Awaening

This is the second chapter of a two part story and you may find it easier to understand if you have read the first chapter. I have placed this chapter in the 'non consent' category for a reason, so don't read it if you are likely to be offended. There are also hints of lesbian sex.

* * *

The house was empty when Kiera walked in through the door. Wearily she placed her bag at the foot of the stairs, ready to take it up to her bedroom, and then she headed through to the kitchen with the few bits of shopping she had picked up on the way back from the station.

It might have been nice if Ben had thought to cook them dinner, but oh no, that was about as likely as a heat-wave in Alaska. No doubt he had disappeared down to the gym for a work-out. Surprisingly she hadn't heard from him again since yesterday evening. She had half expected him to ring this morning -- but he hadn't.

It was just as well really -- she had not felt like talking to him anyway. Her head was all over the place and she didn't know what the hell she was going to do about their relationship. Alicia had turned her world upside down and there was no easy way back to how things had been. Her take on life had irrevocably changed.

With a sigh, she surveyed the pile of unwashed dishes in the sink. There were empty take-out containers on the side and the remains of a bottle of wine. It appeared that Ben had managed to feed himself in her absence, although it would have been better if he had cleared up after himself too.

She ran some hot water into the sink and threw the rubbish into the bin, wishing he could learn to be more domesticated. It was his mother's fault -- she had spoilt him rotten and now Kiera was paying the price. Ever since they had moved in together she had cooked and skivvied for him. It wore her down sometimes, especially when she had to return home from a hard day and continue cooking and cleaning all evening.

Once the kitchen was looking semi tidy, Kiera headed upstairs for a soak in a hot bath. She was unbelievably tired after the emotional rollercoaster of the last twenty four hours. Her head felt like it was about to explode any moment and she really needed to relax and try and sort her jumbled thoughts out.

The water was soothing and Kiera lay back with her eyes closed, allowing the tension to slowly dissipate. Lavender scented steam drifted upwards and filled the small room with clouds of exotic vapour. It was heavenly. Gradually, unbidden thoughts of last night began to drift into her mind.

She remembered the sensation of Alicia's hands caressing her body and she felt the slow pull of arousal sparking within her sex. Gently she stroked her breasts, enjoying how hard her nipples were; how sensitive they felt in the warm water. Still keeping her eyes closed, she recalled the beautiful curves of her lover's body. She imagined how it felt to touch her breasts, tease her nipples as she was now teasing her own aching nipples.

It was pure sweet torture. She could feel the savage ache between her thighs and the moisture welling up there had nothing to do with the fragrant bathwater. Pushing all modesty aside, Kiera slowly stroked the swollen lips of her pussy, brushing over her clit and gasping at the sensations. She rubbed harder, ignoring the water slopping dangerously near to the edge of the tub.

Her body tensed up and with a harsh cry she came in a sweet rush. The contractions spread outwards in a wave of pleasure, rippling like the circles on a pond. Slowly the heat faded and her breathing became calm again. Feeling luxuriously sated and relaxed, she sank languidly into the warm soothing water and wondered what Alicia was doing at that moment.

She was almost asleep when she heard the front door open and then slam shut again, the house shuddering with the impact. All her tension and uncertainly returned with a vengeance and her stomach clenched up tightly. She knew she would have to face Ben -- they really needed to talk. Just what she was going to say exactly was a tough one, but she couldn't continue as she had been. Alicia had made sure of that. Nothing would ever be the same again.

"Kiera?" Ben's voice echoed up the stairs. Trying to quell her jangling nerves, Kiera stood up and grabbed her large fluffy towel. She had just wrapped it round her body when he burst in through the bathroom door. "What's for dinner?" he asked brusquely

"No idea," Kiera replied, wrapping her damp hair in the smaller towel.

"Well I'm starving -- I've just done an hour at the gym and I was expecting some dinner." He sounded cross, but she brushed past him silently, heading for their bedroom. The last thing she wanted right now was an argument -- she didn't have the energy.

"You know where the fucking kitchen is," she muttered quietly out of earshot.

"What's eating you anyway?" Ben came up behind her and nuzzled her neck.

"Don't..." she said irritably.

