Pushing a deep breath out, I softened some. “I promise I’m not leaving you.”
Finally, she let go and I proceeded to leave the shower. After placing my jacket on the hook near the shower, I returned to Xylina sitting stiff as a statue, staring into the distance. Her body still shook, but it seemed to be an afterthought now.
First removing her shirt and bra, I then kneeled to strip her out of her pants and underwear. Thankfully, she seemed somewhat aware of what I was doing and lifted, helping me some. The jeans were tighter, thanks to the water, but I managed to finally get them off. Once she was naked, I turned the water back on, this time to hot, and looked around until I located her loofah and body wash.
Xylina didn’t say anything as I washed her. She stared at me with a blank expression. It made me wary. I hadn’t ever seen her this quiet before. The Xylina I knew would have thrown herself at me by now.
It didn’t take long to wash her up. Once done, I pulled her up and moved her under the running water so she could rinse off.
“Do I need to carry you out of here too?” I questioned.
When I got no response, I figured that was my answer. Leaving the shower, I located her towel and went back to her, wrapping it around her slim frame before picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom.
Truthfully, I didn’t know how to handle Xylina in this state. My first mind was to chastise her when I saw once again she was drinking and driving with no regards to her safety or others, but once I realized the distraught state she was in, my body just started moving on its own.
“Sleep this off and we’ll discuss everything in the morning,” I told her after drying her off and tucking her in. Princess was now on her bed, curled up close to her.
The words she mumbled earlier stuck with me. While she slept I would do some digging to find out what she meant.
“Why do you even care? You hate me,” she asked, barely able to keep her eyes open. Exhaustion now covered her face.
Bouncing my eyes over her face, I sighed and brushed my hand over her head. “I don’t hate you, Xylina. I just don’t understand the shit you do.”
“Just tired of being alone.”
It wasn’t the first time she had made a statement like that. For too long I’d pushed her worries and pain out my mind, figuring she would handle whatever it was herself. Staring down at her now made it clear to me that she had been drowning in whatever was bothering her for a while and it was starting to take a real toll on her.
“Go to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“You’re leaving?” Her eyes pooled with unshed tears.
I shook my head. In the state she was in, being alone wouldn’t be wise.
“I’m just gonna change and grab my laptop. I’ll be right back.”
Hesitancy spawned on her face. “I swear I’ll be right back.” This time my voice softened as I spoke to her.
Swallowing hard, she nodded and shifted slightly, getting more comfortable under her covers.
When I left the room Mrs. Rose was en route with a tray in hand. “Is Mrs. Bedford okay?” she asked.
I nodded. “She will be. She’s sleeping right now.” I glanced down at the tray. There was a bowl and glass mug, both with steam coming from them.
“This should help her,” she stated, noticing that I was staring.
“Right now she needs to rest, but you can go in and set it down. I’ll make sure she eats it when she wakes up.”
Mrs. Rose gave me a coy grin. “I’m happy to see you two finally starting to get along. Good husbands take care of their wives when they’re in pain.” She didn’t wait for my response. Instead Mrs. Rose stepped around me and headed into Xylina’s room. Her words caught me off guard, but right now I didn’t have time to correct or deal with them.
“Where are we going?” Xylina questioned.
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, then turned my attention back to the road. She’d been quiet all morning. After her actions yesterday, I knew I could no longer ignore that there was something going on with her. Taking a day off from the office, I woke her up and demanded she get dressed. Now we were on our way to a brunch spot near The Marina so we could talk.
“It’s time we talk and set some things straight,” I answered.
Xylina kept her eyes on the passenger window. All morning she’d been avoiding my eyes. I ended up sleeping in her room last night. She curled up against me all night, and anytime I attempted to move, she would stir. It had been a long time since I’d slept next to someone and I couldn’t deny that having a warmbody cuddled up next to me felt good. It made me miss having a consistent companion at my side.
“Can’t we just forget about yesterday?” she mumbled, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. She wore her hair in a ponytail with her bangs out. When we got to a stoplight, I took a second to check her out. Dressed down in a pink tracksuit, she wore big sunglasses on her face and didn’t even bother with makeup today. Whatever was going on with her must be serious.