Chapter 36

I was sitting in front of my vanity mirror when Felicity returned. He was holding a bottle of antibacterial body wash that he had been talking about and went straight to the bathroom. I heard the water start pouring inside, and after a few minutes, he went out while wiping his hands with a towel. "You can take a bath now, girl," he said while walking closer to me. When he got near, he stretched his hand for me to hold, but I didn't take it. "I can walk," I uttered coldly as I walked past him. 'O-okay," I heard him murmur behind me. I went to the bathroom even though I didn't want to bathe, but after smelling the lavender scent inside, it put my mind at ease. The water was still dripping down the tub, still filling it with water, and there were enough bubbles on top. "The soap will help soften the burnt skin and clean your wounds. You don't have to scrub your skin, just dip and stay there for a couple of minutes," he instructed. When I heard what he said, I instantly wanted to dip into the water because the ointment they applied made me feel like I was covered in grease. "Not going to leave?" I asked, and he seemed a little surprised when I turned to face him. "N-no, not yet. I need to watch you—" He paused when I raised my eyebrows. "I mean, I will come out, girl, when the tub is full!" he corrected. I saw the gay blush, and he looked away when our eyes met. He did what he said. He left me when the tub was at the right level. I closed the door right after he went out, however, when I was done removing my clothes, I felt helpless when I couldn't reach the gauze on my back. "Gosh!" I grabbed a robe to cover my body and slowly opened the door, checking if Felicity was still near or if there was a maid I could call. The door creaked, and I was stunned when I saw a figure blocking the way. "Do you need help?" He asked, his eyebrow slightly raised and his arms crossed on his chest. I shyly nodded in response, and he looked at me like I was a big joke in front of him. "I knew it." He rolled his eyes and gestured with his right hand. I felt awkward thinking that gay would see my body again. "C-could you please call one of the maids?" I inquired. "I can do it! Turn around!" he ordered like there was no malice in seeing a woman's body for him. That made me wonder if the urge of every gay toward a woman was truly absent when they were born; that's why they were thinking they had a heart of a woman. "Turn," he repeated. At this moment, his voice was full of authority, and it was telling me that I also didn't have a choice but to let him do the task for me. I sighed before turning around. I lowered the robe on the back part while maintaining coverage on the front. I felt the coldness of Felicity's hands when he touched my bare back. I noticed his hand seemed to shake while pulling the gauze and tape on my skin. "Ahh!" "S-sorry" he apologized. "The tape is pulling your skin. It's better if you dip your body into the water first so I can easily remove it," he suggested. That was painful! I put the robe back on and turned around. I wanted to ask him to leave so I could dip into the water, but he immediately turned and stepped outside to give me privacy. He even pulled the door behind him to close it. I did what he suggested, and I felt the tape loosen, and the gauze fell along with it into the water with ease. "Still need my help, girl?" I thought he had left, but Felicity suddenly pushed the door open to check on me. "No, not anymore. Thank you," I answered as I lowered my body into the water so he wouldn't see anything but my head. "Okay! I'm going down now. Don't dip for too long. I'll be downstairs, and I'll wait for you there so we can eat lunch together," he uttered and left. When the door shut, I leaned my head on the headrest of the tub. The lukewarm water and the scent of the soap he added were relaxing. I stayed in the tub for a couple of minutes until— "Time is up! Rinse now, Ellie." I almost jumped out of the water when I heard Felicity's shrill voice. He didn't even knock, and because my eyes were closed, I didn't see the door when it opened. I thought he would wait for me downstairs, but he returned. I He suddenly walked into the shower area and turned the shower knob, careful not to get wet, and I saw him test the water by wetting one of his arms. "Come out there now and shower, girl. This won't hurt your skin, don't worry," he said, but I didn't go out yet because he was still there. When he was gone and the door was finally closed again, I stepped out of the tub and rushed to the door to lock it first before heading to the shower area. He was like a mushroom, popping out of nowhere. Locking the door would prevent another awkward moment between us, and even though Felicity considered himself gay, he was still a man to me. He was right; the pressure from the water coming down from the shower didn't hurt my skin. I did all that was necessary and went out refreshed while wearing a comfy bathrobe. "Sit here, Ellie!" I was startled when I saw Felicity show up again. I didn't know if he had been there waiting or what, but he made my heart race. Felicity pulled a chair in front of my vanity mirror. He was holding a transparent container of all my medicines and ointments for the burns. "Wear this first," he said next, and my face instantly turned red out of embarrassment when he handed me underwear. "A-are you serious?" I awkwardly asked. "Yes, I am, but not unless you want me to see the forest down there? Duh!" I wasn't sure if he was teasing or what, but it sounded insulting, and just for him to know, I didn't let a forest grow down there. It was well-maintained; getting mowed. "Wear it. I need to put ointment on your wounds." I hadn't sensed any awkwardness in his voice when I wanted to hide already. "C-Can you just call a maid to do that?" I mumbled. "I already asked all of them a while ago to come up here and help you, but they don't know how to clean a wound. They know, but they are afraid that you might yell at them if they suddenly put pressure on your skin and hurt you," he answered. My shoulder dropped. I felt helpless, and they left me no choice. "If you don't want me to help you, I can call one of the guards to do this task. So, who do you want me to call and ask? I'm sure they'll be pleased to do you a favor." "I can do it myself." "As if you really can, girl!" His tone went higher. "Don't be stubborn; it's perfect to clean your burns right now that they've softened. If you're feeling shy, just let me do the part you couldn't reach, and you can do those areas you can," he suggested, and because I no longer had a choice, I agreed. I went to the bathroom and cleaned my wounds in front of the mirror before applying the ointment as directed by the doctor. It was soft and jelly-like, and I was able to quickly remove it. Pink patches were left where I removed the outer burned skin, and when I was done, I tried to reach my behind, but I really couldn't no matter how much I tried. 'I surrender. I need that gay help,' I thought, and I went out wearing only the undergarment he handed me.