"Don't what?" He slid his hands up her front and tried to yank the towel loose. Kiera held onto it tightly and pulled away.

"Just DON'T!" she repeated. The thought of him touching her after last night was totally repellent. Right now she didn't think she wanted him anywhere near her - ever again.

He stepped back in surprise.

"We need to talk, Ben," she said wearily. It probably wasn't the best time for this conversation, but then no time was ever a good time to tell your boyfriend that your relationship was pretty much over.

"Okay I'm listening," he said, his arms folded across his broad chest in a defensive gesture.

"I think we should...separate for a while." He opened his mouth to say something so she interrupted, "Just to give us both some space."

She continued drying her hair with the towel, rubbing the excess moisture from the long dark curls. The tension in the room was so thick she felt stifled, but she was determined not to back down. It was about time they both recognised that things weren't working.

"What's brought this on?" Ben asked in a deceptively pleasant voice.

"Nothing..."

"Don't lie to me! I tried ringing your mobile several times last night and you never answered. I also tried ringing your room fairly late - and you weren't in it..." His voice trailed off in an accusatory fashion and she felt her stomach drop fifty miles. It was something she hadn't considered - that he might try ringing her in the room.

"So have you been fucking another man? Is that what this is all about Kiera?"

"No! I haven't had sex with another man -- this is about US! Why can't you just see that?" She felt her anger rising and she forced herself to stay calm. Losing her temper would not help at all.

Ben crossed the room without warning and grabbed hold of her. She felt his fingers pressing painfully into her arms and she knew there would be bruises there later. "Let go of me," she said quietly. "This won't solve our problems."

"Don't lie to me then! Why won't you just admit you fucked another man?" He stared at her angrily. "Tell me Kiera -- did you enjoy it? Was he better than me? Or did you just lie there like a cold fish like you do with me?"

Kiera shrank back from the venomous and hurtful words. Was that what he really thought of her?

"Just stop it, Ben!" she cried in anguish.

"No, I won't stop it. All our problems are you, not me. You're a frigid bitch and I'm sick of making all the effort in this fucking relationship."

Kiera lost it. She swung her arm out and slapped his face hard with a sharp stinging blow. The sound echoed round the bedroom like a gunshot. For a long moment neither of them moved; both of them stunned into silent disbelief that she had hit him.

"You fucking bitch!" Ben hissed in a cold, dead voice, his cheek an angry red colour.

Kiera backed away quickly, frightened by the look on his face. All pretence of reconciliation was gone now. He just wanted to hurt her as she had hurt him. She held her towel tightly to her chest and tried to edge towards the door and the safety of the bathroom with its lock.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked nastily, pulling her roughly against his body.

"Stop it Ben!" she pleaded, her body trembling.

"You don't mean it -- I bet you didn't say that to him last night," he growled before he mashed his lips against hers in a vicious kiss. Kiera tried to turn her face away, but he grabbed her hair painfully and she was trapped. With his free hand he yanked the towel from her body and pushed her back towards the bed.

"No, please don't do this..." she begged, tears beginning to fall unheeded. Why was he doing this? Why couldn't they just talk about it?

Ben didn't listen. He forced her to turn over and pressed her into the soft bed covers, roughly caressing her body, biting her skin with sharp stinging nips. Vaguely she heard the sound of a zipper before he thrust inside her body hard with a loud grunt.

She yelped at the painful entry. She was dry and it hurt like hell. Lying still in an attempt to minimise the discomfort, she bit the covers and sobbed silently.

"This will teach you to fuck about behind my back," he told her in a low voice, roughly thrusting into her prone and unresponsive body. She heard his breathing quicken and knew he wouldn't last long -- he never did.

Within minutes he came with a long drawn out groan, releasing his anger deep inside her. He collapsed on top of her and she felt his limp cock sliding wetly from her body. The bed covers were soaked with her tears but she stayed silent, trying to ignore the aching, stinging sensation from her bruised and torn sex.

Eventually he moved away and stood up. "Kiera..." he said in a barely audible voice. He sounded suddenly fearful. The implications of what he'd done were clearly just beginning to sink in.

