Undress Me

This storm is no joke. It’s raining so hard that I can’t see well around me anymore and I am completely soaked. I still don’t feel like going back inside the mansion though. I don’t want to run into Reiner and I guess, I just wanted time alone to wallow in my sadness.

I don’t know how many times I’ve cried in this rain. I’ve cried so much that I couldn’t cry anymore.

Sadly, feeling the rain beat down on me from above is starting to feel comforting. Luckily, there were next to no thunder and lighting, otherwise, I would probably be too scared to stay out for this long.

I wonder if Reiner has already left for the main house to report back to the Elders. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and yet I’m the one that is sending him away. I’m also the one crying my eyes out because of it…this is so stupid.

Suddenly, the rain stopped. The endless rain that had been falling down on my head had come to a complete stop.

“How much longer are you going to sit out in this storm?” the voice I had wanted least…or the most…to hear right now cut through the sound of the storm.

Looking up, I saw a completely soaked Rainer holding an umbrella over my head. His red hair was now a dark maroon from being wet by the rain. Many emotions whirled within me; however, the clearest one was probably fear. The look on Reiner’s face was intimidating and scary. I knew he was mad for many reasons without needing to ask.

“Why are you here?” I asked in shock.

“To stop you from killing yourself by catching pneumonia,” Reiner replied, half in truth and half in sarcasm.

“Shouldn’t you be on your way back to the main house to see the Elders?” I asked what was on my mind.

I felt Reiner stiffen at my words and before I knew it, my body was being lifted off the tree branch by his powerful arms. In one swift movement, Reiner had lifted me into his arms and was carrying me princess-style.

“Stop! What do you think you’re doing?! Where are you taking me?!” I screamed as I began to struggle in his arms.

Reiner just held me tighter as he started walking without bothering to answer to my screams of protests. My struggles were meaningless against a man of his size and strength. I wish he would just put me down so that we could just go our separate ways.

The rain has not let up one bit and it was getting colder. I shouted for Reiner to put me down many times as I beat my fists against his rock-hard chest to no avail. Within a few minutes, we seemed to have arrived at our destination. I looked around to see through the rain that we had arrived at the green house.

Without pausing, Reiner pushed opened the large doors to the green house. The warmth of the greenhouse greeted us the moment Reiner opened the doors before striding in with me still in his arms.

“It’s dry and warm here…and closer than going back to the mansion,” Reiner said as he slowly put me down on a wooden bench.

The smell of roses and other flowers and herbs mixed to fill my nostrils as I sat down on the bench. The greenhouse was pretty much dark. Where are the light switches again? It’s been a while since I’ve been in here and definitely not at night like this.

Looking around, I suddenly realized that I was alone, and Reiner was no longer in sight. Where did he disappear to? Did he leave? I sense of loneliness immediately filled the void his presence had left behind.

“The lights are not working…I wonder what the head gardener has been doing not to fix this,” Reiner grumbled as he returned to my side holding a candle lit lantern in one hand.

His height loomed over me like a tower as he stood in front of the bench that I was sitting on before he set the lantern down to the side. This is the worst; I didn’t want to face him but now I am all alone with him in the greenhouse. What do I do now? While I was figuring out what to say to him, Reiner spoke up first.

“So, you have something you want to tell me?” Reiner asked in a deep voice. Maybe it was my imagination, but I felt his voice felt colder than normal.

I felt my lips quiver a little before I bit my lower lip to steady them. I still didn’t know what to say to him.

Suddenly, Reiner bent down to lean in close to me until his face was at my level and so close. His two arms planted on either side of the bench, preventing my escape. Not like I could escape from him anyways.

“I…want you to stop being my bodyguard,” I replied softly.

“Why?” Reiner asked mercilessly.

Why…I wonder…

“I feel safe now. I’m not in danger…if I need to go out to public events, I will take some of Lucien’s or Zak’s bodyguards with me. It’s not a big deal…” I stated the reasons that made the most sense while keeping my feelings aside.

“You’re less beautiful…” Reiner said softly as his fingers started playing with strands of my wet hair.

“What?” I said in a whisper, confused.

“You’re less beautiful…when you lie,” Reiner said as he peered into my eyes. Our gaze locked and I couldn’t look away from his deep blue eyes.

“I wasn’t lying,” I managed to croak out.

Slowly, I watched as if mesmerized as Reiner’s hands reached out to unknot the bow at the collar of my dress. With tender care, Reiner slowly undid the bow before proceeded a little downward to unbutton the small buttons of the front of my dress.

“…what are you doing?” I asked in a panic.

“Undressing you. Your clothes are drenched…you’ll get sick at this rate,” Reiner stated casually like what he was doing was the obvious course of action.

“No. It’s ok…I’m fine…” I quickly protested as I brushed his hands away from my chest.

“Stop being so stubborn, Natalia,” Reiner warned.

“I’m not!” I snapped back.

Without heeding my words, Reiner’s hands returned to my chest and began unbuttoning the buttons of my dress until all were undone. It was a struggle between us, but he finally had me completely naked in no time at all. Reiner took all my clothes and underwear and threw them on the floor. Great.

--To be continued…