Page 14 of Carter's #Undoing

Five

SERENITY

I hadn’t spoken to Carter in hours, ever since I learned that I was literally in a cabin surrounded by tall, wide trees and deep craters. When we arrived back to his home, I hadn’t even known what to think about where I was at or how long he planned to keep me here.

A part of me worried that he would try to handcuff me to the couch again, but he must have sensed that I could only take so much and he let me roam around freely. His only restriction: don’t go in the basement or his bedroom on the second floor.

Considering a part of me was still in shock about everything, I agreed and took the chance to explore inside. The cabin was nicer than I originally thought it was from my handcuffed position on the couch prior.

I surveyed the entire main level first, including the back deck that overlooked a cliff and what I assumed was a hot tub beneath a covered tarp. From the looks of it, Carter spent quite a bit of time out here. It looked well used with shards of wood unpeeling and the lone wooden chair facing the farthest point of the deck.

The kitchen and living room were also cozy, and I was sure under different circumstances, I would find being here relaxing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t granted that luxury, and although I hadn’t seen Carter since we got back, I couldn’t wait any longer.

I knocked on the closed door of his office, one of the rooms I was surprised wasn’t on his restriction list. He gave me permission to enter almost immediately. As I opened the door, I found myself sucking in my breath, nervous to even talk with him.

“I have to take a shower,” I blurted out. I hadn’t had one in days which was so unlike me. I loved to shower at least twice a day if I wasn’t too busy with work or running errands.

“You know where your bag is. Towel and soap are in the linen closet next to the bathroom.” He kept his back turned to me, staring out the window. We’d been together less than forty-eight hours, but I’d seen his back more than his face.

“Are you going to turn around?”

“No.”

I let out a frustrated exhale. “Well, what about shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer? I need to put something on my hair after I wash it.”

“You’ll find a small bottle of shampoo and conditioner in the closet, but I don’t have any moisturizer.”

I frowned. “Do you have any coconut oil?”

“Yes. You’ll find that in the kitchen.”

“Okay.”

“How are your feet?” he asked.

I glanced down at my bare feet. “Fine, why?”

“You were running in the woods without any shoes. Are your feet cut up?”

“No.” Honestly, I wasn’t even sure that was true. I felt like adrenaline was still pumping through my veins. But I wasn’t a fan of wearing shoes anyway, so my feet could handle more than they probably looked like they could.

“You’ll find some shoes in your bag.”

“Got it.” I closed the door after me and went to the kitchen, trying not to let it bother me that there were more locks on the door than I recalled being there before. Either that, or I hadn’t paid much attention in the first place.

I found the coconut oil first, and then also snagged an egg, avocado, mayo, olive oil, and honey, along with some Ziploc bags, figuring the best thing to do would be to make my own hair mask and moisturizer concoction.

It wasn’t until I was halfway up the stairs that I realized Carter had clearly had all the locks on the front door unlocked after he uncuffed me.He probably knew I’d try to run.And the fact that he felt like he knew what my moves would be made me slightly uneasy. It wasn’t fair that he pick up on certain things after all this time.

The bedroom he told me I was staying in was down the hall from his. It was much larger than I expected with a king-sized bed and a chair in the corner. There wasn’t a dresser or anything, but my bag had been placed on the bed and I noticed hangers in the closet.

I hadn’t asked if we’d both be sharing the bathroom across the hall, but had my answer after I got what I needed out of the closet and locked the bathroom door. The medicine cabinet was empty, the only items being an unopened toothbrush and tube of toothpaste.He probably has a bathroom in his bedroom.Carter seemed to be a minimalist, but I would expect more than two items in a bathroom he often used.

I need this,I thought, admiring the waterfall shower. It was an indulgence I hadn’t expected to find, but grateful for since I loved a good shower head, especially the waterfall kind. I opened all the products and got to mixing the ingredients for my hair. I’d been wearing my hair natural for years, and typically liked to use my personal mix of products to ensure that it stayed moisturized and naturally shiny. However, I also loved going to the salon for a good deep condition, steaming, and styling, but that wasn’t possible given the situation.

And you still have no idea what that situation is.It seemed no matter how many times I tried to calm my nerves, they were still all over the place. And rightfully so. Nothing about this was normal and I hated being kept in the dark.

You should be used to that by now,my inner thoughts taunted as I removed my dress, the material sticking to parts of my body, proof that I’d been wearing it for entirely too long. I had a few scratches too from running through the trees. When the water hit my body, I welcomed the hot liquid, relishing in the only release I’d felt since my world had been turned on its axel.

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