"Just go," she managed to say, her voice muffled by the bedcovers. She could feel his sperm trickling down her thighs and she desperately wanted to clean herself; to wash the traces of this repugnant act away.

There was silence and then she heard him walk out of the room and go downstairs. The front door opened and shut, and he was gone. She waited to make sure he had really gone before dashing down and double locking both doors. She needed a shower, a bath, anything to wash him away.

Trembling, she turned the shower on and before it was even warm, she stood under the sharp spray and scoured her body with soap and a flannel. Every portion of skin was scrubbed until it was red raw. She stayed under the spray for the longest time, her mind a blank sheet of paper and her heart a chunk of bitter ice.

It was over. They could never, ever, recover from this.

When the hot water eventually ran out, she climbed out of the small cubicle and dried her body carefully. Dark purple bruises were just becoming evident on her upper arms and she could feel the soreness between her legs. She also had bite marks on her neck and she winced when she saw them. They would be difficult to cover up.

She couldn't stay here. Not in this house. It wasn't her home anymore. Pulling some clothes into a bag, she took all that she needed and when she was dressed she called a taxi. It arrived within fifteen minutes and after posting her key through the letterbox, Kiera climbed into the waiting taxi and closed her eyes tightly.

The cold glass felt soothing against her hot skin.

It reminded her she was still alive.

* * *

The railway station was teeming with people heading into the city for the evening. It felt like she had only just stepped off a train a few minutes earlier. How was it that so much had happened in that short space of time? If she had known what was going to happen, she would have stayed on the train and saved herself a whole lot of misery. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, she thought without a trace of humour.

Once she was seated on the train, she made a short phone call before settling back into the numb, mindless state she had slipped into during the taxi journey. It helped not to think about things. At some point she was going to have to think about it all -- but right now she wasn't strong enough.

* * *

Alicia stood on the windy platform, her hands tightly dug in the pockets of her long wool coat. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail as it was still slightly damp from the shower. She had been both shocked and delighted when Kiera phoned her. Despite the intensity of the experience they had shared, she was realistic enough to know that the other woman had probably had second thoughts once the cold light of day had struck.

They had parted after breakfast with warm kisses and whispered promises. For her at least, it had not been a one-night stand and she hoped that Kiera felt the same way, but she had decided to be pragmatic about it all. If she never heard from Kiera again, then at least they had shared something wonderful, if only for one night.

When her mobile rang shrilly just as she stepped out of the shower, she had dashed to answer it, hoping against hope that it was Kiera on the other end of the line. Her joyful smile soon faded when she managed to make some sense out of the garbled stream of nonsense. Her heart had almost stopped in shock, then a slow burning rage flooded her veins with adrenaline and if Ben had been in the same room at that moment, he would not have left it alive.

But the most important thing right now was to help Kiera deal with this. Once she was safe and away from

that man

, they could talk about it. A disembodied voice crackled into life from some hidden speakers.

"The next train to arrive at platform two is the..."

Alicia glanced at her watch. This was her train. She just hoped that Kiera was on it. Since the frightening phone call she had heard nothing from her. Anxiety made her stomach churn nauseously and she wished she had not eaten the left over pizza when she arrived home earlier. She could feel the stodgy food sitting like a lead weight in her tummy.

In a rush of noise and wind, the train slowly crawled down the long platform and eventually ground to a screeching halt. The doors slid open and several people began to disembark. For a panicky moment Alicia scanned the throngs of passengers, but she couldn't see Kiera anywhere.

Looking down the platform, she suddenly noticed a small figure dressed in a long black coat and carrying a holdall bag. The woman's shoulders were stooped and for a minute she resembled a small fragile bird with a broken wing, utterly lost and devoid of hope. Alicia's heart went out to the wraith and she rushed towards her, wanting only to hug her tightly and make the pain go away.

The damaged woman barely registered a smile when Alicia pulled her tightly into an embrace. They clung together like survivors of a storm, oblivious to the curious onlookers in the vicinity.

Alicia took a step back. The sharp vibrant women she had spent last night with had gone. In her place stood a grey, trembling shadow of a woman; emotionally destitute and physically damaged. Alicia wanted to cry for her. But she held her tears at bay, knowing that she needed to be strong in order to help Kiera.

