? My face feels dry and sticky, like when you go to sleep without removing your makeup. I forget my face as soon as my eyes land on a luxury bag on my night table. Despite still feeling sleepy, curiosity gets the better of me, and I open it, finding another cell phone of the same brand, this time white. I spend a few minutes looking at the device until I find a phone number with no name added to the contact list. I’m sure it’s him again, sending me the same presents as last time because I didn’t answer him back. But after how he left yesterday, I don’t want to be the first to call him.

My cheeks flush. I still have a little common sense left that screams at me not to go near him again. He’s dangerous and violent. But the other part of me, the part that has been dreaming about him for months and even years, throws all that away.

The skin on my inner thighs still hurts, but there’s something else. When I shift my gaze down, I see a couple of bandages on the small wounds on each leg and dried bloodstains beside them. I shake my head as if that could crush the fluttering sensations that fly nonstop across my chest. It takes me a while to get rid of all the traces of his teeth and blood on my body. A burning sensation on my cheeks keeps me aware of what happened, like a punishment that keeps reminding me how out of my mind I really am.

“Good morning,” I say as I enter the kitchen.

“Hi,” Jason replies curtly, refocusing his attention on his cell phone screen.

“Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“I can’t stand that voice of yours. It makes me want to vomit,” he mutters with a snort. I want to ask more about his sudden bad mood, but my eyes fall on the pancakes on his plate. “I left some for you in the pan.”

“Did you make them?”

“Are you really doubting that now? I learned to cook before I learned to talk,” he replies with a smirk, putting his phone aside and stuffing a large piece into his mouth.

With a huge smile, I lift the lid off the pan. My excitement vanishes when I find two burnt pancakes. They don’t even look edible. They look more like two pieces of charcoal.

“What the hell is this?” I ask, lifting the sticky batter with a fork.

“It’s just a little burnt. Just scrape off the black part,” he retorts in a matter-of-fact tone.

“The black part? I see nothing but black in all the food.”

An incoming call on my phone interrupts our argument. Seeing Romina’s name on the screen fills me with disgusting guilt.

“Hi, what’s new?” She says on the other end.

“Nothing interesting here. How are you?”

“Well, this isn’t the best time for me,” she mutters in a low voice, then there’s silence.

“Hey, do you want to go to a rock concert? If I stay at home one more day, I’m going to go crazy.”

“Sure, tell me where to meet you.”

From here I can hear a bit of what will be the rock concert Romina mentioned earlier. When I find her, I wave my hand back and forth so she can see me.

“Call me if you need anything,” Lance says beside me. The frown he’s had on his face the entire trip has become more prominent.

“Yeah, okay,” I murmur as I open the door.

“You’re armed, right?” he asks for the fifth time.

“Yes, Lance. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“If Ray finds out I left you alone, he’ll kill me.”

“Relax. Maybe you should stay a bit and have a beer after all. To calm your tits,” I scoff, slamming the door shut.

The air is pleasantly warm, carrying the sweet smell of lavender, and the grass feels recently watered. I wave my hand when I spot Romina in the distance, leaning against a tree close to the entrance.

“Thanks for coming.”

“We’re friends. You don’t have to thank me,” I say.

“Not all friends are there for you in your worst moments.” An attempt at a smile accompanies her sweet words.