Chapter 4: Awakening the trauma
1026 Words
When they finally returned to the hotel, it was already past three in the afternoon. They had enjoyed lunch at one of the many kiosks, so they decided to take a shower and rest for a while.
Later in the evening, Lili woke up from her deep sleep. Diogo was still fast asleep, so she decided to playfully wake him up. She cautiously approached the bed and suddenly jumped at him, startling him awake.
"Oh God! Lili!" he exclaimed, placing his hand over his chest, while she laughed. "I'm not as young as you anymore. I'm getting old, and surprises like that might give me a heart attack."
"Don't be silly, you still look like a teenager to me," Lili reassured him.
"Only in your perception..." He shook his head.
"How about a movie night?" she suggested.
"Is it night already?" he asked groggily.
"Yes."
"Let's call the reception and ask them to bring us some food," Diogo suggested.
"But I don't want anything salty," Lili added.
"Okay, okay. Choose whatever you want," Diogo agreed.
"I'll call the reception and then take a shower. I'm feeling really warm."
After ordering all the favorite junk food that Lili wanted to eat, she went into the bathroom. After showering, she put on a plain black nightgown. It was modest, without any revealing cleavages or overly sensual details, but it was a bit short.
After getting dressed, Lili chose a movie for them to watch. While she was making the selection, Diogo took the opportunity to take a shower. When he returned, she started playing the chosen series and lay down on her stomach, with her feet near the headboard.
On the other hand, Diogo also settled on the same bed, sitting up against the headboard, engrossed in the show. He hadn't even realized the position she was in.
They were already on the second episode, attentively watching as they snacked on some treats and drank soda. However, a slight shift in his gaze made him suddenly notice the way her body was moving. Her bottom was slightly shaking as she swung her legs, her short shirt leaving her partially exposed, with small panties that offered little coverage. For a few seconds, he couldn't help but stare, but the idea of wanting her filled him with anger.
"Lili, lie down straight," Diogo said.
"No, I'm comfortable like this," Lili refused.
"I said lie down straight..." he repeated.
But Lili refused to comply with his request.
"Diogo, this is how I always watch movies."
"What's the harm in sitting or lying down properly? Have some posture. You're a woman, not an eight-year-old child," he said, his voice slightly changing, triggering a painful memory in Lili's mind.
Lili froze. All she could think of was her father and the way he always seemed angry, shouting or hurting her mother.
She remained still for a few moments, her body losing strength as she let the packet of snacks slip from her hands, snapping her out of that haunting trance.
"O-okay, I... I'll sit down," she stammered. She picked up the snacks and positioned herself with her back to him. During the last two minutes of the show they were watching, she struggled to hold back her tears.
When the episode of the series ended, Lili got up and, without looking at him, she uttered words that reflected her lack of courage to face him.
"I'm going to sleep," Lili said.
"Turn off the light. I'll be sleeping too," Diogo replied.
She turned off the light and made her way to her bed. He had never treated her like that before. Even when it was necessary to scold her, he had always been kind, understanding her childhood traumas and doing his best not to awaken them.
Lili couldn't hold back her tears any longer. They overwhelmed her. Memories of screams, curses, sounds of objects breaking, and, worst of all, her mother's cries of pain flooded her mind. She covered her mouth, attempting to stifle her sobs, but they still escaped audibly.
"Lili... are you crying?" Diogo asked.
"No," she denied, but her shaky and broken voice betrayed her true emotions.
Diogo quickly got up from his bed and went to hers. In the darkness, he gently placed her on his lap and held her in a comforting embrace.
"Lili..."
"Why did you yell at me?" She cried.
"Forgive me. I got angry, but it's not your fault, Princess."
"What happened? What did I do?" Lili questioned, her voice filled with confusion and sorrow.
"Please, calm down. Okay?"
"Tell me, Diogo. What did I do?"
"Lili, sometimes your posture is not appropriate. You are already a woman and..."
Lili interrupted Diogo's words. "I don't want to just be appropriate. I want to be your girl." Her words held truth, but there was also a deeper meaning beneath her statement.
"My girl?"
"Yes. And you yelled at me earlier..."
"If it's because of what happened, I promise it won't happen again."
"It's not just that. You don't treat me the same way you did a few years ago," Lili expressed.
"Because you have grown up, Lili. I wanted to let you grow, and I thought that was what you wanted," Diogo explained.
"And I do like it, but I also miss certain things."
"I promise I'll stay even closer," Diogo whispered.
"Sleep here," Lili slyly requested.
"Lili..."
"Like when I was scared, and you let me sleep on your back," Lili reminisced.
"But back then, you weighed about twenty-five kilos, and I was younger," he said, evoking a bittersweet laughter.
"Now it's only fifteen kilos more," Lili remarked.
"I'll stay here, okay? But you won't sleep on my back, or I won't be able to get up tomorrow," Diogo stated.
"Okay."
He gently lifted her off his lap and placed her on the bed next to him, before lying down beside her.
Lili felt her heart heavy with emotions, so she shifted to rest her head on his chest and held him in a tight embrace.
"Everything will be fine, Princess," he whispered.
"I miss Mom..." she quietly uttered.
"I feel the same," Diogo responded.
- Writer