"Come on," she said quietly. "Let's take you home."

Kiera just nodded meekly and allowed the other woman to lead her out of the busy station and towards the car park. A light grey drizzle seeped down from the charcoal sky, soaking everything with a damp chill. It was a miserable night steeped in gloom and Alicia turned up the cars heater to full when she heard Kiera's teeth chattering.

Bright lights flashed intermittently from the oncoming vehicles as Kiera sat huddled in her seat, her face blank and lifeless. Alicia kept glancing at her, hoping the shocked state she was in was only temporary. She was beginning to feel frightened and she wondered if maybe she had taken on something she couldn't handle. Maybe she should be taking her to the nearest police station and encouraging her to press charges.

She nearly said as much, but something told her Kiera would not want to hear that right now, so she kept her thoughts to herself. Maybe when the shock had lifted a little, she might listen to reason. Only time would tell.

* * *

Kiera sat on the leather couch in the flat, her legs tucked beneath her body. She felt cold, so cold. She felt like she would never be warm again. The rational part of her brain knew this was a side effect of emotional shock, but that didn't exactly make her feel any better. Alicia was being wonderful. So wonderful Kiera felt like weeping in gratitude. But she knew that if she started crying now she wouldn't be able to stop anytime soon, so she fiercely held her tears at bay for the time being.

The cold reality of what Ben had done was still something she couldn't stand to think about for more than a few moments. She had truly believed he loved her. So how could he have hurt her like that? The man who had done such a terrible thing to her was not the man she thought she knew. The more she thought about it, the more confused she felt.

Alicia had hinted that maybe she should consider pressing charges against him, but she knew she didn't have the courage to go through with it. Just the idea of sitting in the local police station and telling some copper about it made her feel like throwing up. No, it was something she was going to have to live with. It might take time, but eventually she would heal again.

"You're shivering," commented Alicia when she sat down beside her on the couch.

"I know," she mumbled with a wan smile.

"Come on, lets go to bed and you might warm up a little." Meekly, Kiera followed the other woman down a hall and into a large bedroom decorated in creams and pinks. It was a beautiful room and under different circumstances she would have taken more notice of the small details.

As it was she stared into the distance and slowly pulled her clothes off like a zombie.

"Jesus," whistled Alicia when she saw the dark bruises on her arms. Kiera said nothing. There seemed very little point. She pulled on the pyjama's that were laid out on the bed for her, and climbed under the duvet while Alicia switched the lights off.

Alicia stroked her hair gently as they lay together in the dark. The sensation was strangely soothing and she felt the tension slowly easing away. Her eyes began to close and before long she was fast asleep; the events of the night having taken their toll on her. Sleep was a blissful escape.

* * *

Kiera sat in Alicia's small garden watching a neighbour's cat stalking the birds. It crept along the wall, its belly scraping on the brick surface and its eyes gleaming with hopeful expectation that this time it would be successful. Every once in a while a small whimper escaped in a telltale sign of excitement.

It was rather amusing to view the spectacle. Kiera had no doubt that the birds knew exactly what was going on. They pecked away at the grass feigning obliviousness to the feline predator. Suddenly the fat tabby made its move. In a blur of stripy fur it sprang down from the wall, claws unsheathed in murderous weapons of death.

The birds swept up into the air en masse before the cat had even touched the floor. They flew into the trees chirruping noisily and practically laughing their feathers off at the poor unfortunate tabby as he sat on the lawn looking mightily confused. He blinked at Kiera as if to say, 'Damn those birds!" before shaking his tail and waddling off in search of more co-operative playthings.

She found herself grinning at the unexpected pantomime and realised it felt good to be slowly returning to normality. For two weeks she had been off work, utterly unable to face the prospect of returning to the office and answering her curious colleague's questions.

No doubt gossip would be rife by now -- her boss had already rung her twice to see when she was planning to return to work. Kiera had made some half-hearted declaration that it would be soon, but she hadn't specified an exact date. Realistically she knew it would need to be soon. She couldn't afford to lose her job and the company would not pay her full salary indefinitely.