My Housemate is a Player - Mark Tuan fanfic

20 - Reflecting

I take Allyson to a hotel in town since she still seems to be scared to go back to the cottage, I wouldn't want that either anyway. 

We both sit silently at the back of the taxi. I watch her as she lays her head on my shoulder. She got hurt with me. The bet, Alexander's desperate attempt to get her to bed, her friends keeping secrets from her, and now this. All these happened when she's with me. And I couldn't do anything to protect her. Nothing. 

I only watch her cry, watch her as she is pain. There were so many things I could've done to prevent everything from happening. I could've stopped it. But, I didn't. 

I instigated the bet. I lied to her about Lim. I didn't tell her about her band. And I fuckin' kissed her and she ran away. 

It's all me. 

She still doesn't say anything when we get in the room. She goes straight to bed and curls herself up, staring at everything and nothing. 

"Just stay here," I tell her, "I'll go get our things back in the cottage. I'll be back." I kiss her on the forehead before hesitantly leaving her. 

I didn't want to leave her alone, but I have to. I need to get her change of clothes. She's still wearing the torn shirt she had from last night. Her phone is back in the cottage, too, and so is her wallet. And, I think, we didn't even remember to lock the house when we left. 

Fortunately, some police officers are still around the area when I get there. All our things are still intact. I grab everything and pack them in our bags. I run out and quickly get in a cab. I don't want to leave her alone longer. 

"Allyson?" I get in the hotel room and find the bed she was lying on earlier empty. I hear the sound of water hitting the tiles in the bathroom and assume that she's in there, taking a shower maybe. 

I leave our bags at the side of the bed and lay my tired body on the soft mattress. A lot has happened these past few days, leaving me tired and spent. I close my eyes, I don't know for how long, and when I open them, Allyson's still in there. 

I check the time and it's already been a full 20 minutes. How long does this woman shower? 

I get up and lightly knock on the door of the bathroom. "Allyson?" No answer. I plant my ear on the wall, but there is no other sound aside from the running water. Did she faint again? I feel myself hyperventilate. I work on the knob, luckily, it's not locked. "Allyson?" I call out again, but I still get nothing. I open the door wider and step in, turning to my side. 

And there she is, curled up naked on the floor, hugging her knees while the water from the shower head above hit her. 

"Shit, Al!" I immediately grab the robe hanging from the wall beside the shower glass, turn off the water, and wrap it around her wet and cold body. Her shoulders are shaking and I hear her sobbing. I lift her up from the tile floor and take her to the other room, laying her gently on the bed. "Allyson, say something!" I tell her, moving the strands of hair off her face and fixing the bathrobe around her. 

The tears from her eyes keep flowing. She doesn't move, not even turning to see me. She's still in shock. 

I use my thumbs to wipe her cheeks dry, trying not to scare her even more. "C'mon, Al. You've done nothing but cry for the past few days," I tell her, trying to get her attention and make her let out at least a soft sound. But still silent. "You're being overly dramatic here, Allyson. It's not like he raped you or something." 

As soon as I see the reaction on her face, I regret what I just said. She sits up and faces me, her eyes bigger than ever, "How can you.." she sniffles her sobs, "How can you say that casually? You don't know...what it felt like."