5. Under the steamy shower

Arielle’s POV

I lay on my bed, tangled in sheets that I couldn't bring myself to fix. My mind was restless, and my heart beat louder than ever.

Cassian.

That name had become a curse for me.

Every time I blinked, it was him I saw. The way he moved and smirked whenever things went his way. The way his dark, tousled hair shifted whenever he made a move. The low chuckle and rumble of his voice.

And God! Those tattoos I was never meant to notice.

I rolled over, pressing a pillow to my chest with a heavy sigh.

Why the hell was I thinking about that jerk?

He was definitely going overboard with his words and deliberately trying to get a reaction from me to make himself laugh.

Wait, he wasn't just any jerk; he was my stepfather, and that thought alone made me feel terrible.

I was beginning to hate myself for noticing him in a different way and for beginning to feel like this.

I was trying so hard, but I couldn't help but remember the way his eyes had lingered on me too long when I asked him that question.

That closeness was just his way of looking at me closely because it was dark, right? There was no way it meant anything.

Just an inch more, and it would have turned into a _.

"No, no. Stop it. He’s with your mother, and he is your dad!" I screamed silently at myself as I shut my eyes tight.

"He's a monster," I whispered sadly because even in the dark, his face was all I could see, even when I began dozing off.

I was startled awake by my ringing cell phone.

I blinked a few times to clear my vision while I shifted into a sitting position.

As I yawned, I stretched, looking at my curtains, which weren't fully closed.

I couldn't believe it was already morning.

Gosh, it felt so damn annoying! How could I go to sleep thinking about him?

I moved and grabbed my phone from the other side of the bed, answering it.

"Finally, you have picked up," Soraya's voice came through.

"Morning, Raya, and what is it?" I asked huskily.

"Morning to you too, little miss grumpy. I called to remind you that you have classes in an hour," she answered as I quickly jumped from the bed.

"Shit," I whispered.

"You forgot about that, huh? You should be grateful to have a sister like me. Oh, by the way, Mom went early for work, and I'm still working. Oh, and she said Cassian should also be out. He was going to meet his family around 8 a.m., and now it's half past that, so you are definitely all alone," she said, then chuckled.

"Get it? All alone in that house. Keep your eyes open for what may jump out at you from the dark tiny drawers, cupboard, or shower," she teased in a creepy voice that made me feel very annoyed.

"Cut it out already, I'm not a coward," I answered simply.

"Says the girl who is afraid of the dark. You can't go anywhere without your phone's torchlight. Speaking of phones, I came into your room and borrowed your charger on Mom's behalf. It should be in her bedroom if you want to use it," she said as I shook my head.

"You guys seriously are annoying at times," I whispered.

"Right back at you, kiddo. Jeez, I gotta go; my boss has just walked in. Talk to you later and love ya," she said, and before I could respond, she hung up.

I looked at my phone's battery and then threw the phone on the bed. It wasn't that flat, but then if I was going to go out, having it fully charged was a better idea.

I slowly walked out of my bedroom barefoot, rubbing my eyes with my hand as I paddled down the hallway toward my mother’s room.

As soon as I reached the door, I wasted no time in pushing it open, seeing as it wasn't closed.

The bed was nicely made, and the room was empty. My charger was on top of the bedside table.

I moved and grabbed it with a smile. I was about to leave when I heard it: a low, pained groan that came from the bathroom, the door slightly ajar.

I knew that walking away and acting as if I had heard nothing was the reasonable thing to do, but my body couldn't listen. I found myself slowly walking to the door with a pounding heart.

I hesitantly raised my hand and pressed it against the door gently, debating whether to push the door open or not when I heard it.

My name.

Barely above a whisper, but there, hoarsey.

My breath hitched, caught in my throat.

Curiosity made me curl my fingers around the edge of the doorframe and push the door open as I widened my eyes at the image ahead of me.

Cassian.

Through the haze of steam, I saw him.

Shirtless and bare. His beautiful tattoos were darker than usual down his arms.

Water ran down his chest, highlighting every part of his flesh.

His eyes were half-closed, his head tilted back, and his lips parted while his hand gently stroked his huge, hard cock.

And still, still, I heard it: my name murmured by him.

I weakly stumbled back, moving my hand to my chest, which was aching badly.

My body stiffened,my head jerked slightly as sweat formed on my forehead and my breath became labored.

I couldn't stay here, no matter what. That's why I did the only thing I could think of in that moment: flee.

Even as I ran, I knew there was no unseeing what I had seen or undoing what had been done in that moment.

My chest was rising in a shaky, shallow way. I couldn't even dare to look back or let the silent screams locked behind my lips push past.

In just a few seconds, I was in my room, kneeling down on the floor with one of my hands on the locked door.

Tears were threatening to fall from my eyes as my mind replayed the scene I had seen over and over again.