Return To Me, My Love

I wake up a few hours later from a nightmare, dreaming I was back in that alley with the knife pressed to my throat before I shoot up, flipping myself off the side of the bed and falling to the floor as I scream, my entire body drenched in sweat as I shake uncontrollably, attempting to slide back across the floor before I realise I'm in a hotel room, not a dirty alley. I hear a quiet rustling before suddenly the room is lit up, the lamp beside the bed coming on and I squeal again in shock as Frank comes into view, sliding off the side of the bed towards me and joining me on the floor. "Hey it's ok" he says, his voice soft and calming but I still feel afraid, sliding my knees up to my chest and curling in on myself as I continue to pant for breath. I let my eyes slip closed, attempting to calm myself down and a few seconds later i feel Franks arms wrap around me, gently guiding me into his chest and I go, allowing my body to melt into his as I bury my face in his neck again. "I'll never let anyone hurt you like that baby, I promise you" Frank whispers in my ear and I nod slightly, letting him know I'm listening and we fall into a comfortable silence, Frank holding me while I try to pull myself together again.

Ten minutes later I slowly pull myself back from Franks neck and I feel his warm hand gently cup my chin, guiding my head up so I am looking at him and he smiles softly before saying "The room has a tub, how about I run you a bubble bath and you can soak for a while? Make you feel a bit better?" I bite my bottom lip, thinking about it for a moment before nodding a couple of times, my clothes sticking to me with the dried sweat from the show and the club and my nightmare, making me feel grimy and Frank smiles a little wider before climbing to his feet, crossing the room away from me and going into the bathroom where I hear water start to run before he comes back out and kneels down, offering me his hand and gently helping me back up to sit on the edge of the bed. Frank turns and leaves again and while he's in the bathroom I allow myself to glance around and I notice his lyric journal laying open on the bedside table and just as I slide across, wanting a closer look at what he's been writing Frank comes back into the room and I freeze immediately, feeling like I've been caught red handed and Frank pauses in his step, his eyes drifting from my frozen state to his lyric journal and back again. "It's not ready so I'd really rather you didn't read it but I won't stop you" he tells me and I swallow hard as I meet his gaze and nod, pushing myself to stand from the bed and I slowly make my way across to the bathroom, Frank stepping aside to let me pass before following me in and after he's turned the water off, the tub almost full he turns to look at me again and I pause, the hem of my shirt clutched in my hands but I make no move to pull it up and off while he's looking. "Sorry, I'll just be out here" Frank mumbles after a long second and once he's gone, the door closing behind him I continue to tug my shirt off, sliding my hands back down to work on my belt and just as I pop the button on my jeans, the zip sliding down a little the door flies open again with no warning and I jump, a soft startled noise escaping me and Frank curses softly under his breath and says "Sorry, I should have knocked, I just wanted to give you this robe for when you get out and I'll just be out here when...." "Could you stay?" I ask softly, feeling uneasy again and Frank looks back up to meet my gaze, staring straight into my eyes as he says "Of course, whatever you need."

After he fully steps in and closes the door again Frank turns around to give me privacy to get undressed and once he hears me splash around in the water he turns back around slowly, making sure I'm under the bubbles before making his way across to sit on the closed toilet. I sigh softly in contentment as I let myself sink lower into the water, the heat making my body relax and I lean my head back against the end of the tub and close my eyes, feeling myself calm down even more and when I reopen them a few minutes later I see Frank staring intently at me. "What?" I ask, breaking our silence and Frank just smiles and shakes his head a little, leaning forward to rest his elbows against his thighs as he says "You know when you go to a gallery and you see a piece of art that's so special and so beautiful you can't help but smile and you can't help but feel moved just by looking at it?" "Yeah" I say, feeling slightly confused and Frank smiles even wider and says "Well that's how I feel right now, looking at you." I feel my cheeks heat as I turn my head to look away from him, my heart hammering in my chest and butterflies flapping up a storm in my stomach before reality sets in and Paris comes flooding back into my mind. "You can't sweet talk your way..." "I'm not trying to" he tells me, making me turn my head back in his direction. "I'm just being honest" Frank says and I stare at his face, seeing the completely serious expression on it. "Ok" I offer, not sure what to say and we fall into silence again, my eyes slipping closed as I hum softly in contentment, the bath really helping to make me feel better.

Twenty minutes later I manage to drag myself out of the tub, Frank leaving the room while I dry off and once I'm dry I glance around and realise that I don't really want to put my boxers back on, all my clothes slightly damp and grimy so I pull on the thick robe Frank brought me, tying it tight around my waist before I step back into the room where I find Frank sitting on the end of the bed waiting for me. "Feel better now?" He asks and I smile slightly and nod, taking a breath before asking "Could I maybe borrow some clothes, mine are all...." "Of course, my bag is over there, I did laundry yesterday so everything in it is clean so take your pick" he tell me, gesturing to his bag on the table in the corner and I slowly cross the room and dig through it, finding a pair of boxers and some sweat pants and a shirt that actually belongs to me. Once I'm done I quickly pack all the other clothes back into the bag and cross back to the bathroom, going in and dressing before coming back out and Frank is laying in bed, the covers pulled back on the other side of the bed and he pats the empty part of the mattress a few times, looking me in the eye and I breathe deeply, climbing in beside him and after he pulls the blanket up over me he gently guides me to lay on my side facing away from him, his body sliding over to press against my back and his hand slides down my arm to rest over mine, his fingers gently easing their way inbetween my own and I decide not to fight it, feeling warm and content and safe and I let my eyes slip closed as I shift my arm down to rest across my stomach, pulling Franks arm with it and I feel myself drift off again while Frank holds me close.

Notes