Home again

Isabella stayed on the bench for a long time after the sauna door closed.

Her legs felt unsteady when she finally pushed herself up. Cum was still leaking down her thighs in thick, slow trails. The white sports bra was twisted up above her breasts; her shorts were still shoved to the side. She fixed her clothes with shaking hands, pulled the bra back down, and stepped out into the cooler air of the hallway.

The women’s locker room was empty. She moved straight to the farthest shower stall, turned the water on as hot as it would go, and stepped under the spray still wearing her clothes. Only when the water was running over her did she strip. She washed between her legs over and over, watching cloudy water swirl down the drain, but the dull, stretched ache inside her remained. She scrubbed her neck where his hand had been, her breasts where his mouth and fingers had left marks, her hips where new bruises were already darkening.

When she finally stepped out and dried off, she avoided the mirror. She dressed in the change of clothes from her bag — loose sweatpants and an oversized hoodie that covered everything — and left the gym without looking at anyone.

The drive home passed in silence. She kept both hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road, refusing to let her mind replay anything that had just happened. By the time she pulled into the parking garage, exhaustion had settled deep into her bones.

Daniel was on the couch when she walked in, a book open on his lap.

“Hey. You’re later than I thought. Everything okay?”

“Fine.” Isabella dropped her gym bag by the door and didn’t take off her shoes. “I’m going to bed.”

He closed the book and sat up straighter. “Did something happen? You look wiped out.”

“I’m just tired.” Her voice was flat. “Long day. I’m going to sleep.”

Daniel stood and started toward her. “Izzy—”

“I said I’m tired.” She stepped past him without letting him touch her and went straight into the bedroom. The door closed harder than she meant it to.

She stripped down to a T-shirt, climbed under the covers without washing her face or brushing her teeth, and turned onto her side with her back to the door. A few minutes later she heard Daniel hover in the hallway, then quietly walk away.

Isabella closed her eyes. Sleep dragged her under almost immediately — heavy, dreamless, and absolute — while her body still carried the deep, lingering proof of what Ryan had done to her.