Page 20 of Little Darling

It made me sick to even humanize him and this situation he put me in. But I couldn’t help it. He made sure I ate. He brought me water, clothes, and wanted me to be clean. I’d never had anyone take care of me like that before, not in any sense of the words.

Every gesture chipped away at the clear line that was drawn between captor and captive. And that was what we were. That was what this relationship was.

But is it really?

I shook my head to clear the confusing thought.

In this moment, I didn't feel like a captive at all. He was freeing me… in a sense.

Before I realized how long I walked, a small creek came into view. I glanced behind me, seeing the cabin in the far distance while Lars was a few feet from me. I wasn’t breathing hard, and my pulse wasn’t racing. I felt at ease and calm right now.

I stopped by the creek, staring at the water as it trickled over rocks as my mind wandered. As much as I wanted to hate him, I was confused and really began thinking about everything at greater length and depth.

Something in my chest twisted painfully, and I pressed a hand there, trying to shove the feeling down.

I’d always been so alone.So lonely.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, but after long moments, I finally forced myself to turn away from the creek. But when I spun, I saw Lars had spread out a blanket, set out the food he brought, and gestured for me to sit and eat.

He hadn’t said anything else. He just let me be and do it at my own pace. But the weight of his gaze stayed on me as I sat down and started eating with no other prompting.

And when he sat across from me and started picking at the food for the first time since he’d taken me… I truly wasn’t afraid. At all.

I should detest him and only be focused on escaping. But why did the thought of him sleeping beside me last night make me feel warm?

And why was I playing with the idea that I wanted him to do it again?

16

DOLLY

We’d stayed outside for hours, and I even found myself lying on the blanket Lars brought for our picnic and just looking at the sky. I was pretty sure I even fell asleep, but when I opened my eyes, I was still in the same spot, staring at the white clouds drifting across the baby blue canvas which was only broken up by the dark branches overhead.

Lars never rushed me. In fact, it was when the weather changed—the wind becoming chillier and the sky darkening—that we finally headed back to the cabin.

It seemed surreal that I voluntarily went back into the place I was being held captive, but here I was, sitting in the living room and staring at the fire as it roared before me.

The sounds of the forest didn’t fade but changed as darkness settled in, filling the interior of the cabin with quiet nocturnal noises that mixed with the crackle and pop of the flames licking over the logs. I’d taken a bath already, Lars giving me privacy as I soaked in the warm water. My body wash still lingered on my skin, reminding me of where I was when I bought it just days ago.

When I was free.

I knew that every minute spent in this place was another minute I’d crawl deeper into his trap and under his control. And with every second, I was unsure of where I stood in my life and in this world.

Although Lars had said little of anything since we stepped out of the cabin just this morning, his presence was very commanding, and I’d felt him watching me at every second.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tightly pulled the cardigan around me that I’d put on after my bath. The fire was crackling wildly, casting flickering shadows across the worn stone hearth and wooden walls. Lars came into my peripheral vision, holding two mugs and handing me one of them. I said nothing as I took the offered cup and focused on him as he took a seat across from me in the other tattered and worn armchair.

His gaze was forever fixed on me, dark and always unreadable.

“It’s just tea,” he said, his voice soft but holding that same weight it always did when he saw me eyeing the light amber-colored liquid. He took a sip from his cup, then set it on the small table beside him, steam rising from it in white tendrils.

I hesitated for a moment before taking a sip from my mug.My hands curled around the warm porcelain as if I had no control over them, my fingers trembling.

We sat in silence, my eyes on the fire, yet Ifelthis focus was on me. I stared into the flames, my mind racing with questions I’d been too afraid to ask before tonight. Now, though, the fear and the faux freedom he’d given me today wasn’t enough to keep me quiet.

“Why did you take me?” I asked softly, something Ihadquestioned once before, my voice barely above a whisper but feeling so thick, like oil on my tongue. And although I spoke quietly, it felt like a scream in the small interior.

When Lars didn’t respond right away, I glanced at him. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes still on me, his expression impossible to read. He always wore this stoic mask, one that made me feel like I was staring into the face of a psychopath.

---