Page 44 of Toy

I hurried to the edge without protest. My skin was caked with grime and blood, so I welcomed the opportunity to bathe myself. It was the first chance I’d been given since I was brought here.

I climbed into the water and immersed myself in the bubbles, groaning and wincing as the warm temperature and soap made my cuts sting. After a moment, the pain settled, and the heat began to help with my tired, aching muscles.

Despite my aching thirst, I didn’t dare make any attempt to drink the bathwater while I washed myself. Danny was watching me like a hawk, and I had no doubt he’d hold my head underwater until I was half-drowned as punishment for doing something without explicit instruction.

“Are you clean?” he asked a moment later.

I shook my head, desperate for a few more moments of warmth and safety.

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t have all fucking night. Hurry up.”

I forced myself out of the bath a couple of minutes later, not wishing to draw any more of Danny’s ire. He wrapped a large white towel around me and rubbed me dry.

I noticed his touch was soft and gentle compared to the way he treated me earlier. I wondered whether it was because he wanted to ensure my scabs didn’t break open and bleed again after being softened by the warm water, or if he was actually just being slightly nicer to me right now for some unknown reason.

There was one way to find out.

“Danny,” I said softly, looking up at him. “Do you remember when we were kids?”

He frowned, but he didn’t hit or insult me. He simply turned and picked up a dress and underwear from a marble counter and thrust them toward me. “Put this on,” he said. “And yes, I do remember.”

“We used to be friends.”

“I know.” He turned away and emptied the tub as I dressed myself. The underwear was basic white cotton, and the dress was long and pale blue, just like the one I used to wear every day at New Eden.

“Could I have a glass of water?” I asked.

Danny looked back at me. “I suppose so,” he muttered. He headed over to the basin and filled a cup with water. “Here,” he said, handing it to me.

“Thank you.” I gulped it all down in one mouthful. “Could I have some more?”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t even supposed to give you that.”

“Oh. I understand,” I murmured. “Thanks for giving me a bit anyway.”

“Whatever. We should go.” Danny grabbed my right arm. “He’s not due back here for a few more hours, but you never know. He could arrive early.”

“Wait.” I pulled away. “Can we talk?”

“About what? How we used to be friends?” he said, eyes narrowing. “We already did that. Who cares?”

“I care,” I said. “I don’t understand how it got like this. You used to be so sweet. I remember you used to cry when you accidentally stepped on bugs.”

Surprisingly, Danny smiled faintly. “Not exactly my proudest memory,” he said, eyes crinkling at the edges.

“You were only six or seven,” I said, returning his amused expression.

“Well, I’m not anymore.” His smile quickly faded.

“What happened to you?” I pressed onward. “When did you go from being that sweet little boy to… this?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” I insisted. “It matters to me. We were friends, but now you’re torturing me. Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like if things had happened differently? Do you think we’d be like this?”

He let out a shallow sigh. His expression softened slightly, and his gaze turned unfocused. “I don’t know,” he said in a distant tone. “Probably not. If things were different… I suppose we might still be friends.”

“Yes. I think so too,” I whispered, nodding fervently. I was finally getting somewhere with him.

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